Returning to Work

The highly anticipated midterms are over… Not necessarily a “blue wave” but enough Democrats won to reclaim the House. So now the Dems can call for investigations, subpoenas, etc. We’re not sure how much success they’ll have, but if nothing else it’ll add to the circus that Washington has now become. 

If you’re a Black American, regardless of where you reside, you were hopeful Gillum and Abrams would win their Florida and Georgia Gov races respectfully. Let’s be honest, you were probably more than hopeful. You might’ve donated to their campaigns, at the very least your eyes were probably glued to CNN or MSNBC as they reported and updated the numbers. 

But while we didn’t want to admit it, the writing was on the wall when the coverage for these two big races began to fade and focus was redirected to other less historic or risky races. Gillum jumped to a lead, but Florida is Florida, and once the panhandle numbers came it was a done deal. Abrams on the other hand never appeared to have a shot. Her opponent jumped out to a big lead and held on. 

All that support, time, energy, “sweat equity,” registering new voters, younger voters, etc… wasted. Minorities including Black Americans have given a lot to this country. If Democrats can’t win elections with great candidates against opponents who blatantly traffic in racism and bigotry, then perhaps Dems aren’t the answer or the party for minorities? Or perhaps a drastic shift in leadership is the only way to get over this hump? 

Across this country, millions of Black Americans and minorities are mustering up the strength to return to mostly all-White offices and workplaces (today and the rest of the week) having suffered another moral and legislative defeat that hits them in every way possible. Where does that strength come from? Where are the safe places needed to exchange thoughts, vent, and move on? Trying to do so… after an 8-10 hour workday… year after year… election after election… can’t be healthy. 

Advice… don’t engage in political discussion, don’t take the everyday frustrations that come with any job personal, and stay close to family and friends who either know your pain, can relate, or have exemplified empathy. 

Dems should take a hard look at how they decide to campaign and strategize moving forward. Taking the “high road” sounds great, when you win. But they lost, two devastating and deflating losses. In both Florida and Georgia, their opponents made it about race. Not just race, but nasty racism… whether it was “monkey this up” or repeat overtly racist robocalls, digs at their education and fitness for office, Republicans in Florida and Georgia made up their mind that they were gonna hit low, hit hard, and hit often. That’s exactly what they did, and it carried them to victory. 

Gillum, Abrams, and Dems collectively did the exact opposite. They stayed high, and once again, to no avail. Is the solution to go just as low, probably not. But when you run two highly qualified charismatic candidates in Gillum and Abrams, and still lose, you should probably take a hard look at your playbook, strategy, and party leadership. 

Change is never easy, but it is inevitable. Since Dems expect or count Black Americans and minorities in their tent, they need to start making changes and winning the games/elections they should win, because something tells me this younger generation won’t be as patient and understanding as those that came before them.