INDIVISIBLE Lambertville NJ / New Hope PA

Author: Indivisible Lambertville / New Hope

  • Healing Divisions in Post-Election America

    Contributed by Amara Willey.

    The other day during a 16-mile drive, I practiced sending love to every household that had a political sign on its lawn. What I realized during this 25-minute meditation is that both “Biden” and “Trump” have 5 letters in their names and that from a distance I couldn’t tell which sign was which. I believe that the people who voted for Biden are my brothers and sisters. I believe that the people who voted for Trump are my brothers and sisters. 

    Here’s another thing I’ve been thinking lately: Red and blue are colors of blood. But it’s the same blood. We experience it differently depending on our point of viewing. Blood is red but looks blue when seen through a subcutaneous fat layer beneath the skin that gives the veins a bluish tint. But it is the same blood nonetheless.  

    We are all Americans, red or blue, Democrat or Republican, urban or rural. It’s time to stop fearing each other. It’s time to stop judging each other. It is definitely time to stop wishing that the “other” didn’t exist. 

    I am encouraged by how many people voted in this election. This is democracy at work: people showing up to state their opinion. Voting is the act of reaffirming democracy. Still a mid-October Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs poll indicated that 85 percent of registered voters describe Americans as “greatly divided in their values,” and only 15 percent think our democracy is working.

    In an opinion piece published in September by CNN, Justin Gest and Wendy Feliz note that elections tend to “inflame divisions, since political campaigns are increasingly built on strategies that pit groups against one another with little regard for the damage they leave behind.”

    They write, “If we can reinvigorate our mutual bonds with one another, we will be able to get back to the hard work of fixing many of our nation’s most pressing problems, with the realization that when one of us is left out or left behind, we all suffer.”

    The George Mason University policy and government associate professor and the Center for Inclusion director respectively propose the creation of a bi-partisan White House Council for National Unity, which would be tasked with promoting social cohesion through various programs. 

    “The problem in today’s America is that our political polarization leads us to believe that the opposing party will destroy our way of life and exclude us from the conversation about who matters in this country,” according to Gest and Feliz.

    The desire for unity is not a Democratic or Republican ideal. Both sides want to heal division, though they may have different views of how to do that. 

    Dr. Edwin J. Feulner, founder of the ultra-conservative Heritage Foundation, wrote in 2017, “America has endured much over its history, including a bloody civil war. Yet it has always drawn together, and it always will, provided we never lose sight of the principles that first forged our great nation — and bequeathed our great unity.”

    CNN political analyst John Avlon explained in an opinion piece a year ago that we as a country need to start taking concrete steps to address our polarization.

    “We can do this armed with the knowledge that we are defending core American values — because e pluribus unum is literally the opposite of ‘Us against Them,’ the demagogue’s eternal calling card. There is no ‘them’ in the United States,” Avlon says. “There is only us — imperfect people working to form a more perfect union and making fitful progress with each generation.”

    He cites a study by More in Common, saying that Democrats believe that only half of Republicans recognize that racism still exists in America while Republicans believe that only half of Democrats are proud to be American. In reality, eighty percent of Republicans understand that racism remains an issue in America and eighty percent of Democrats say they are proud to be an American. Avlon calls for a broader citizens’ movement dedicated to defending our democracy by combating the larger forces dividing us as a nation and a rededication to civic education.

     Unifiers for Unity

    “The increasing stakes of each presidential election increase political tension and heighten public anxiety,” said David French in Time Magazine in September. “Americans should not see their individual liberty or the autonomy of their churches and communities as so dependent on the identity of the President.” French is author of Divided We Fall: America’s Secession Threat and How to Restore Our Nation. 

    We must look for evidence of unity and for people who naturally encourage cohesion. For example, the Republican candidate for Senate in Michigan John James released two ads this summer calling for unity, both in response to the murder of George Floyd and the protests inspired by it. The message of one of the ads is that Americans want to come together. He says, “I believe that love is stronger than hate.” He also calls himself a “unifier.” The other ad states, “Politicians will never solve these problems — only you and I can do that. No laws, no legislation can possibly change people’s hearts. But you and I can.”

    Biden has also called himself a “unifier,” but one man cannot fix the country. There are many problems that need to be addressed from education and the media to the electoral college and voting fairness.

    “A president might be able to refrain from exacerbating our political division, but he can’t heal it. We have to heal ourselves, culturally and institutionally, and I’m not sure we’ll prove capable. I’m not sure we really want to try,” said Bonnie Kristian in The Week. She is the author of  A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today.

    The work of healing the divisions in our country is largely up to each one of us. “My point is simple: Love and warm-heartedness might not change every heart and mind, but they are always worth trying, and they will always make you better off,” said Arthur C. Brooks, author of Love Your Enemies. Brooks suggests, “America’s path forward lies in its learning to transcend self-destructive, obsessive politics in order to think clearly and to use the intelligent competition of ideas to advance the country.”

     Here are 5 ways that we can as individuals work toward unity:

    1. Look for ways to help

    While the work of Indivisible is far from over, we need to start building bridges with our neighbors regardless of what lawn sign they had in their front yard. If you’ve become estranged from family or friends over politics, seek ways to reconnect and offer help to them. 

    2. Give the benefit of the doubt

    If you hear or read something that you don’t agree with, take a moment to walk in the other person’s shoes. Imagine what they might be thinking or feeling (hint: often fear). Before you get mad or judgmental, remember that they have the same universal needs that you do.

    3. Focus on the positive

    Whatever happens in the coming years, Americans have more in common than not. When we point out our similarities and stay positive, people respond positively.

    4. Respect differences

    If we want things to change, it needs to start from within. We can only be sympathetic to others when we take time to heal ourselves and practice self-empathy. Then we can see differences of opinion as the shared richness of our heritage instead of something we need to “fight against.”

    5. Share wisdom

    There’s a difference between wisdom and opinion. If what you are about to say will help make the situation better, then it’s vital to share. If not, it might be better to count to 10 (or 20) before saying anything.

     Sources:

    https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/12/opinions/white-house-council-of-national-unity-gest-feliz/index.html

    https://www.heritage.org/american-founders/commentary/the-unity-america

    https://johnjamesforsenate.com/country-unity-ads/

    https://www.aish.com/sp/pg/5_Ways_to_Build_Unity.html

    https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/03/books/review/arthur-c-brooks-love-your-enemies.html

    https://time.com/5887428/american-political-division/

    https://theweek.com/articles/946368/biden-cant-heal-country

    https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/after-trump-biden-race-america-needs-healing-vote-who-can-ncna1245534

    https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/30/opinions/fractured-states-of-america-polarization-is-killing-us-avlon/index.html

     

  • From the Editor

    Contributed by Deb Kline, Editor.

    The other day, I told someone that I was at the point where I worried about spontaneous combustion. I was only half joking. Deluged by the continuous flow of disappointing to heartbreaking news, anger and anxiety seem to constantly bubble just beneath the surface. Loss of sleep, unhealthy eating and drinking, snarky comments on social media are just a few manifestations signaling a collective sense of fear, despair and loss of control. 

    Many psychologists will tell you that control is an illusion. We attempt control by worrying, but in truth, worrying doesn’t solve anything and certainly doesn’t put us in control. Another word for worry is awfulization, which is a made up word for how we project and invest in the worst case scenario. And hoo-boy, is that easy to do these days. 

    We’re all too familiar with the worst-case scenario for our country so it doesn’t serve to give it more airtime here and add to the negativity (You can read Justine Andronici’s piece in this edition, Trump’s Abuse of America is Getting Lethal for more insight) . Instead, is it possible to flip the switch and dwell more on the positive? To gather energy from the good we see, project and invest in a best case  – or at least a better case scenario? 

    You might say: “Ok, Pollyanna, how do you suggest we do that???” 

    If you watched the first presidential debate, you have my sympathies. I did not, but followed on Twitter and with a group of like-minded friends who had more fortitude than I. But perhaps we can look at it for a lesson in how we manage through this moment. 

    There were two people on stage: one was clearly driven by fear and using fear and chaos as a tactic. The other demonstrated strength based in his sense of love and purpose – even in the face of near total loss of control of expected circumstances. We saw shining moments of humanity from Joe Biden, despite and likely because of his personal experience with a number of worst-case scenarios. That alone should inspire us. 

    In less than a month, the ballots will all be cast. Many of us have already made our choice and are determined to use the remaining time to work on getting out the vote. Right now, it’s critical that we do so because of all that we love and to stay focused on that, rather than fearing the loss and falling into the depths of hate. I’m reminded of this: 

    “Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.”

    Siddhartha Gautama, The Dhammapada

    Know that we are a caring community. Whether you physically live in Lambertville/New Hope or have more of a virtual/spiritual connection to our organization, we care. As unwanted as many of the experiences in these past few years have been, they have also been times of great learning and growth, of making new friends and being a collective force for good. As an organization, we went from zero to 60 in very short order, and we will continue as an organization as long as you need us. Whatever the outcome, together, we will again roll up our sleeves and get back to work. 

    With much love, 

    Deb

    PS – Be sure to fill out the survey in this edition about where ILNH goes from here, pending various scenarios. We want your input!

  • Trump’s Abuse of America is Getting Lethal

    Guest author Justine Andronici is a feminist lawyer, advocate, and analyst who has been working in the women’s rights arena for more than 20 years. She specializes in domestic violence, sexual assault, harassment and women’s rights law and politics. She offered ILNH the following piece which first appeared in Medium. Due to the length, we’re providing a portion of the article, which can be read in it’s entirety here. 

    The first Presidential debate was many things, and terrifying on many levels, but for those of us who understand the dynamics of domestic abuse, it was predictable. While it may have been the latest in a series of assaults on our public norms and institutions, it was not the first, and with Trump slipping in the polls it certainly won’t be the last.

    A domestic violence victim sits alone in her kitchen. It is the day after a particularly dangerous violent incident. Over the past three years of the relationship, her abuser has systematically isolated and demoralized her, destabilizing every aspect of her life. As she sits in her home, drinking coffee and planning her escape, she is statistically at the greatest lethal risk she has ever faced.

    What Donald Trump has done to America can be best understood as the political version of what a perpetrator of domestic violence does to a victim, using every opportunity to isolate, destabilize, demoralize, and overwhelm– to maintain control and power at all cost, even if it means completely destroying their victim in the process. Predictably, when accountability failed and he successfully avoided removal after impeachment, Trump’s abuse tactics escalated. Now Trump isn’t just undermining our norms; he is threatening the existence of our democracy and the basic safety and security of every American.

    Over the past four years, the country has been fundamentally changed by Donald Trump’s abuse and just a matter of days before the election we are on the eve of potential escape. Unfortunately for all of us, just as it is most dangerous when a victim decides to leave their perpetrator, it is precisely this moment, the moment leading to separation, that brings our greatest danger.

    Trump is the nation’s abuser —and the risk is now lethal

    America has suffered almost four years of constant abuse at the hands of Donald Trump. He has manipulated, attacked, destabilized and demoralized us with his relentless attacks on our public norms and democratic institutions. It is undoubtedly a deeply frightening and disturbing moment in American history, but as any survivor of domestic violence will tell you, there is a path forward, but first we need to step back and understand the severity of the risk we are facing, and then we need to create a safe escape plan.

    As an attorney who has worked extensively in the field of domestic violence, I am all too familiar with the risk in this moment we find ourselves in as a nation. One year ago, I warned that we were in our Most Dangerous Moment Yet of the Trump Presidency, because Trump was about to face accountability through impeachment and the coming election. I observed that Trump was behaving like a classic abuser who thinks he can destabilize, demoralize, cheat, manipulate, bully, and lie his way through any situation and warned that if impeachment failed, he would undoubtedly escalate his abuse. Although rarely acknowledged at the time, I also suggested that like any abuser who does everything in their power to resist accountability, Trump may refuse to give up the Presidency even if he lost the election. Sadly, I was not only right about this, but the escalation is far worse than I imagined at the time.

    Understanding Trump as an abuser using classic abuser tactics isn’t just a theoretical framework. When Trump’s conduct is understood through the cycle of abuse and the power and control tactics abusers use, it becomes clear that our country’s relationship with Donald Trump won’t be over on November 3, on January 20th or anytime in the near future if we don’t take serious steps to prevent his destructive behavior. The main difference between abusers and authoritarians in the end is that authoritarians have power over and the ability to harm many more people.

    Trump’s election threats must be taken seriously

    As political accountability and potential criminal accountability for fraud loom, Trump is openly admitting he may not leave office peacefully, undermining the integrity of the American election system, and rallying white supremacist extremist groups to his cause.

    When asked on September 23, whether he would agree to a peaceful transfer of power if Biden wins, Trump responded,

    “Well, we’ll have to see what happens. You know that. I’ve been complaining very strongly about the ballots. And the ballots are a disaster.”

    Responding to a follow up question he added,

    “Get rid of the ballots, and you’ll have a very — you’ll have a very peaceful — there won’t be a transfer, frankly, there’ll be a continuation.”

    But just like the debate wasn’t his first assault on norms of political civility, he has been laying this groundwork to undermine the election and stay in power at all costs for a long time.

    Destabilization is Trump’s strategy

    Destabilization is a core tool of an abuser. Trump’s conduct in recent years is understandable only if one sees that Donald Trump has destabilized our nation and destroyed our sense of safety — on purpose. Just like abusers work to relentlessly undermine every aspect of the lives of their victims until they are the only remaining center of power, Trump is fostering chaos wherever possible. If attention shifts from him for even a moment, he does or says something even more untenable, ensuring we are all in a constant state of reaction to his outrageous conduct and inflammatory commentary.

    Abusers seek to take advantage of their victim’s deepest and most painful vulnerabilities, maximizing them to further undermine their victim’s safety. Trump’s overt racism, xenophobia, and increasingly dangerous hate speech are not just reflective of his racist and white supremacist belief system, but he is also using them strategically, as tools, to achieve his purpose — seeking to capitalize on the country’s current movement for racial reckoning to maximize the destabilization.

    Trump’s attack on our civil and political culture and his direct attacks on our system of government have been so multifaceted, so pervasive, and so constant that it has desensitized us, and we tune out or develop such strong psychological defenses it can be difficult to understand the risk. In the face of this barrage of assaults, the country is in a constant state of overwhelm. His outrages and attacks are so frequent that even his most egregious statements barely gain traction in the news before the next outrageous statement or damaging action rises to the top of the news cycle, which is almost always dominated by Trump. Stepping back to see the scope of his attacks helps us see the pattern.

    The most obviously lethal threat we face at the hands of Trump is his interference with, obstruction of, and finally his outright refusal to permit a meaningful national COVID response. From waging a nationwide disinformation campaign about the virus, to obstructing the efforts of States, to interference with the CDC, Trump has done everything in his power to disrupt the public health response to the virus, leading to the deaths of 200,000 plus Americans and placing millions more at risk of death and serious illness. But the lethal threat of COVID is far from the only lethal threat Americans face in coming months.

    Trump has normalized the most dangerous and extreme forms of overt racism and xenophobia we have seen in generations; praised and encouraged perpetrators of racist violence, and set the stage for his followers to perpetrate violent attacks against his political opponents. He has weaponized federal authority against immigrant families and peaceful protestors, attacked and encouraged violence against the free press, while praising armed bands of white supremacists.

    Trump has sought to co-opt critically important government institutions to abandon their public interest missions and instead to work only to advance his personal political power. He has been successful in his disruption, steadily undermining many of the institutions our civil society relies on using the leadership of the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security as political hacks and henchmen, censoring the Environmental Protection Agency and undermining the ability of the Centers for Disease Control to protect the country in the midst of a global lethal pandemic. At every turn he has broken with the longstanding norms of our democratic civil and political system, sought to redefine it only around one thing: allegiance to Donald Trump. He has ignored the lawful jurisdiction of Governors and mayors and invaded American cities with federal authorities against their wishes, played power politics with federal disaster aid and perhaps most frighteningly for its short and long term implications, stacked the federal judiciary, and the Supreme Court with radical right wing ideologues loyal to him.

    Trump has continued his pattern of isolating America from our friends and allies, destroying and disrupting long-standing international relationships aimed at promoting international human rights, cooperation, peace and security. He has abandoned international cooperative agreements, undermined our relationships with the European Union and NATO, attacked international human rights norms, and waged assaults against the International Criminal Court. His priority has been to cultivate alliances and do the bidding of the world’s leading violent authoritarians.

    It is impossible to catalog the breaks from democratic norms that comprise the Trump Presidency. This is by design. Because just like an abuser, breaking us down until all that’s left in our awareness is him, and his power over us, is his purpose. When we understand that, we can better understand not only what has happened to us as a nation in the last four years, but where we are headed next.

    We are at a critical moment and must recognize the risk

    In the field of domestic violence, we use a tool called a “lethality assessment” to help victims determine the level of lethal risk they may be facing. The factors we look at for whether an abuser may be a lethal risk to his victim include things like whether the perpetrator knows the victim is planning to leave, or if the victim has recently separated, whether the abuser is currently employed or facing imminent unemployment, whether the violence has escalated in the past year, whether he is facing some type of significant accountability event, like an arrest or court proceeding, and perhaps most significant, whether he has threatened lethal violence.

    When we consider these types of factors on a larger scale and look at them through the political lens of Trump’s words and actions, it is clear that Trump now poses a lethal threat to our country.

    Please continue reading at: https://medium.com/@andronicij/trumps-abuse-of-america-is-getting-lethal-fb7eab5e57f7?source=friends_link&sk=4cd7774bbf9b0ad16cefadd559e46a39

    H/T to Paige Barnett for connecting us with Justine. You can reach out to Justine via Twitter at @justineandronic

  • TO KNOCK OR NOT TO KNOCK?

    Contributed by Cindi Sternfeld.

    Canvassing in a Pandemic?  You Betcha!

    What is the big dilemma of a GOTV Warrior like me at the cross section of a pandemic and a presidential election?  TO KNOCK OR NOT TO KNOCK?    

    For the past year, ILNH has been intrigued and excited by the idea of deep canvassing with Changing The Conversation Together (CTC)!  Many of us trained and participated in the CTC deep canvassing program up until March of this year.   

    When the pandemic hit, things changed. Some did phone banking with CTC and had phone calls using these same relationship building strategies.  In-person or on the phone, the conversations are all about talking with voters about who we love and the values we care about, and then bringing home the idea that our president does not match up with those values. Phone calls were alright but as anyone who has canvassed knows, they are a distant second to in-person conversations.  

    As CTC weighed the pros and cons of not canvassing, the organization called on public health and medical experts to determine whether there was a safe way to get back out and talk to people face-to- face. What emerged from that process were CTC protocols for Safety First Canvassing. The guidelines are stringent and helped me to decide to go ahead and get back to door knocking!  I’ve been out twice and have felt safe because of the attention to detail of the folks at CTC.

    In addition to the deep canvassing training components that were in place prior to the pandemic, CTC has added a 90-minute training that digs down into the protocols.  All volunteers are required to participate in a Safety First training before volunteering to go on a canvass. In addition to the training, we are required to have a clear covid test that is administered no more than seven days prior to the event.  Once we complete the test, we must quarantine, take temperature twice daily and commit to mask wearing and social distancing when life requires that we leave home. 

    After the canvas, all volunteers are required to test again, about three days after the canvas.   If volunteers plan to drive together, or if they are driving together to their canvassing turf, they must not sit in the same row of the car.  All cars are limited to two people and asked to drive with masks on and windows open. On top of all of that, on the day of canvass all of the registration areas and materials have been sanitized and are re-sanitized after use. During before and after canvass meetings for training and debriefing, all chairs are arranged six feet apart, with safety monitors equipped with yardsticks, keeping us all separate and honest.    

    The canvassing script  itself is mostly unchanged from pre-covid times, with a few modifications to reflect the Safety First standards. Each canvasser is equipped with vote-by-mail and voter registration applications on clipboards with pens in packets.  Each packet‘s contents have been sanitized and placed in plastic bags, and we have been trained on how to handle these packets before and after the voter has used them. We are also supplied with free masks to give to the voters. All conversations occur outside the home with all participants wearing masks. 

    CTC has focused its work in Philadelphia, and I’ve had several great conversations with voters. My most rewarding conversation was with a woman who was in her 80’s. She answered the door and asked if I was a census worker.  When I said, “no, my name is Cindi. I’m here and talking to voters about Donald Trump.”  She asked me if I was “for or against?”  I bluntly answered, “Against.”  She laughed and said, “Well Cindi,  I guess you must be if you’re here to talk to me during a pandemic! Call me GG!”   

    We laughed and shared our stories.  I told GG about my mom who was a nurse and had always been committed to helping others, even at times when it was inconvenient or difficult, that she even helped a dying neighbor who had been unkind to my family because we are Jewish. GG got weepy as she talked about her parents who were sharecroppers and came to Philadelphia to raise her and her sisters in the North. She talked about their kindness and their loving hearts and that everyone who came into their home felt welcomed and were always well fed.  She talked about her mom’s cookies and her dad’s homemade wine.  She told me that if it were not for Covid, she would invite me in for a cup of tea… and then offered to bring me a cup to enjoy on the front porch while we chatted.  She talked about what it was like to live during the civil rights movement and how sad it was for her to see what is happening to the country now.  I agreed with her when she said, “Trump’s gotta go!”   

    It was such a nice visit that I had to remind myself that I had many more doors to knock. As we ended our visit, GG committed to making sure that every one of her 23 grandkids would vote!   

    One of the final questions on the canvassing script asks about how the voter felt about our safety protocols. She said she felt very safe and she felt respected because I was so concerned about her health. She said she wished her kids and grandkids would be that careful.  GG’s story has been with me in the weeks since I had the privilege of meeting her.    These are conversations like no other and I am grateful for the chance to be a part of them. 

    I guess the best part of the CTC Safety First Canvassing is that everyone at CTC is just as committed to safety as they are to voting Donald Trump out of office!

  • The Assault on Social Security

     Contributed by Sparky Morrison.

    Over 64 million people, or more than 1 in every 6 U.S. residents, collected Social Security benefits in June 2020 according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Now, it’s very existence is threatened by the current administration and Republican Senate

    The Social Security Act, signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1935, created Social Security, a federal safety net for elderly, unemployed and disadvantaged Americans. The main stipulation of the original Social Security Act was to pay financial benefits to retirees over age 65 based upon their lifetime payroll tax contribution. The social security program was intended to be and still is a social insurance program that is a government-run public program providing economic security to U.S. citizens.

    Over the years, the Social Security Act was amended, but the basic principles are the same. The retirement age to collect full benefits has been raised depending upon the year you were born; and Survivors and Death Benefits, and Disability benefits were added. 

    Social Security remains funded by the Payroll Deduction taxes paid by all U.S. employees and employers. This payroll deduction tax that funds social security is typically split between employees and employers, with each paying half of the total 12.4%. So you as a worker pays a 6.2% social security tax and your employer pays 6.2%. 

    The money each individual pays into social security payroll taxes isn’t held in a personal account for him or her to use when they get benefits, however. The government uses current SSI payroll deductions to provide benefits to people collecting now. Any unused money goes to a Social Security trust fund.

    Unfortunately, there is a Republican assault of Social Security and this forthcoming election may decide its fate. The president has vowed to eliminate this payroll deduction tax if re-elected, which will immediately give businesses a 6.2% profit while defunding Social Security. If this happens, the Social Security Trust Fund will be depleted by mid 2023. 

    This administration has already renamed “Social Security Benefits” as “Social Security Entitlement” in a move to remove the idea that a retired worker has the right to collect back on a tax that they paid over their working lifetime. By defunding Social Security, the Republican Party will be able to declare that spending has to be slashed and therefore enact cuts to Social Security. The Republican Party has long sought to privatize Social Security and to diminish benefits. These diminished benefits will be plus for profit-making businesses but extremely hurtful to those who depend on the benefits to help close the gap between poverty and economic stability.  

    Additional reading:

    https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-assault-on-social-security-is-under-way-2020-08-28

    https://www.cbpp.org/research/social-security/policy-basics-top-ten-facts-about-social-security