By Ande Jacobson

Here I sit at my computer at the start of a very consequential week. I have much to be thankful for in my life, and I try to focus on the good things. My friends. My family. Even the state where I live. I have challenges as most of us do. In my case, I’ve been dealing with some serious medical issues all of my life, and they’ve gotten worse over the last several years. Even so, I’m still able to take care of myself and even provide an ear to my friends and family to discuss the things that concern us.

I’ve become far more politically involved over the last decade or so. Before that, I always voted. I was always aware of the issues of the day, and I spoke out about things that were of concern, just not on the scale that I have in more recent years. I’ve long used my writing as my voice as it isn’t as transient as talking with people one-on-one. Much in the same way I switched from reviewing live theater to reviewing books which are more persistent, my political writings are also there for the ages. I am a private citizen, but in our democracy, that comes with a hefty responsibility. It’s our responsibility as citizens to be engaged and informed based on facts not fantasy, something that is becoming increasingly more difficult of late as disinformation flows pretty freely throughout our information networks. A large minority of our citizenry are instead fully ensconced in a fictional world of their making, willing it to be so. The problem is that this fictional world is destructive, and their goal is to force it on the majority in the reality-based world.

Last November we had a consequential general election. As a result, the Congress flipped from a split where the GOP had a thin House majority and the Senate had an even smaller Democratic majority to one where the GOP has thin majorities in both chambers. Although their House majority shrunk slightly, they have a slightly larger majority in the Senate than the Democrats did. In addition, Trump, a convicted felon, won the presidency with a plurality of the vote capturing both the Electoral College and the popular vote by slim margins. The thing is that more people voted for somebody other than Trump than for him. Unfortunately for the country and the world, they didn’t vote for the same somebody, so Trump won the presidency despite not capturing a numerical majority. Also, around 90 million eligible voters didn’t vote in the November 2024 election. Some weren’t able to due to voter suppression efforts. Others chose to sit it out because they didn’t care enough to cast a ballot or believed that their vote didn’t matter anyway. If those 90 million voters had exercised their right and voted, we might be in a very different place right now.

The Biden administration which has been the most positively consequential administration since FDR’s has officially ended. The new Congress had already been seated at the beginning of the month, and the chaos that has ensued under GOP leadership has been annoying. Things that used to be more or less a given are now heading in a dangerous direction. Over the last week, we’ve watched in horror as the Senate confirmation hearings for some seriously unqualified cabinet nominees have shown us what the GOP is yet again. They are not taking their job seriously to vet these nominees. Instead, the committee hearings have been a sadly partisan affair where the Democrats have asked appropriately probing questions related to the positions for which the nominees are being considered while the GOP members have excused serious character and capability flaws of every nominee. The Senate’s advice and consent role is a Constitutional duty, and one of the many guardrails against abuse of power. While the full floor votes haven’t happened yet, the committee drama doesn’t portend a responsible application of that duty.

The country and the world are on the edge as the peaceful transfer of power has again happened in the U.S. Trump was sworn in as president for the second time. This time; however, he and his enablers have learned from the first time he was president. While they promise to inflict chaos on the country, historian Heather Cox Richardson provided an important piece of advice right before Trump was sworn in. She held one of her impromptu live sessions speaking as a voice of reason. Although filled with a healthy dose of reality on where we are and where we had been, she offered hope. We the people and our communities are truly what makes America great. Most importantly, she offered a piece of advice that we all need to embrace going forward. Rather than letting ourselves be dragged into the chaos of every headline and the new administration’s reality show act, instead we need to pay attention to what they actually do, not what they say and what the news reports in its constant stream of eyeball gouging headlines.

Richardson has often pointed out that part of how we can all make a difference is by doing what we each do best. In her case, it’s digging into the historical significance of current day politics and helping to educate the public about what’s really going on through that historical lens. For each of us, there are things that we do best, and making those things available is how we all can help. Some of us raise awareness through the performing arts. Some like me write our thoughts. Others help educate formally as teachers or informally as family members or through organizations like Big Brothers and Sisters or CASA. Involvement doesn’t have to be political, it can be community oriented in just helping people. Everyone needs help at one time or another, and being there with an open ear and a shoulder to lean on is important.

On the political side, some people choose to run for office to make a difference or actively participate in local politics by attending and participating in their local city council and school board meetings. Others join advocacy groups like Indivisible, Red Wine & Blue, or Gov Gavin Newsom’s Campaign for Democracy. There are many ways to get involved and make a difference.

Growing up, civics and history were required in school. We studied how our country came to be and how our government works multiple times before graduating high school, the first time in grammar school. We studied it again in junior high, and finally in high school. We had a working knowledge of the foundations of our government and of the separation of powers. I’m of an age where we were studying Watergate in school as it was happening. Together, this gave us all not only an understanding of our history and our government, but also an appreciation for our responsibility as citizens to participate through voting, and also speaking out about issues that are important to us and our communities.

Today, civics and history are no longer required nationwide. Some school districts still require them, but many no longer do which is a problem. Far too many Americans have no concept of how our government actually works or the importance of their informed participation. As we move forward, it’s crucial for us to stay informed, but also to take care to not be overwhelmed by the intentional chaos. That’s where people like Heather Cox Richardson help immensely through their writing, teaching, and perspective.

Resources:
Heather Cox Richardson’s Letters from an American (https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/)
Gov Gavin Newsom’s Campaign for Democracy (https://campaignfordemocracy.com/)