10/18/2020 What we hold in common
Dearest friends and family: With just over two weeks between now and the formally-designated "election day," the first and most important message is simply to vote. Make your voice heard. Complete your ballot and return it safely and securely. The election is already underway across this country; more than one million ballots have been cast by mail in California and more than two million in Florida already. People lined up for hours in states like Georgia to participate in early voting at polling places.
In these final days, the narrative of "a country divided" is being pushed hard. And we can see instances of polarization, of course. A "truck parade" supporting the re-election of the current president rolled through our town yesterday, met by a scrappy group of students and locals with their Black Lives Matter signs held high.
But as always, we need to ask: who does this narrative of division and polarization benefit, especially when it spills into fear-mongering, attempting to trigger us to fear our neighbors?
And as always, the answer is, not the people as a whole. Not our communities. Amplifying the narrative of division and polarization helps those who want to suppress the vote, and those who can take advantage of the appearance of chaos to make themselves seem stronger. And it benefits those who want to distract us from the deep and painful losses of life and economic stability due to the mishandling of the pandemic.
So, instead, this week I want to amplify the data that shows just how united Americans already are. This is a story that needs more airtime. Politico analyzed results from a recent Harvard poll on key issues and values among Americans. The poll was conducted in July 2020, and asked participants about 16 "rights and values." Some key findings:
"The right to clean air and water, for example, was considered important by 93 percent of those surveyed; protection of personal data, by 93 percent; the right to a quality education, by 92 percent; racial equality, by 92 percent; affordable health care, by 89 percent; and the right to a job, by 85 percent."
"Even issues like immigration (66 percent) and protecting a woman’s right to choose and make decisions affecting her body and personal life (72 percent) — typically viewed as highly divisive — garnered bipartisan support, though with more of a partisan divide."
"...87 percent agreed that 'the government has a responsibility to protect the lives, livelihoods, and rights of all Americans'...
"The survey reveals a resounding cynicism toward the government, with more than two-thirds (69 percent) agreeing that 'I feel like the government doesn’t represent the America that I love.'"
So this story of a "deeply divided" country is at best partially accurate. We are, indeed, engaged in ideological and practical conflicts about how to implement our values. But our values are consistent across the majority of Americans. We want a healthy planet. We want healthy families and communities. We want racial equity. We want access to education. We want dignified work. We want our government at all levels to work to protect these core human rights. And we are disappointed in the failure of the government to do so.
Voting is one of the most powerful ways we can hold our government accountable. Yes, there are many systemic challenges. The last forty years has seen a profound skewing of power to businesses and the wealthy who form the donor class. Our voice expressed in our ballots remains, however, a critical strategy to shift the power back to the people.
Your vote matters, and the results of this election will be determined by us, based on the rights and values we hold in common. The narrative of division keeps us focused on our darker fears, instead of the very real, very important, very common challenges we will face together.
Be safe, be well, and vote.
With love and gratitude,
Liz
Sources:
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/09/15/election-season-americans-united-issues-poll-414687