Thank you, Michelle Obama.
Thank you for deciding to stay home on January 20th, for refusing to normalize the election of Donald Trump by attending his inauguration. Thank you for not acknowledging this man who incited insurrection by blocking the peaceful transfer of presidential power. This man who stood by as hordes of his minions called for the execution of his vice president. This man who seems to have no moral compass and who, many of us would argue, ran for president again solely to stay out of prison. Once again, as he has done throughout his life, he has gamed the system and won. We can accept the sad reality of his election, but we do not have to celebrate it. Thank you for modeling how to respectfully make that clear.
Thank you for not bending to the pressure of so-called “duty.” Thank you for not keeping up the charade that we had a peaceful transfer of power this time around, when it’s reasonable to assume that it would not have been so peaceful had the other side prevailed.
Thank you for modeling how a strong woman responds to the cult-like bro energy this man inspires. You know ~ as so many of us know ~ that this election is qualitatively different from any election in our history. We have once again elected ~ albeit by a miniscule percentage ~ a man who nearly toppled our government. This election is different, and our response to it must be different, too.
Full disclosure: I campaigned hard for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. My politics are far to the left of theirs, but I believed they were the right choice for our country. When they lost, I was devastated. I have been devastated by electoral losses before, but this time around, I knew we were in uncharted territory. The first thing that this realization affected was my relationship with two of my nephews who voted for Trump. I love them beyond words. We have a long-standing tradition of discussing anything and everything political. I think they appreciate their leftie-auntie because I listen and take them seriously; and I appreciate them because they are thoughtful, intelligent young men. I do not understand their votes, but I accept them. Were these normal times, our political sparring would have picked up without a beat. Since these are not normal times, I knew I had to proceed differently. I decided to put a moratorium on discussions about the election until six months after Inauguration Day. Both of my nephews have honored this boundary. It exists because I need time to see how this all plays out. I want to use my energy wisely as this administration takes power and attempts to move its agenda forward. This means that for now, I do not have time for speculation and debate; instead, I want to focus on staying engaged locally and responding to any political crises that might arise. In the unlikely scenario that something positive comes out of this mess, I want to be able to affirm that, too.
So on January 20th, I will not be tuning in to the Inauguration. Instead, I will be standing with a small group of committed citizens on a street corner in Tacoma, WA, honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We’ll be holding signs to promote what we stand for, including racial and economic justice, affordable housing and healthcare, peace, civil political discourse, action to address climate change, reproductive and LGBTQ+ rights, and compassionate immigration policy. We will not be raging against, or even referencing, the new president ~ he who has made outrage and distraction into an art form. We simply will not play his game.
We refuse to normalize this election. Thank you, Michelle Obama, for showing us how it’s done.
