#1: A Path Forward After the Election...

Dear Friends,

Those of us who thought it unthinkable that Donald Trump could be president of the country we have loved are having a hard time. On day seven of my own personal mourning I have resolved to push away the sorrow and anger and to channel it into purpose and resolve. I have decided to be all about the resurgence we can create together, the steps we can take to shield people from harm, and the ways that we can be a part of a victorious political movement 2 and 4 years from now.

If we start now, we can earn our new President. I plan to glory in the election of November 6, 2020.

We need relentlessness in our actions to parry any unacceptable Presidential steps and to restore liberty and justice in the future. If we let our focus dissipate, we will pay. It seems clear that a lot of us are ready to provide the energy that is needed.

We also need to pick our action steps wisely. Here, humbly are five specific steps Cindy and I plan to take right now. I hope you will do the same and that you will spread the word. If you are willing to hear about new steps now and again until we win this back, let me know and I will send you ideas. Slowly and surely, we and others will secure a newer and better world.

1) Respond to the Greatest New Fear: Support Immigrant Rights
	The campaign promises of the winner have terrified immigrants across the country. An Eastern Washington elementary teacher reported Wednesday morning that three of her students came to school sobbing, expecting immediate deportation. The safety pin effort is a great way to publicly fight back against fear and show support. But, we must go further and be at the front lines with the splendid network of nonprofit immigrant advocacy programs around the country, whose assistance ranges from food, counseling and job assistance to legal representation. These are the places that terrified immigrants are most likely to go and the organizations most intent on generating a valuable zone of protection. Find the program nearest to you, learn what they need right now, and play a role in helping them get it. In our case, it is the small but very good Kitsap Immigrant Assistance Center. On organizing and policy advocacy in Washington State, a great choice is One America.
2) Pick Your First 2018 Candidate or Opponent
	I am sorry, but the 2018 House and Senate elections should be on all of our radar screens earlier than you think you can bear it. The less good news is that there will be fewer vulnerable Republicans running for the Senate in 2018 than there were this time, but Trump's performance may well be so awful that there will be inroads to be made, especially in the House and perhaps in the Senate. The first mid-term election is always difficult for an incumbent party, as it was for the Democrats in 2010 after Barack Obama was elected in 2008. There are 48 Democratic Senators now who can block Trump's worst excesses, which is a good number in a chamber where 40 votes count. The best chances for a Senate seat pickup in 2018 will be defeating Dean Heller in Nevada. who has been lukewarm on Trump but who will be under tremendous pressure to support his agenda. The best way to now to attend to opportunity to pick up this seat is to support the organization most active in securing Latino registration in Nevada, as well as in Colorado, California, Florida, Arizona and Texas, which of course are all key 2020 presidential election states. The Mi Familia Vota Education Fund can accept charitable donations. You can give your family voter registration for Christmas.
3) Learn Something New About Job Generation
	The Comey announcement 10 days before the election may have changed the ultimate outcome by itself, changing votes of women theretofore focused on Trump misogyny. But there were plenty of self inflicted wounds by Democrats. Leading among Democratic weaknesses is articulating what to do about the lack of growth or decline of "family wage" jobs for high school graduates. This issue is what in part drives the carbon impact-denying extraction-promoting Republicans. The Democratic response has been uneven, because their proposed advanced training for the jobs of the future works better for people aged 25 rather than people aged 50. One approach here is for Democrats to better understand and embrace the rebuild America agenda (which generates good construction jobs) while vowing to never use the word "infrastructure", which I swear has never generated as single vote in a swing state. We should all look for the pressure points on this issue. Here's the basic need around which better Democratic ideas must be developed.
4) Revel in the Emergence of the New Democratic Generation
	Unless Michelle Obama!!!! stands for office, the Democratic nominee in 2020 will be someone all new, and will not be Elizabeth Warren or Joe Biden or Tim Kaine. We need to start thinking about these new people and consider our very own selves a part of the nomination process. Go see these people if they come to your state. Research dynamic New Jersey senator Cory Booker, or workhorse New York senator Kristin Gillibrand or former San Antonio mayor Julian Castro. Or think about Michelle Obama again... Cory Booker once saved a woman from a burning building. Of course you know that once Laura Ingraham gets hold of that burning building news, the story will be that Cory Booker actually started the fire, tripped the woman, and ripped out the phones so that the fire department couldn't be called.
5) Make Your Carbon Pledge
	President Trump will have less power or more power depending on the area of public policy. For instance, John McCain, Lindsay Graham and other national security Republicans will work with Democrats to block Trump's impulses on NATO. Trump's tax plan will have less traction than whatever Paul Ryan and House Republicans want as their initial proposal. But Trump has the ability through executive order and executive action to deflate America's fragile role in carbon reduction. Other than federal courts blocking executive orders that overreach, it is difficult to say where the line of defense on climate change is at the federal level. At the state and local and personal level, one part of the line of defense is you. If Trump's actions end up making carbon emissions 10% higher than they would have been, it's time for each of us to figure out how to decrease our carbon impact by at least that same level. So here's your assessment tool.

I will send more in a few weeks for those who would like to hear. If you find this of interest, please feel free to forward it to your friends. If you would prefer not to receive future messages like these, please reply back to me. At this point, we may feel that the greatest danger is that we won't be able to stop thinking about the results of Tuesday, November 8, because the outcome is so far from what we want for ourselves and our country. Over time, the greatest danger is the opposite, that all the battles and wins and losses will take their toll on us, and we will let ourselves turn away from the greatest challenge we face. Let's stay focused and intentional and forward thinking and not let that happen.

David Harrison
Bainbridge Island, Washington