Up to Us
We have to get past fight or flight
TLDR: It’s time to move past anger, denial, and fright and figure out what each of us can do to effect change and maintain our sanity.
I’ve never been great at predicting politics. On Election Day 2016, I was so sure Hillary Clinton would win that I had a piece hailing the first woman president ready to publish at the push of a button the next day. That optimism wore off fast.
A few months earlier, a British news interviewer had asked me what worried me about Donald Trump, and I’d grown teary-eyed when I mentioned the threat to democracy.
And now here we are amidst a five-alarm Constitutional crisis. Most people I know have been stunned into fight-or-flight mode (or one of the other responses to trauma, freeze, fawn, or flop).
In case you think I am exaggerating:
Using executive orders as if they were magic wands, Trump has overturned lawfully established agencies and impounded appropriations. With Republicans in control of both houses of Congress, why not do it the legal way?
DOGE, an extralegal entity unaccountable to the public, has the keys to vast troves of data and operational systems across the federal government. In the name of efficiency, DOGE operatives are cutting personnel and programs whose work they don’t understand.
In a matter of weeks, the United States has abandoned the 80-year-old rule-based world order we established after World War II and turned against our allies in NATO and Ukraine. All without the advice and consent of the Senate.
Note that I’m not talking about the deportation of immigrants, the spurious declaration of a National Energy Emergency, or even the tariffs. Awful as they are, they are policy issues. In a functional democratic republic (United States, 1787-2025), they would be subjects of discussion, oversight, and legislation.
At stake are core Constitutional issues and our ability to maintain self-government and promote individual freedom and the common good.
It’s not about the price of eggs.
In the past month (has it only been one month?), I’ve gone through stages of grief or trauma: waking up in a state of dread, obsessively following the news, avoiding the news, feeling helplessness and despair.
I’ve also been talking with people, thinking about what comes next. That’s what I hope this space will be for: make sense of the senseless, focus on what’s important, provide resources, and help each other stay strong and sane.
I hope you’ll join me with comments. Let’s start by letting us all
know where you are (in any sense) and what you think can happen here.
Image: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-DIG-ppmsca-12345]
I am so glad you started this Substack! It's exactly the kind of space we need right now – focusing on actionable change and building resilience. These times are tough, and your words really hit home. I'm so tired (so, so tired) of the anger and fear, and I love that you're pushing us to channel that energy into protecting what we care about. I'm looking forward to being part of this community and learning how I can contribute to making sure our democracy doesn't just survive, but thrives. I believe that we can manifest a real turning point – a moment where we all come together for collective action and real hope!