"Charity is commendable; everyone should be charitable. But justice aims to create a social order in which, if individuals choose not to be charitable, people still don't go hungry, unschooled, or sick without care. Charity depends on the vicissitudes of whim and personal wealth; justice depends on commitment instead of circumstances." ~Bill Moyers

So it's been five days since the election. I feel compelled to share my initial thoughts and reactions like many people. Some of you read the post I did a day or so before the election. In that post, I stated that the election was a referendum on the church. That post was meant to point to the political idols and the arrogance we hold dear as Christians. I had someone respond to that post to say they disagreed that the election had anything to do with arrogance; instead, he thought it was simply free will. And yes, he is right. It is free will. But our choices reflect what we hold dear. In this election, it was forsaking immigrants, the marginalized, and all forms of decency and validating corrupt leadership. Arrogance. Let's put a pin in this.

Introduction

I will briefly mention a few insights into why VP Kamala wasn't elected, the post-election discourse, and what we should focus on instead. The news media is doing the typical rehash of reasons and recriminations. But they are focused on the superficial and the scapegoating. I submit there are deeper issues. In the remainder of this blog/post, remember that most of my comments are still primarily directed towards the church. Also, like many, I'm still processing the results, and my emotions are raw, so I ask for forgiveness if, at times, I sound 'preachy.' 

Fear and Greed

The first insight is she did not win because the election was based on fear and greed. Fear was used to pit individual groups against each other. Fear was used to create a landscape of scarcity. Fear was used to cause people to fear a loss of privilege. Fear was used to pit rural against urban. Fear was used to promote some of the most obscene racist troupes. And so many took the bait. 

Greed was used by the most powerful men in the world to pay for the election in exchange for certain government positions, contracts, and unbridled access to monopolistic ventures. Greed was used to keep the middle class wanting to add more to their stock portfolios, boats, vacations, etc. Greed was used to inspire conservative, nationalistic Christians to want more control over the moral high ground and standards in this country.

A Hard Look

The second insight is that many in the media (and more recently, Democratic leadership) are throwing VP Kamala and Biden under the bus. They are emphasizing that the Democrats need to take a hard look in the mirror about their messaging and reasons for losing the working class. I agree about taking a hard look in the mirror. And that's what this blog is about: taking a hard look within.

We No Longer Recognize Integrity

Because VP Harris did not throw Biden under the bus, many say that was her biggest mistake. (They framed it slightly more politically correct by phrasing it as 'distancing herself from Biden.') I'm afraid I have to disagree. Interestingly, when a person demonstrates integrity, we fail to recognize it. Having worked in corporate for 20 years, leaders typically throw each other under the bus to get ahead. So the expectation was that she should have done the same. When she didn't, hindsight says she was wrong. No, she was classy. In terms of Democrats should take a hard look in the mirror. No, America needs to take a hard look in the mirror, particularly Christians.

This Juncture

We did not arrive at this juncture in history overnight because, for the past 8+ years, we have called good evil and evil good. This juncture in history allowed social media companies, AI, and other entities to utilize technology to deceive so that we're no longer our brother's keeper; instead, we are judges, juries, and executioners (cancel culture). This juncture in history caused approximately 15 million people to feel so disenfranchised and without hope that they didn't feel compelled to show up to vote. This juncture caused many marginalized communities to vote against others that look like them. This juncture in history is on ALL of us. No one is immune. 

Let's go deeper. We all must look within and deal with our mess before organizing ourselves or jumping to solutions. Let's finally deal with the root causes. We all realize that we have broken systems run by broken people, which is not working for most citizens. And so we fall prey to our basic instincts of fear and greed. We must all ask ourselves why this continues to happen.

January 20th, 2025

At this point in our history and because of the people's free will, come January 20th, 2025, we will have a new system of government that has promised to implement many changes and cut basic programs. Many have stated that the marginalized, immigrants, and POC will be left out, and I agree. The questions are: Who will they be able to turn to? And, ultimately, how do we position ourselves to move forward? 

I must admit that I am not confident that the incoming administration will be supportive regarding the issues I just articulated. I'm also concerned that those in 45's base who want justice for the stolen 2020 election are out for revenge (just skim through Rant Nation on Facebook), and the other swarths of his base that hate Blacks, Jews, and Muslims are probably going to feel very empowered to act on their hatred. Hatred. Revenge. Fear. Greed. How do we address these deep-seated negative emotions?  These are not just working-class issues. These are American issues that we will all have to deal with. And for those who expect the people who voted for 45 to get just what they (deserve) voted for—guess what? We will all get what's coming because the new administration's policies will not discriminate based on race or class but on the number of zeroes that make up your net worth.

Opportunity

Perhaps we are being ushered into a time as a church body that we will be forced to learn to live in a community where none lacked (because the community took care of each other). Are we being given the opportunity to learn how to love our neighbors as ourselves? In a few months we will be given the opportunity to determine if these are the Christian values we hold dear. I encourage you to prepare your hearts, mind, and spirit. Some may have to stay off social media or stop watching the news or listening to certain podcasts. Do whatever it takes to guard your heart. One thing I know for sure: the current leaders, news, or talking heads do not have the answers. But I know someone who does have all the answers. Stay tuned.

I invite you to read my blog post, White Rage, posted on November 2nd, for further insights into what we’ve just experienced.