Reflection on the Election

Dear SepulvedaUU,

I am shocked, but not surprised.

We knew that approximately half the country, for various reasons, would be supporting former president Donald Trump. We knew it. But seeing the vote totals come in, and the states on the TV maps turn red, the reality feels so much more telling than I could ever have imagined.  

The reality is this: The hardest thing for a democracy to deal with is a demagogue who successfully exploits democratic means to achieve anti-democratic ends. Trump and many of his followers have repulsive ideas about who and what the United States of America is and who this country is for and belongs too.

I do not for a second believe most Americans actually want to see mass deportations or political opponents locked up or billionaires receive new tax cuts. But they were willing to look away from those evils to support someone who channeled their racism, their anger, their misogyny, their homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia and more with a villain who stokes their worst qualities and basks in the putrid stench of it all.

The question for those of us who have feared this result is a simple one:
How do we protect ourselves, our loved ones, and the dream of this American experiment – our democracy?

The separation of powers was devised by the founders in order to stop tyrannical ambitions. It is unclear which party will control the House of Representatives, it is clear the Republicans will control the Senate by a slim margin. It is clear that the Supreme Court is controlled by Trump. 

How do we contend with this and the possibilities inherent in this moment in time? I’ve got to be very frank with you – Nothing is scarier to me than the U.S. military being politicized and turned on our people! 

This Republic, our democracy, is not only about placing guardrails on the exercise of power. It is about values, and one value specifically: human dignity.

Democracy should assign one vote to one person. No person has more inherent value than another. Indeed, the guardrails on governmental power were designed to ensure the freedom of individuals and groups to govern themselves in most areas of social life. Healthy democracies honor the dignity of all citizens, not just at the ballot box, but in the tax code, in the allotment of government benefits, in protections for the infirm and the elderly, in laws against discrimination and in the ways we lead a diverse and pluralistic society.

As we prepare for Trump to return to the White House, there are specific groups whose dignity is threatened, and that warrant our protection. Here the religious community, here our Unitarian Universalist communities and specifically the thirteen congregations of Greater Los Angeles can play a special role. Immigrants will be terrified. Trump has been explicit about his desires. Everyone he dislikes, hates, demonizes is in danger!

The consequences for climate change policy are disastrous and potentially irreversible. 

I also have concerns for our differently abled folks and our already precarious healthcare system.  

There is probably very little anyone can do to save the human dignity and freedom of the brave people of Ukraine. No one’s more happy about the election result than Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. US allies will fear what comes next? How will the map of Europe change in the next few years? 

Let me speak to the Middle East and the ongoing nightmare that is Gaza and beyond. Who knows what comes next? Or how about Sudan and the very real humanitarian crisis that is unfolding there as I pen this column.

Progressives and liberals must now commence some serious soul-searching. That is a column for another day.

The word that keeps welling up in my mind is “catastrophic.” The nation is angry, the nation is racist, the nation is broken by a poison that has plagued us maybe since its inception. This poison, this anger has found its champion. Unfortunately, the people of the United States have made that champion the most powerful person in the world. 

I can’t help but feel my BIPOC community and all white Americans of good conscience are in jeopardy. I don’t trust what is coming! The foreseeable consequences are terrifying. The unforeseeable consequences may be worse. We survived one term. Can we survive a second?

Only my faith is keeping me sane at this moment. Only my deep felt belief in the power of love to overcome all adversity is keeping me going. Dearest SepulvedaUU, it is time now. It is time to act like your beloved are in danger. If you are afraid, if you are lonely, if you are looking for help turn to our congregations and each other.  This I know, we are not alone!

In faith and love,

Rev Gordon Clay Bailey