Podcast

January 15, 2025

I get it. If you’re reading this, then maybe like me, you spent weeks and months working your tail off – knocking, dialing, writing, donating – for an election outcome that decidedly did not happen. There was a deep sense of deja vu on this past election night, hearkening back to its counterpart in 2016. On both nights, many of us believed that our country would finally send a smart, strong and compassionate woman to the White House. And on both nights, we stared with shock and despair as the NY Times election needle continued to tilt in the wrong direction.

There was an even darker element though this time. In 2016, while candidate Trump was reprehensible for sure, he was still a wild card. Some chose to believe that all the hateful rhetoric was just bluster. This time, our disillusionment was made even more profound, knowing that our fellow citizens actively chose hate, lies, misogyny, xenophobia, and racism. That they would choose an insurrectionist for God’s sake who incited a riot on our nation’s capital. This time, everyone knew exactly who they were voting for. And his supporters weren’t just MAGA, but also those transactional types – you probably know some of them – who voted solely on their bank accounts, democracy be damned. After all this, it is completely understandable to feel defeated and drained and to want nothing more than to stick your head in the sand. I felt that way too. 

But this time there were also more positive differences from 2016. The morning after Hillary’s loss, I felt completely alone in my terror and grief. I did not have communities of like-minded political friends and colleagues to turn to. I was not part of any grassroots groups dedicated to winning at the state level, or protecting women’s rights, or fighting for democracy or a clean planet. I didn’t have my trusted substack newsletter subscriptions. This time, eight years later, I have all of those communities and resources. Maybe you do too. They sustain me, and they give me hope. 

And another thing was different this time around. When I woke up the morning after Election Day, the one thing I knew, that I was totally sure of, is that I refuse to spend the next four years in a rage. Life is too short, and there is too much that I want to enjoy to let anybody take it from me. I vowed not to spend my days glued to cable news and being whipsawed by online algorithms, but to focus instead on the kind of activism that makes me feel good. So while I did cycle through various stages of grief in the last two months, I have also started leaning into my real life communities and less online. I may not be able to control the madness in the White House, but I can still do small acts that help real people in palpable ways. For me, that means helping women access reproductive healthcare in the poorest parts of the country. Or using my law degree to help children at risk of deportation. Or supporting groups dedicated to protecting our democracy and fighting the threat of authoritarianism. And most of all, it means continuing to talk to the incredible people who show up on this podcast. This will always be a place for conversations with smart, passionate people who, despite headwinds and setbacks, come back again and again to do the work to help our country live up to its promise. 

One of my favorite memes since the election showed a man holding up a sign that said, “Two paths diverged in the wood and America chose the psychopath.” As we figure out where our individual paths will take us in the upcoming months, check back here for conversations that will help you get your head out of the sand and find meaningful causes and communities. So if it’s rage you’re looking for, this may not be the best place for you. But if you are looking for inspiration, and dare I say, hope, then please join me for Season 5 of New Faces of Democracy, wherever you listen to your podcasts.