Action 223 – What can we do now?
Background: We started these Action Items in December of 2024, when we had hopes that Susan Collins, Angus King and Jared Golden would listen to us. Time has proven that Angus King is largely allied with our values and doesn’t need a lot of convincing, Jared Golden has been a huge disappointment and anyway is a lame duck, and imploring Susan Collins to do the right thing is a useless exercise because she and her staff have proven to be duplicitous. If you have been paying even a modest amount of attention, you know that it is imperative that we overwhelmingly defeat the MAGA/Trump/Authoritarian/Fascist regime this November. Look, Hungary did it. We can too.
Here is a quote from a woman living in Hungary about HOW they did it: well, specifically, how Péter Magyar, their leader, was able to galvanize the population to get to the polls and make the right choice:
"He also did something that sounds simple and is extraordinarily hard: he showed up. Over two years, he visited more than 700 settlements, some of them six times. Exhausting just to watch: the energy he put into it was extraordinary. He went to places the opposition had never reached, and talked to people who had never heard an alternative from someone standing in front of them, looking them in the eye. You cannot fact-check someone out of a worldview. But presence, over time, creates the conditions where doubt becomes possible. That is slower and less satisfying than a viral moment. It is also what actually works.” (From Zsofi in her blog "Life Eventually" quoted by Martin McSweeny in Truth Matters.)
Note her phrase “You cannot fact-check someone out of a worldview”. I believe she is saying that all the analysis, all the charts and the experts explaining conclusively how our current regime is corrupt to the point of insanity, will not move the ignorant and gullible out of their stubborn position – they only listen to Fox and read rightwing screeds, if they read anything. What we must do is use the power of our own empathy and conviction to convince the persuadable voters to go to the polls and vote, in overwhelming numbers. We need to quit “doomscrolling” and get out there.
Action: We can all be mini-Magyars! Ask your local Dem leadership to come up with a specific plan for knocking on doors and talking to people about why elections matter and what’s at stake. Volunteer to BE one of the people going door to door, “canvassing”. Initially, you might want to tag along with someone experienced as you develop your skill and confidence. If your town Dems feel a need for some formal training, request it from the Hancock County Dem Committee. (Contact chair@hancockdems.org ). There are people nearby, willing to come to your local meeting to explain “how-to” and to answer questions. It’s not rocket science. You just have to care enough about your country’s future to give it a try.
Contact: your local Dem committee. If you don’t already know your contact person, send an email to jkschelling@gmail.com
Urgency: Absentee Voting starts May 11 (Monday), assuming your town clerk receives ballots by that date. The primary election is June 9. The time to start canvassing is NOW, continuing through November 3. We can do this! In the word of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, “ENGAGE”.