HOPE FEELS GOOD, DIRECTION FEELS BETTER

A post-election reflection on joy, relief, and our urgent work ahead.

So, I ask you, are you happier today than you were on Monday?

Now that the elections are over, the attack ads have finally gone quiet. The political doom-crawlers on cable news have already moved on to whatever the next Trump-flavored scandal of the week will be. But today, there’s something new in the air.

I’m happier. This wave of Democratic and progressive wins in California, Colorado, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia felt like a pulse of blue hope. A reminder that organizing works. That people are paying attention, that there are Democratic leaders out there who know how to fight, and will throw elbows when necessary.

And yes, I will confess: I walked around on Wednesday with a grin so wide I could have said, “neener, neener, neener” to every Republican in a 20-mile radius. I didn’t, of course. Apparently, that’s “unprofessional workplace behavior.” (Who knew?)

But beneath the joy, there’s something deeper: relief. Relief that voters are still capable of choosing community over cruelty. Relief that democracy isn’t a relic in a museum case just yet. Relief that we are not, in fact, as alone as the headlines have tried to make us feel.

We showed up. We voted. We reminded each other that we can still win.

Now comes the question that matters: who leads us forward from here?
Celebration is wonderful, but celebration is not a strategy.

What next?

Democrats need a leader right now, and not necessarily a would-be Presidential candidate. There are a few that come to my mind, each offering their own vision of a Democratic America.

Of course, there’s Gavin Newsom, a graduate of Santa Clara University, who founded the boutique winery PlumpJack Group. He was elected Mayor of San Francisco, then Lieutenant Governor of California, then Governor of California. In addition to his obvious political skills, he has guts and backbone. And a keen sense of humor. (Republicans hate humor. With them, it’s all doom and gloom, all the time, every day, over everything.)

There’s super-progressive Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, ‘AOC,’ Congresswoman from New York’s 14th district. Lately, she appears to have “lightened” her tone a whit. Smart as a whip and a firebrand in every sense of the word. Ocasio-Cortez interned in foreign affairs for Senator Ted Kennedy while attending Boston College and graduated cum laude. She was elected to her congressional district by a margin of 78% to 13%.

How about my favorite, Pete Buttigieg, former Intelligence Officer with the Navy Reserve, former Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and former Secretary of Transportation under the Biden-Harris administration. He graduated from Harvard and the University of Oxford and is a Rhodes Scholar. He speaks nine languages fluently: English, Norwegian, Spanish, Italian, Maltese, Dari, Persian, Arabic, and French.

There are a few others who have caught my attention as well, for instance, Rep. Eric Swalwell of California’s 14th congressional district. You can get to know him on his Substack and X pages.

I’m not impressed with Hakeem Jeffries. We need more urgency than he projects. Then again, I remind myself: what mere mortal could hope to follow in the footsteps of Speaker Emeritus Pelosi?

Democrats rallied on Tuesday. They’re energized. They’re ready. Democrats need a leader who is strong, forceful, and flexible when necessary. We need that person now.

Because hope feels good—
but direction feels better.