Walking and Fighting Fascist Ideology at the Same Time

Yesterday I saw a post on Threads from someone upset that we are on the precipice of losing our country to fascist ideology that would subject us to an authoritarian regime (I checked with a political scientist to make sure I expressed that correctly) and people are not talking about it. There are occasional stories but it’s not constant front page news like it should be.

I completely agree with this sentiment and it’s all very personal for me: If Trump is re-elected I don’t know if we will be able to live freely in this country. Alex says we will never leave, but I’m not so sure. Trump isn’t my concern as much some of his savvier henchmen. Quite frankly there are some purely evil individuals who are likely to be in positions of great and largely unchecked power.

While the former president is awake at night worrying about his many court cases, I am awake wondering if we will have to flee the country and never see my grandmother again. And not just her, but other family and friends also. If we flee, would my brothers and their families be targeted and punished? I believe there is a high likelihood they would be because that’s how tyrannical regimes work and most Americans have no knowledge or understanding of this because we have never known this on our shores. It’s something that happens over there.

But if I mention this to the cashier at the grocery store like, “Yeah, I’m stocking up for the winter storm while trying to make sure I don’t buy too much because I don’t want to leave a pantry full of food when I have to flee the country if Trump is re-elected and begins his long-promised purge of political enemies,” some might take a few big steps away from me. Even among friends who are sympathetic to our situation I would surely get some raised eyebrows or eyerolls if I asked someone if they think people like Alex will be arrested en masse and detained while awaiting televised show trials or if it’s more likely they will simply disappear. That’s not a joke; I actually think about these things. Much like during the Cold War people made “plans” about what they would do if Russia launched a nuclear weapon, I make “plans” gaming out different possible scenarios if Trump wins.

All these thoughts share space with joyous plans to celebrate big life moments in 2024. My daughter’s 13^th birthday party in February and a celebration for my 50^th the following month! Alex will be publishing another book! We’re finally both settling into professional paths that excite and motivate us. There are so many good and exciting things in our lives right now that I could easily focus entirely on them and yet…

On one hand I don’t want to let a cruel wannabe tyrant steal my joy now and paralyze me from being able to make future plans, but on other hand it would be foolish to ignore the possibility he could win. We must discuss the danger Trump poses so that we can work to prevent it.

I do that by talking to everyone about voting and registering to vote. In Florida we are trying to get reproductive rights on the ballot in November there is a petition to collect signatures for that which I talk about constantly. What’s in my giant mom tote? Petitions, pens, some lip glass and no less than 17 random receipts. When people give me pushback and say it doesn’t matter if we vote or who is elected — many people feel this way, unfortunately — I detail the recent wins we’ve had when people organize against extremism. I make it relatable; we all know democracy is on the ballot but we need to make that relevant to people’s lives. I know that can frustrating – we want everyone to care like we do – but that’s not realistic. Meet people where they are and be that on-ramp for them to get involved. Red Wine & Blue is the organization that produces my podcast the Suburban Women Problem and our expertise is helping women get involved, find their voice, and make a difference.

I have extremists to defeat, laundry to do, rights to secure, a family to love, and a life to enjoy! I am fully committed to all these things (and more!) every day. The antidote to not letting the terrifying prospects of a second Trump presidency lead us to total despair is to get out there and do something to stop it!