We need to act for justice, not success
Our political action cannot be rooted in a political party gaining power, but rather, in imminent action that leads to justice.
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? (Matthew 7:24-26)
The call from Jesus above is about self-sacrifice for the greater good. It is about letting go of our pursuit of wealth and power, and taking up our cross, and following Jesus. This cruciform politics, this cross-shaped politics, is how Christians must engage in the face of Trump. Unfortunately, the pundits offering post-mortems are more set on securing political success and victory than helping the most vunerable.
After a week of grief, I’ve finally delved into the op-eds and punditry that offers a post-mortem on the devastating loss that rendered the Democratic Party out of control of the presidency and both chambers of Congress. Unsurprisingly, every analysis tells us more about the author than the circumstances at hand. Blue-blooded Democrats want to blame the media (and seem to revel in the misfortune that Trump voters will face in light of the election of their preferred candidate—which is another issue and altogether gross). Liberals say that leftists split the party with their concern about Gaza. Leftists say that not focusing on Gaza and working class issues led to the Democratic defeat. Party leaders are blaming Joe Biden for not dropping out sooner, and his campaign for not telling us about their pessimistic internal polling. Personally, I have my own opinions about why the Democrats failed, but I have to admit they are just conjecture at this point. I’d like to blame disinformation. I’d like to blame the neoliberal takeover of the party, after Clinton and Obama. I’d like to offer a solution, a silver bullet, that would ensure fascism never threatens the country again. But I don’t think we can know. I don’t think Trump voters, or even those who stayed at home, can be summarily described in a way that simplistic solutions try to. The electorate, in my mind, is a complicated group of people, and trying to advocate for strategy and policy that might win them over is a fool’s errand. Chances are, they aren’t even paying very close attention to politicians and punditry. Some of them even Googled if Joe Biden had dropped out on Election Day.
In light of the fact that the population cares much less about politics and the media than elected officials and members of the fourth estate would like to believe, my conviction is not to organize action around trying to win power, but rather, on doing justice and working for peace, regardless of its political consequences. Whatever power and capital we have, we need to spend it on making the world a better place. That’s what honest politicians should do, what earnest pundits should do, and what Christian activists need to do. We shouldn’t be vying for power, but rather acting on behalf of the powerless. Our job is not to gain the world, it is not to gain office, but rather to, as the prophet Micah says, do justice, love mercy, and to walk humbly.
Not only is it clear that the plethora of contradictory post-mortems evidence that pundits don’t know what they are talking about, waxing philosophically about what could have worked and what might have worked has limited usefulness in the face of impending injustice. We can’t wait for the next election cycle, and if we do, we are subjecting ourselves to uncontrollable outcomes.
So my call is direct action, instead of speculation. There are three concrete things we can do in the face of Trump and his promise to do his best to bring fascism to the U.S.
Surround yourself with people you trust and take care of each other.
The holidays are coming up soon. Thanksgiving tables will be set for political discussion, I am sure. In families where there is political discord, my advice is to not engage. Just like you won’t convince your vegetarian cousin to eat turkey, I don’t think you’ll convince your MAGA uncle to change his mind either. Political discussions in a polarized time have limited usefulness, and those who are convicted are unlikely to change our minds. Instead, political discourse can often harden our hearts and cause us to dig our heels in. The fight isn’t worth it, and may not comfort you at all.
What’s more, political discourse, especially the kind that keeps us in our heads, may result in the very ineffective punditry that I described above. If we insist on dissecting the results, like we know what the solutions are, we may isolate our allies and recriminate our friends.
Instead of arguments and recriminations, my advice is to care for each other. It’s to listen to one another. It’s to pray for one another. It’s to validate our anger. Hold the space to gently talk and love your devastated neighbors. Care for their souls in this time of grief. Take care of one another and find people who want to care for you that you trust.
If you feel isolated because of your identity or viewpoints in your family system, set the boundaries you need to not get into a painful political discussion. It’s OK to remain silent, walk away, excuse yourself, or not even show up. Find the people that will love you through your grief and anger. Find hope in your solidarity.
Organize for a better future.
As you find your likeminded kin, imagine a better world and act for it. This applies to all of the electorate, politicians, and media people. Do the things you believe will make the world better. Advocate for policies that you believe are effective and advance peace and justice. Don’t try to collect power, rather, dispense of your power and your capital for the sake of the needy.
Whether you care about queer rights, reproductive rights, economic well-being, or the genocide in Gaza, organize with people doing the work. You will not only find comfort, you will feel empowered. Make the world a better place in your political action.
And don’t just focus on the federal level; get involved in local politics and influence local lawmakers with your priorities. The federal government can seem like a Goliath that you can’t slay, but local politics is often much more intimate, and our efforts are indeed more efficacious.
For my part, that means continuing to commit myself to affordable housing. I serve on the Philadelphia Coalition for Affordable Communities, and I will continue the work on our steering committee to making Philadelphia affordable and accessible to everyone. Organizing with PCAC also gives me a sense of solidarity with others. We don’t waste time on intellectual discussions, we unite with our coalition to act for change.
Additionally, I will continue to work for an arms embargo in Gaza, where Israel continues to wage relentless attacks and genocide. I’m grateful for Fridays At Fettermans and Mennonite Action for being my primary hubs of activity. This weekend, I was overjoyed to be working with our Mennonite Action leaders to debrief our year and strategize about our next one. Standing in solidarity in the face of the injustices we face not only feels better, it is more effective than speculative punditry.
Advocate for the most vulnerable.
Perhaps you are not among the people that Trump’s policies will affect more. Maybe you aren’t a person whose reproductive rights will be further stripped. Or a worker whose labor rights will be taken. Or a queer person whose dignity may well be stolen. Or an immigrant who will be deported. Or even a protester, who will be labeled an accomplice of Hamas.
But if you know those people or are approximate to them, advocate for them, spend time with them, listen to them, and do what you can to protect them. We can offer tangible care and support now that lighten their burden and even take away their plight. We can house them, protect them, feed them, and love them.
There are many organizations already doing so, so you needn’t reinvent the wheel; rather, you can work for those organizations or just offer them your money. No amount of money, effort, or love is too little in such a time as this.
Ultimately, we need to advocate for policies and actions that help the most vulnerable. Some pundits will tell you what they feel is the most effective way to defeat Trump in two or four years. But not only do we not have time for that, we just don’t know if their electoral politics will bear fruit. Instead commit yourself to action today. You can make a difference now. Let’s care for each other, organize for a better world, and take action to protect the vulnerable now.