What next? The aftermath of the 2024 election, I find myself asking this question a lot. I know very well that my instinct will be to scroll, feel angry, withdraw, repeat. I also know that this next season is going to require a lot from all of us, and it won’t be good for anyone if all we do is spend our time being enraged about whatever most recent thing the politicians on the other side of the aisle just did. So what are our political next steps?
I think there are some political next steps we all can agree on, no matter how we voted. At the very least, these are the political next steps I can take today:
I will let my representatives know what matters to me.
To do this, I need to make it as easy as possible to be in touch with them. I looked up all their contact info, and I put their office phone numbers into my phone contacts, and I put scripts into my notes app. Here are the scripts I have in my notes app:
“Hi, my name is ______. I am a constituent from ________. I am calling to ask [politician’s name/title] to vote for/against _________. This is important to me because ____. Thank you for your time.”
“Hi, my name is ______. I live in _____ and am calling to urge [name/title] to take action on _______. This is important to me because ______. Thank you for your time.”
“Hi, my name is ______. I am a constituent from ______. I am calling to express my gratitude for [title/name]’s recent support of ________. This is important to me because _____. Thank you for your time.”
I will “Go local.”
National politics consumes so much of the oxygen in every political conversation, and it’s so easy to let it be our sole focus. But important decisions are being made locally by our mayors, state representatives, commissioners, etc. I want to commit to using my limited political capacity to learn more about what’s happening in our local government, and see what difference I can make there. This also applies to my shopping habits–if I care about my neighbors and about the economy, I need to support the local businesses and the people they employ.
I will limit how much I get my news from social media.
This is so, so hard. But we all know the damage our phones are doing to our mental health, we all know the influence foreign governments are trying to have on our political division via social media, and we all know that algorithms favor click-bait and sound bites that won’t help us be thoughtful, nuanced people. So, I am unfollowing news sites and political accounts that promote one particular political point of view. Instead, I’m relying on news sites and podcasts–not that they aren’t biased, but because the approach is different. (What if, for example, I exchanged 10 minutes of scrolling for reading one article about a topic I care about?)
I will double down on teaching my kids virtues.
Teaching my kids to be kind, generous, honest, curious, and critical-thinkers is more important than most of the other things we spend our time and energy on as a family. These skills will help them to become citizens who can make valuable contributions to their community and our democracy. And of course, if I want my kids to be virtuous, I need to be more virtuous, too.
I will recommit to humility and curiosity.
If I don’t understand how something works, I’ll try to learn about it from an expert (and not the AI-generated blurb at the top of the Google search result). I will read books from the perspectives of people who are different from me and who have had different experiences. I will listen to my neighbors, friends, and family. I will ask more questions.
I will ask for help when I need it, and I will look for opportunities to care for others.
We have all got to take care of each other. At home and abroad, this next season promises to be tumultuous, regardless of the political candidate you voted for. Self-care isn’t enough to weather life’s challenges; we’ve got to take care of each other. Find friends. Introduce yourself to your neighbors and exchange phone numbers. Send a text to let someone know you are thinking of them. Our communities need strengthening, and moms are the best people to look out for one another.
I don’t know what the next four years hold. Heck, I don’t know what the next day holds. But I know that this country is my home. I know that I love this city. I know that I love my children and want the best for them. I know I don’t always have healthy patterns of engaging with politics or the news. I know I want better for all of us. I think all those things are probably true for you, too. Let’s take our next political steps together, for the good of all.
