Things Tend to Remain the Same Until They Don’t

Remember when we all lived in existential dread the fascists were about to take over. That was (checks watch) 9 days ago. Don’t get me wrong, fascism is still out there, still threatening, and still a risk that is quite real. What’s different is that we know it’s within our power and that with our effort we can beat fascism. The existential dread has been replaced by joyful determination. It’s as though every Democrat suddenly turned into Sarah Williams from Labyrinth, pointing at Jareth and with a sudden realization declaring “you have no power over me.”

Yeah, I just quoted a 38-year-old movie starring David Bowie, Jennifer Connelley, and a bunch of Muppets. I admit that I’m a little quirky.

One of the things I’ve learned as an informal student of history is that there is always tension for change which builds under the surface even when as the status quo of the time seems to be locked in place. In a recent column, historian Heather Cox Richardson points out multiple examples of just that thing.

That’s what happened 8 days ago, before the Coconut Pill dropped. While we’re celebrating that, however, I’d like to point out the pressure has been building beneath the surface a lot longer. The pressure has been building for years to protect reproductive freedom, pass common sense gun laws, seek criminal justice reform, end gerrymandering and vote suppression, increase taxes on the ultra wealthy, decarbonize our economy, revitalize antitrust law, rein in out of control courts , and a lot more.

If that weren’t the case, Conservatives wouldn’t be so freaked out. They deserve all the criticism we give them about their radicalism, hatefulness, underhanded tactics, and increasing willingness to discard democracy entirely. Another thing I’ve said countless times is that the peasants always storm the Bastille. Our choice is between whether to let it get to that point or to reject Conservatism while it can still be unwound in an organized fashion. Now, suddenly, we appear to be on the verge of choosing to do it by plan rather than through greater upheaval at some indeterminate time, probably after enduring the tragedy of American fascism.

That’s also worthy of a lot of joy in the work of the next 99 days.