Fear and Loathing in the Democratic Party

Charting our path forward from here.

There is, rightly so, concern about Joe Biden’s ability to win reelection. But what the last week has proven, at least to me, is the unpredictability of American politics during this particularly volatile period in our nation’s history. For some time, I’ve been publishing my thoughts on that very matter. And perhaps it is this long and intense exposure to the idea of our fraught moment that has prepared my nerves for the present panic. 

I didn’t arrive at my current optimism overnight. And my optimism is balanced with a sincere acknowledgment of reality. I do not intend to try and convince you that your feelings are wrong, and I’m not predicting a particular positive outcome which will, in turn, calm your nerves. In fact, I’m here to reaffirm your anxiety, and to suggest, indeed, it’s probably the correct response to the inputs and events of our time. But how we respond to such chaotic stimuli will become increasingly important as we proceed to November and beyond. 

I’ve used metaphor and bent language to talk about the threats we face. Other times, I’ve spoken plainly. I’ve compared the unideology consuming the Republican Party, and now spreading across our country, to a virus—one which must be acknowledged and contained with those simple yet ever-elusive cures: education and hope. It’s no mistake that this dark movement seeks to ban books, undermine faith in public schooling, and vilify academia. It’s no mistake that this dark movement seeks to create chaos, deploying historically fascistic rhetoric, in an effort to spread pessimism among the populace. These are their tools. That is their playbook.

For my part, accepting the seriousness with which our enemies are willing to fight, I have directed my energy toward proactive defense. I’ve called our enemies cowards, invoking the image of Abraham Lincoln, who they claim to admire, delivering a speech when he was 28 years old, two decades before the Civil War, where he warned of the threat of mob violence and the possibility of a tyrant one day assuming control of our country. I’ve sought to articulate their unideology, as best that I can understand it, through a series of essays and articles on the matter. 

I’m convinced my insights are not derived from some profound knowledge or deep intellect, but rather from a series of simple experiences: my childhood fandom of the WWE, my lifelong obsession with American politics, and my brief time as an expert on alternate reality games. Through these experiences, I believe, I have come to understand the virus, and as such, have sought to explain it as clearly as I can. And along the way, I have emphasized the need for a few things: community, family, participation, and yes, most annoying of all, optimism. 

The concerns over Joe Biden’s campaign for reelection are legitimate. I assume, dear reader, that neither of us are well positioned to influence the President or the Democratic Party with any significant sway. And so we must operate within our context, and play the hand we’re dealt. 

Projecting confidence is central to the current iteration of the MAGA movement. Over the last few weeks, the assumed inevitability of that movement has successfully lodged itself within the minds of the elite, the establishment media, much of the Democratic Party, and yes, within the minds of everyday voters. Trump’s reelection, we’re meant to believe, is inevitable. Chaos and inevitability are great tools to suppress hope, and along with hope, turnout in November’s election. 

Now, I must say again, I’m not here to predict an alternate positive outcome. I’m not here to tell you that your feelings aren’t the feelings that you should feel. I don’t know what’s going to happen, and if I’m honest, I must admit, I probably feel the same way as you. And in that way, I’m deceiving you. But despite that, I’m here to offer a path forward, which requires an active choice of optimism and hope. The hope may be blind and the optimism naive, but such selective ignorance provides a small respite from the saturation of information and algorithm-created realities in which we all exist. 

With these pockets of mental resistance deployed in an effort to protect the free mind and build community, the possibility of defeating the darkness grows, but nothing is guaranteed. 

With good faith concerns for Joe Biden’s reelection noted, we must acknowledge other truths: the record, achievements, and accomplishments of Democrats and progressives over the last four years. Those truths, along with a progressive vision for a new term, offer an avenue through which to begin a dialogue with voters. That’s what a campaign is for, after all. Will we be able to permeate the thick and predestined narrative of inevitability? Will we be able to overcome the chaos? I’m not sure. As I’m writing this, I can’t even be sure Joe Biden will be the Democratic nominee. And yet, I write; and whether he is, I’ll fight. 

Opposing these truths are other truths. Donald Trump’s crime spree. His treason. His incitement of insurrection. His dark vision for America’s future. His threat to terminate the Constitution. His declaration that he’ll be a dictator on day one. His threat of a bloodbath if he loses. His refusal to accept the election results. His refusal to disavow white supremacists. His dinners with neo-Nazis. And yes, his near martyrdom, which has solidified the cult-like religious fervor that has propelled the dark MAGA movement forward for some time. 

Regardless of the Democratic nominee or specifics of the election outcome, should we fail, we will need to regroup. Today, we have time left to bend reality toward the necessary outcome. And should we fail, we will have months to understand the moment and organize before the re-inauguration of a known traitor. Even if we succeed, as we saw in January 2021, we must remain vigilant. We will need, in either case, those core components necessary to survive such turbulent times: community, family, participation, and yes, most annoying of all, optimism. 

The fear and loathing gripping the Democratic Party, and indeed the nation, seems to me altogether justified. I certainly understand it. And yet I hate it. And so I rebel against it. And I will for as long as I can. I do so openly and perhaps ignorantly, with a blind hope for my country and its democracy. This is the path I’ve chosen. What path will you choose?

July 2024
Albany, NY