Cautiously Optimistic

I, like many others in this country, can breathe a little easier today for the first time in several years. Last night’s Blue Tsunami election returns were “too big to rig,” and actually represents what an authentic mandate for change looks like. I am cautiously optimistic.

For those Americans who don’t identify with MAGA — but for whatever reason thought that many of us on the left have been overreacting to the government platform that has been adding names to the burgeoning list of “domestic terrorists” over the last two years — perhaps you’re not aware of how dangerously close we came to following in the footsteps of fascism. This administration has in no way been clandestine about following that blueprint to a tee, even down to their recent slogans and printed propaganda. We honestly dodged a huge bullet last night, and there are many well-meaning, compassionate, empathetic Americans breathing a sigh of relief today — realizing that, in fact, perhaps we won’t have ICE or CBP knocking down our doors in the middle of the night to sweep us off to a detention center simply because we still believe that ALL Americans have rights and should be able to depend on the rule of law and the justice system. I’ve written repeatedly about how my name was likely on some list somewhere because of my very public pronouncements on this administration, on capitalism, on the nature of work, on LGBTQ+ rights, on women's rights, immigrant's rights, and even simply because I am a man who has never married who is obsessed with his cat. We’re not out of the woodwork yet by any stretch of the imagination, but at least for today, it feels like we may have collectively thrown enough sand into the gears of an authoritarian administration hellbent on inflicting pain and misery on any of the citizenry who haven’t shown solid support for these would-be fascists in their attempt to impose the will of a small religious minority of the country onto the rest of us.

Mike Johnson has stepped down, Trump appears to have accepted the results, and concession calls from defeated MAGA republicans have poured in across the country to the victors. But, we all still need to remain cautious. Narcissists, tyrants, bullies, and lawbreakers typically don’t just roll over and play dead if it means investigations, prosecutions, and judgments. We still have ICE running amok unchecked in the streets, a president surrounded by “yes men” and sycophants who still has access to the nuclear codes who likely still thinks of himself as a divinely-ordained King, and a sizable number of red-hat wearing ammo-sexuals who might see this as the last straw.

So, as I stated last night on social media, here’s my belief: 

There's no way this administration will ultimately accept defeat. Dark times ahead. I'm watching returns on BTC channel whilst listening to Gillian Welch and David Rawlings in the background. My heart is at peace with whatever comes over the next few months. It's gonna be a wild ride no doubt.

I would love to be proven wrong, but with everything I’ve seen over the last 10 years of this national nightmare, and with the Iran war still very much active, and with the majority of the fallout from the “One Big Beautiful Bill” set to take place in 2027, I believe we still have quite a bumpy road ahead of us.

But just for today, I breathe a slight sigh of relief — as I hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.