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<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSoon after Joe Biden was declared the winner in November 2020, my husband said, \u201cI thought we\u2019d at least get a mental health break, but I guess not.\u201d Trump and his allies, who\u2019d sowed chaos and seeds of doubt about fair elections long before any votes were cast, wasted no time in spreading the Big Lie and passing lots of laws to make voting harder in swing states. Although personally and even sometimes politically we\u2019ve had many bright spots in the last four years\u20142 weddings, no funerals, and no red wave in 2022!\u2014it\u2019s been quite a psychological slog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My mental health improved greatly on July 21, the day President Biden announced he was stepping aside and endorsing Kamala Harris to take his place as the 2024 nominee. Before then, and especially after his disastrous debate performance, I had pretty much felt on a glide path to doom. \u201cAt least there won\u2019t be another insurrection,\u201d I consoled myself at the thought of Trump\u2019s re-election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the coming of Kamala, hope and joy returned, along with a fighting chance. I have reveled in cat memes, rising poll numbers, a pitch-perfect convention, Taylor Swift\u2019s endorsement, Michelle Obama, Tim Walz, Doug Emhoff, and all the Every-Identity-Group-Under-the-Sun-for-Kamala fundraisers. And whose mood didn’t improve watching an unraveling Donald Trump swallow the bait every single time<\/em> in their September 10 debate? <\/p>\n\n\n\n And yet, here we are at essentially a coin toss. I feel cautiously optimistic, and also increasingly anxious. It all depends on the day’s vibes, my wish-casting, whether a new Times\/Siena poll has dropped, and the number of undecided people who complain that they still don\u2019t know enough about Kamala Harris\u2019s plans, which I fear is a way of saying There\u2019s no way I\u2019ll vote for a Black woman<\/em>. I feel good about reports of Harris-Walz signs in deep red towns, somebody\u2019s ancient, rock-ribbed Republican uncle voting for Kamala. Then, on a phone bank to Michigan, a guy answers, \u201cAre you planning to vote for Harris or Trump?\u201d with \u201cI would not piss on her if she were on fire. Have a good day!\u201d At least he was polite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So I\u2019m pretty anxious, but living by the axiom, \u201cDo more, worry less.\u201d I volunteer a lot for Airlift<\/a>, which raises money to support grassroots groups who excel at turning non-voters into voters in battleground states. I know a lot of people who are responding to Michelle Obama\u2019s call to \u201cDo Something.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019re doing what we can for our future. And for our mental health. Let\u2019s bring it home in the next 35 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Soon after Joe Biden was declared the winner in November 2020, my husband said, \u201cI thought we\u2019d at least get a mental health break, but I guess not.\u201d Trump and his allies, who\u2019d sowed chaos and seeds of doubt about … Continue reading