When Persistence Brings Hope

It could be the relaxation of summer.  It could be the juggernaut that is Nancy Pelosi as speaker of the House.  It could certainly be the systemic and daily incompetence that is the Trump shitshow.  It is certainly the addition of young Democratic talent in the House (especially Katie Porter, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Ilyana Pressley).  But it is especially the organized and coherent policies being articulated by so many of the Democrats seeking nomination to the presidency in 2020.  

For starters, nearly all of them speak of this nation, our people, and our politics in a tone that is measured and thoughtful.  They are aware that words and ideas matter, especially now.  They don’t demean one another and they stand up for the most vulnerable among us.   To this, they add policy ideas and proposals for some of our biggest problems: inequality, reparations for slavery, healthcare, the cost of housing, immigration, student loans, climate change, GLBT issues, voting rights, and more are on their radar and subjects for real discussions and debate.

I am impressed by Cory Booker and Kamala Harris.  But my favorite candidate so far is Elizabeth Warren.  She is exciting, with policy ideas that are well thought-out and good.  Her energy on the campaign trail is impressive.  Her take downs of Fox News and her commitment to speaking to the whole nation are steady and impressive.  Her intelligence and humor are a calming balm in a nation that badly needs a healing hand.  She knows the problems we face and she is willing to face them head on.  The way she tells our nation’s sons and daughters that she’s running for president “because that’s what girls do” fills my heart with hope.

I’ve been happy to see Warren finally get traction.  Even if she isn’t the nominee, I feel like she will be on the team that helps lead us out of the disaster that is the Republican Party and Donald Trump.   And in these days when we are still more than a year away from the 2020 election, Warren and much of the Democratic field are a tangible and real alternative to the horror which has gripped me since Trump’s 2016 electoral college victory.    There is power in hope and we need to remember it.