The Calm Before the Storm(s)
Issue #3.8 ~ October 27th, 2024
1. The Calm Before …
As I sat on the bus that was transporting me down Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue from the Upper East Side to the main branch of the New York Public Library in midtown on a sunny Sunday afternoon last week, I couldn’t help but stare out the window at the throngs of strollers along Central Park north of 59th Street, and then at the crowds of shoppers walking in and out of the high-end department stores and luxury boutiques all along the sidewalks below 59th. Everyone looked so relaxed and carefree, basking in the balmy autumn weather, leisurely making their way through the busy city with seemingly nothing else to do and nowhere else to be.
It almost made me feel equally relaxed and carefree, just to find myself in the midst this peaceful, pleasant urban setting. It almost did - but, only for a brief couple of moments.
Because it also reminded me of the ominous prospect - voiced more and more frequently by more and more political commentators - that we Americans might be sleepwalking our way through the parks and the shops, into a possible future where democracy collapses into autocracy, a future that could be as close as Inauguration Day next January.
Opinions on this topic abound among the pundits, and none that I’ve read has offered a convincing theory as to what’s actually going on. My own take on the phenomenon is that perhaps, with a little more than one week to go before election night, we are cultivating a collective sense of calm before the storm(s) that are all but certain to blow over us in the weeks and months following that night.
From my perspective, then, this “calm before” might be therapeutic; it might in fact be a necessary prelude to the work that we will need to undertake after the next president has assumed office. So if, like me, you too are experiencing an eerie sense of calm in these final days before the election (which, of course, is already under way, with early voting having already begin in many states), I propose that we use it to stay focused on the tasks we will need to undertake after the election.
As many of you are probably aware, a recurring theme across multiple issues of TLBR over the last eighteen months has been our “two tasks” as liberals and as Buddhists:
Defeat Donald Trump’s bid for a second term as president
Begin devising ways to bridge the seemingly unbridgeable gap between his MAGA supporters and those of us who oppose him.
We are nearing the end of the first task. Most of what we’ve needed to do these past eighteen months has been completed. All that remains is to await the outcome.
So, once again, if at this point you feel the need for some peace and calm in these last few days before the election, then by all means, do so, and take care of yourself in preparation for the work ahead.
If, instead, you still have some energy to spare, then by all means, please do any or all of these three very crucial things in the days that remain: (1) volunteer, if you have the time; (2) donate, if you have the means; and, above all, (3) vote, as early as your state allows.
In the AfterWords section below, I’ve placed a link to an article with more suggestions on how to stay engaged between now and the election.
2. … the Storms(s) to Come
Our second task, bridging the gap between MAGA and us, has been on hold since I first proposed it a year and a half ago. The overriding importance of the first task - defeating Trump and saving democracy, at least in the short term - dictated this deferral. But this second task has always been waiting in the wings, ready to assume its own importance.
The storms to come will, I believe, arrive in multiple forms and over the course of many days, if not weeks and months, following Election Day. Much will depend upon how close the results are, especially in the swing states. In the event that Trump is trailing in any of these states as the results are still being tabulated, we can expect the Project 2025 proponents to launch a constant stream of unsubstantiated political accusations, inflammatory media rhetoric, and dubious (if not devious) legal challenges - all of which will stir up even more anger than already exists, driving us even further apart, and making the task of bridging the gap even more seemingly impossible.
How we go about undertaking this second task will depend greatly, of course, on whether Trump is resident at the White House or in Mar-a-Lago next year. Accordingly, further discussion must await the results of the tumultuous events that will unfold in the aftermath of the election and in the lead-up to congressional certification of the results in January.
Nonetheless, let’s begin thinking about the need for this second task, even though we can’t yet know the circumstances under which it will have to take place. In the next issue of TLBR, which I’ll post as soon after Election Day as possible, we’ll take a look at the status of the storms-to-come predicted above, as well as the status of any storms taking place that were unforeseen at this time.
Until then, take care of yourselves during the uncertain days to come, and please start thinking about - and commenting below on - your own vision for how we get started on the second task.
“AfterWords”
Anne Applebaum, staff writer at The Atlantic, recently published a powerful online essay entitled “The Danger is Greater Than in 2020. Be Prepared.” Subtitled “A citizen’s guide to defending the 2024 election”, it discusses in great detail how we might prepare for a MAGA attempt to subvert the election. An excellent resource for any of us who feel the need to stay more engaged over the next few months.“The predictions of what might happen on November 5 and in the days that follow are not based on rumors. On the contrary, we can be absolutely certain that an attempt will be made to steal the 2024 election if Kamala Harris wins. Trump himself has repeatedly refused to acknowledge the results of the 2020 election. He has waffled on and evaded questions about whether he will accept the outcome in 2024. He has hired lawyers to prepare to challenge the results.”