The Most Dangerous Feeling ... Hope

The Good Fight

Denise and I used to watch The Good Wife, an American legal/political television series that aired on CBS from 2009 to 2016. The following year the spinoff The Good Fight premiered on CBS All Access. I watched Season 6 of The Good Fight the week leading up to the midterm elections this year. Its main character, Christine Baranski, gave me the title for this post.

Jumped the Shark

One can argue, in fact, I would argue, that the series has jumped the shark. What started as a story about the power plays within a law firm, with interesting cases highlighting the topics of the day (the me-too movement, the alt-right, online harassment, etc.) became increasingly weird over time. For me, the official jump-the-shark moment came when I saw what was portrayed as Jeffrey Epstein’s penis in a jar of formaldehyde on a private, tropical island. But I digress…

I have continued to watch the show, typically binge-watching an entire season over one week, because I love Christine Baranski. First, she is gorgeous! (Call me shallow.) Second, she could be the twin of my oldest (or should I say longest) friend, Caroline. Third, she is a great actress. And finally, the show is unapologetically progressive!

First, there was Dread

So why am I writing about this in a blog about 2 old American broads relocating to Portugal? It is to share my feelings leading up to and following the recent elections … albeit from afar.

First, there was dread. As we all know, the first mid-term after a first-term Presidential election is often a bloodbath…or as President Obama once said, “a shellacking”.

• Then we had the Wisconsin lawmaker that wanted to disallow the counting of all military ballots. Since Overseas Voters are lumped in with Overseas Military Voters…this made my blood boil.

• There were states like Ohio that thumbed their noses at the Courts that struck down gerrymandered maps. Taking a page from the Trump delay, delay, delay playbook, the Court was forced to allow the gerrymandered map to be used in the 2022 elections.

• We had a Federal Judge which allowed Clean Elections USA “activists” to “monitor” drop boxes. He noted, “many voters are legitimately alarmed by the observers filming…While this case certainly presents serious questions the court cannot craft an injunction without violating the First Amendment.” Fortunately, four days later the same Judge amended his ruling no longer allowing the carrying of guns, wearing of body armor, shouting at, or filming of voters. While I emitted a sigh of relief…I also sighed because such a ruling was even necessary.

While part of me wanted to hold out hope…as I went to bed that Tuesday night it was hard.

Then Relief

Of course, as soon as I woke on the 9th of November I grabbed my iPad to read the news. While many races were still being counted, one thing was abundantly clear…it was not a shellacking. The GOP will win the House…but only by a few seats. Not exactly the mandate Republicans expected. And if Heather Cox Richardson is correct it will be some time before we know who will be elected Speaker. While I truly cannot imagine why anyone in Georgia would vote for someone because he once played football…we already know the Dems will control the Senate. Many pundits are suggesting that the non-Qanon members of the GOP have lost faith in the former President…perhaps, more importantly, it would seem Rupert Murdoch has as well.

Lines for early voting 2022. — News @ Northeastern

Then Hope

It took a day, but now I feel hope. I’ve always believed that in politics the pendulum swings back and forth. Having a black President was just too much for many Americans¹. When I left the States I knew I couldn’t live in a country whose pendulum had swung so far away from decency, honesty, and hope. I guess I believed it would swing back eventually…but would it be in my lifetime?

When we decided to put down roots here, i.e. buy real estate, I was certain that somehow things had gotten even worse. Blame it on the pandemic…social media…our news silos…the fact that no one is actually required to tell the truth…whatever the causes, it seemed hopeless.

But I am pleased to report I was wrong.

It would seem that most Americans want to continue to live in a democracy. That the vast majority of Americans equate freedom with control of one’s own body. That most are smart enough to know that as bad as the economy is today, it would be a whole lot worse under an autocracy. That despite all the screams about voter fraud, a whole lot of people had enough faith in the system to vote.

But most importantly, I have hope because younger voters turned out in record numbers. Are their percentages as high as the blue hairs? No…but that’s just a matter of time.

“By 2024, Millennials & Gen Z voters will outnumber voters who are Baby Boomers and older, 45/25. We are beginning to see the political impacts of that generational shift.” — Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

I should have expected the next generation to be more tolerant and understanding than mine. When Denise and I started dating her nieces and nephews were tweens and teens. None of them thought it odd that she was dating a woman. Many had gay friends in school. One even had a classmate that was transgender. Ah, hope….

I am reminded of the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr which are often quoted by President Obama,

“...the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”²

If you spend time researching the full context of Dr. King’s speech you will find he was referring to the spiritual, not the political world. And that he did not believe that things would automatically get better…i.e. the good guys would not always win. But as Dr. King proved throughout his life, there is a good fight. And millions of ordinary American citizens once again proved, it is a fight worth fighting.

Next Week: chestnuts, wine, and HHH; and free Portuguese lessons.

1. While not everyone who voted for Trump is a racist, we must admit every racist did.

2. Dr. King originally cited the 19th-century clergyman, Theodore Parker, who first coined the phrase.