Those of you who know me, know that I am a political junkie. (This addiction is one I think it’s safe to keep!) Since the days of Bill Clinton, I’ve been categorically interested in politics. I wanted to become the first female President as a child. While working towards a B.S. in Political Science from University of Pittsburgh, I volunteered for the Kerry campaign. Later, I rode a bus brimming with socialists to protest Bush’s inauguration in D.C. and I waited more than 6 hours to vote for Obama. I’ve followed the nightmare that is Donald Trump the way we consume news about natural disasters. With age, I’ve become more progressive and with sobriety, I’m able to articulate why. But what does this have to do with honesty? How does my history of political preoccupation have squat to do with how honesty helps heal the soul?
Whether we acknowledge it or not, how we lean politically speaks volumes about our values. Even those of us who excuse ourselves from the drama that is D.C. by saying our vote “doesn’t matter” or “they’re all corrupt anyway” are allowing our deferral to exemplify our beliefs. In the current state of hyper-divisive politics and “alternative facts” (and realities), it is important to know why you stand where you do. To live authentically requires us to strip away the layers of propaganda and dig deep. We need to be sure the politics we adhere to actually align with the values we say we hold.
War against “woke.”
The war against “woke ideology” (or what I like to call, progressivism) has made those of us who insist on democratic equality enemies of the state. Governor Ron DeSantis is beta testing fascism in Florida with the Don’t Say Gay bill and STOP-WOKE Act. While he further pushes his agenda by rolling back the Sunshine laws (which support free speech) and requiring “target lists” of liberals from colleges and universities, Tennessee is demonizing drag shows and encouraging an armed free-for-all with permitless open and concealed carry gun laws. Let’s not forget about the attack on women’s reproductive autonomy with the overturning of Roe vs. Wade.
While it’s no surprise this is all appalling to a liberal like me, I don’t honestly believe most conservatives would support these initiatives. At least not those who truly support freedom and the democratic principles found in the Bill of Rights. If only we had the honest facts instead of the nonstop anti-woke narrative.
Florida – where woke goes to die.
Let’s look at little closer at the rollback of Sunshine laws. Gov. DeSantis boasts the Florida is where “woke goes to die” but by he is actually killing free speech (along women’s right to privacy). So much for the party of small government! The law he is backing says that any accusation of racial, sexual, or gender discrimination should be seen as “intrinsically defamatory” and worthy of legal ramifications. So, if you accuse someone of racial, sexual, or gender discrimination, even if it’s true, the law says we should be able to assume you’re lying and sue you. This will have the effect of silencing anyone who has less money than the person they’re accusing (which if we’re honest, is common in these situations.) (Check out the Politics Girl podcast linked below.)
Another one of the five-dozen government exemption to transparency bills supported by DeSantis would prohibit the agency that provides security for the governor from disclosing his travel arrangements at any time. Even after the fact. Essentially, DeSantis could go anywhere, at any time, on the public’s dime and no one would know, ever. What’s more, the bill would also allow DeSantis to hide his expenditures so the taxpayers and the press couldn’t track how much or for what he was being paid. In other words, these bills, which have largely gone under the radar, even to staunch MAGA Republicans, put the taxpayer’s money directly into DeSantis’s pocket.
How honesty helps heal America’s soul.
Now I know this sounds like a lot of liberal complaints, but I want to take a step back and ask you to think about when you (or someone you know) might have wanted to silence complaints about behaviors. Or when you may have hidden your travel plans and refused to explain where you’d been. When have you denied how much money you spent and what you used it for? The only moment that pops into my head was active addiction. I’m not saying that Governor DeSantis is an addict. I am, however, saying he’s suspect. The shady bills he’s trying to pass are highly reminiscent of someone who is up to no good. Someone who wants the power to do bad things in the dark.
Lying, even by omission, is not a good look on anyone. Especially when those lies affect other people. In my recovery, I make it my daily intention to live more authentically and speak my truth whenever I have the opportunity.
Right-wing politicians are doing the exact opposite. They are pitting us against each other (or against a bastardized version of equality or social justice). Politicians are creating the “problem” of groomers and trans-athletes to avoid having to make any real policy decisions. They would rather encourage you to “own the libs” and focus on fancy safe bunkers for classrooms than explain the millions of dollars they receive from lobbyists like the NRA. Or answer to why the gun violence is happening in the first place. By feeding us fallacies and obscuring the truth, they point to imaginary enemies and serve their own self-interests while we look for the boogeyman (in drag). They turn the Left into “radicals” while they usurp power, steal the taxpayer’s money, and inch closer to authoritarian, fascistic state in red America.
How do we heal?
While I’d love to persuade you to vote Democrat, I know that’s a reach. So instead, why don’t we insist on honesty? Think about how honesty helps heal our collective soul. Demand that those in power are held accountable for their actions and stop ripping us off for their immediate gratification.
I suggest we heal the soul of this great nation in the same way I’ve been healing mine in recovery. With compassionate inquiry and patience, we can learn from each other. Accountability and transparency will help keep those in power honest and authentic. We’ve enabled politicians to manipulate for too long. We’ve let them convince us each other is the enemy while they rob us of the very freedom we all cherish. Addiction robbed me of my power, I took it back and reclaimed my life. Politicians are taking the power that is rightfully ours. To heal our nation, we first must return the power to the people.