“Toto, I Have A Feeling We’re Not In Kansas Anymore.”
~Dorothy/Wizard of Oz
Americans woke up to a different country on November 6, 2024. Presidential elections always change the political landscape, but this one was different. The 2024 election results were a sucker punch to our 248-year experiment in self-governance and democracy. Flawed as it is, at least half the country believed that our form of governance is worth continuing and perfecting. Almost half of voters believed that the Harris/Walz ticket was a choice for decency, good policy and protecting our pluralistic democracy. Trump voters outnumbered Harris voters by about 1.5 percentage points. Their vote was for something different. Their 1.5 percent advantage will have a significant impact on our country and our way of life.
Toto, I have a Feeling We’re Not In Kansas Anymore.
We are still very much a divided country when it comes to our response to the election results. Some are gleeful, some are feeling a bit of regret or remorse, others of us vacillate between being deeply saddened, incredulous, terrified and angry.
We don’t yet know the harm that this administration will inflict as they implement components of Project 2025. As a candidate, Trump denied knowing much about the document and distanced himself from it; he is now vetting authors of the document for senior positions in the administration. It can be said that on that point he lied. As the country begins to experience the implications of his presidency, it will be interesting to see if there is a change in the ethos of the body politic. Time will tell.
In the two weeks since the election, there is a growing movement of Americans who are committed to resisting the worst of what is yet to come and building a pro-democracy coalition. Hoosiers for Democracy will support that movement. We invite you to join us in our efforts.
What We Know So Far:
The impact of misinformation, disinformation and propaganda is still being analyzed, but it is becoming clear that many voters were just unaware of what was at stake and what the candidates stood for. Immediately following the election results, there were spikes in Google’s search engine concerning the meaning of tariffs, asking if tariffs could impact prices, searching for definitions of an authoritarian and wondering if one’s vote could be changed.
For others, the election was a permission slip for hate. Within hours after the election was called, vile racist and misogynistic memes flooded social media, targeting women and Black students. Russia media broadcasted nude pictures of Melania Trump and Putin denied statements made by Trump about supposed mutual conversations between the two of them. These are not mainstream, normal post-election events. We are clearly not in Kansas anymore.
We know that the numerous voter suppression laws have been passed in multiple states since 2020 and the multiple fake bomb threats in the battleground states on election day impacted voter turnout, we just don’t yet know the degree.
We know that several different voting blocs swung right to support Trump and other MAGA candidates including a plurality of white women, younger white men, and Latino voters. The analysis of why these voters supported Trump is incomplete and most likely be complex and varied across the different voting blocs. However, consistent exit polling reveals that many voters who supported Trump didn’t believe he would do all the extreme things he said he was going to do. It appears that his actions since the election may prove them wrong. Their miscalculation of his motives and the collective ignorance of Project 2025 may prove to be devastating for the country and the world.
Again the recurring themes of uninformed and misinformed voters appear to be at play. Democracy cannot survive with an uninformed citizenry. Democracy crumbles under state sanctioned propaganda and misinformation. If our country is not able to self-correct, this election may be an object lesson for the history books.
Why It Matters:
Trump and his acolytes have aligned themselves with authoritarian regimes and Project 2025 is the 900-page handbook the transition team is using as their guide. Their goal is to undermine the administrative infrastructure of the government and centralize authority within the Presidency. The separation of powers and rule of law impeded Trump in his first administration, so lessons were learned. The Trump regime will govern like the illiberal democracy of Hungary. (An illiberal democracy is a pseudo democracy where previous democratic institutions, rule of law and fair elections are decimated under the rule of an authoritarian.) This next administration will use fear, the threat of violence and revenge to those who oppose anyone who gets in their way. This is a familiar playbook for Trump and his loyal followers; they have terrorized judges, juries, accusers and poll workers of the past 4 years.
Elon Musk is one of the richest men in the world and is functioning as a shadow Vice President. His goal is to “ slash and burn” (his words, not H4D’s) the administrative departments of the government. He has millions of dollars in government contracts and stands to become even richer as safety net policies for the poor and working class are decimated. The implications of what is being planned is beyond comprehension and it is yet to be seen the degree to which he will be successful.
Rebecca Solnit, an author and activist said that authoritarians like Trump love fear, defeatism, and surrender. If we are to resist the further collapse into fascism, we must not give this administration what they want. There is a growing movement of resistance that began immediately after the election. Hopefully, the Democratic party will rule as an opposition party while everyday citizens and courageous grassroots organizations will organize and find common cause across varied interests to create a robust pro-democracy coalition that stands up for truth, justice, freedom and democracy, albeit underground if necessary. “Blue” states are stepping up to provide organized resistance to the administration and providing safe harbor for citizens targeted for mass deportation or women seeking abortions through the use of 21st century underground railroads.
What We Can Do:
Many of us are exhausted and still picking ourselves up off the floor. It is important to take the time each of us need to regroup, rest and step back for as long as it takes to find our sea legs again. We need to stay connected with one another and find our individual ways to contribute to the resistance. We must NOT retreat into isolation or despair. We cannot keep our heads down and retreat in fear. Our energy may wax and wane, but together we can build momentum and resiliency in the struggle to repair what will be broken.
Just six days after the election, Stacey Abrams interviewed Heather Cox Richardson on her podcast Assembly Required. During the conversation, Heather said something that deeply resonated with the team at H4D. She reiterated what many experts are saying about finding community with like minded others but then she went on to say that we are called “to do what each of us does best with joy.” She talked especially about the need for writers to fill in the information void that exists across this country. Hoosiers for Democracy will work to support the pro-democracy movement that is emerging within our state and across the country. We will find the words that inform, heal, make meaning and encourage others to ‘do what you do best with joy’!
Rebecca Solnit talked about the anti-fascist resistance movement this way:
There are other kinds of resistance that mean making your own life and your own mind an independent republic in which the pursuit of truth, human rights, kindness and empathy, the preservation of history and memory, of being an example of someone living by values other than the values—if they deserve such a term—of cruelty, greed and dishonesty of Donald Trump and the circle around him. This does not overthrow the regime, but it does mean being someone who has not been conquered by it, and it invites others who have not been or who can throw off the shackles to join you.
Let us not be shackled by fear, hate, distrust, or despair. We must get in touch with what it is that we love enough to risk for. Be assured that under our rage, despair, sorrow, disappointment and grief is the love of our country, the love of the lives we want the children of this world, the love of our neighbors, the love of all that is good and just and fair.
Together in grief and in joy,
The H4D Team
A Few Resources for the Journey:
George Orwell warned us in the early 60’s about the way tyranny works. In his prescient book 1984 he said that authoritarian regimes tell you to “Reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.” One emergent phenomenon that has occurred over the past weeks since the election is the tsunami of alternative news and information sources from that of legacy media. The volcanic rate of subscribers to the new social media platform Bluesky and the mass exodus from X is a powerful example of the innovation and good will that happens when people come together in difficult times. These new platforms will provide important voices and information for this moment and counter the firehose of propaganda and misinformation that most likely will come from this new administration. These new platforms will be a refuge for reliable information if legacy media succumb to threats against their journalists and broadcast licenses if they criticize the administration. Journalists have also been identified as ‘enemies of the people’. Here are a few recommendations for your resistance ‘starter pack’.
Subscribe to Heather Cox Richardson’s Letters From an American Substack and/or her weekly Facebook videos Political Chats with Heather Cox Richardson (free and paid subscription options)
Subscribe to MeidasTouch News Network and Meidas+ Substack (free and paid subscription options)
Subscribe to Timothy Snyder's Substack (free and paid subscriptions)
A small paperback that you can keep in your purse or pocket is Timothy Snyder's On Tyranny (2017), a compilation of 20 short lessons as a guide to resistance, with invaluable ideas for how we can preserve our freedom in the uncertain years to come. Each short essay provides much to think about.
On Tyranny: 20 Lessons from the 20th Century (2017), Extended audiobook (2023) with lessons on Russia’s War on Ukraine.
On Freedom (September 2024) “The habits of mind that will allow us to design a government in which we and future generations can flourish”.
If you want to support independent bookstores, H4D suggests Bookshop.org. For every book you purchase you can donate to your favorite local independent bookstore.
When you need time to retreat, reflect and contemplation, Diana Butler Bass’ Substack The Cottage and Carrie Newcomer’s Substack A Gathering of Spirits are good sources of respite and contemplation.
Indivisible is an organization spearheading strategies for resisting the actions of Trump’s administration both locally and nationally. They have created a resource–A Practical Guide to Democracy on the Brink: Strategies, Tactics, & Tips For How Everyday Americans Can Fight Back Together Wherever We Live– for resisting Trump 2.0 in very practical and actionable ways. Their guide may be Project 2025 for the resistance movement.
We need clusters of Indivisible groups around the country. If there isn’t one near you, think about getting connected with others and form one. The Indivisible website provides resources and support in getting these local groups started. You can also search for a group in your area on the website.
Here are a few established Indivisible groups in Indiana:
If you are having panic attacks about hosting your MAGA loving relatives to the common table, it is reasonable to set ground rules for creating a hospitable, safe space for family and friends. If you are not hosting, it is reasonable to decline an invitation for an event that would possibly bring more sorrow and grief than joy and gratitude. Clear and healthy boundaries are an act of love.