I'm
not going to any events or rallies or marches this weekend. I wish all
the best to those who do, and the headlines might be worth the effort
unlike some other recent efforts. It may provide a needed catharsis for a
lot of people.
I have found myself retreating into a smaller and smaller world since the election. The Democratic infighting which never really stopped after the convention has continued, with a battle to be fought over state chair Saturday. I feel constrained from speaking my mind both because of my better judgement about making it worse - I'm still writing, just not publishing - and because of some of the over-reactions I see.
All I'll say is that yes, there is value in new people and new ways... but there is also value in experience. Experience is what I have to offer, if that's still welcome. With all the "take over" and "throw the Establishment out" talk right now, I don't know if experience IS welcome. (And I'm still dumbfounded at the idea that someone as odd as me is part of any "establishment.")
What and how I do things the next couple of years depends on who emerges from these internal fights and how people get along after those decisions. I don't want to spend a lot of time with people who don't get me or don't like me, and I don't want to sit in long meetings full of tension. I have found over long experience that I work best alone, anyway.
The best use of my energy is to do what I do best, and that's not struggling through interpersonal challenges. I'm much better at digging into numbers and data, and maybe writing about it.
There are so many battles to fight right now, with a new outrage erupting faster than I can catch up my Twitter feed. Every issue is important, but I'm focused on what I know which is the election law that, two weeks after it was announced, we still haven't seen.
So I'll be at home this weekend. I'll hang out with my family and my pets. I'll watch my team win, I hope.
And at some point I'll start working on updating my fundraising lists. For me, that's the best way to fight back right now.
I have found myself retreating into a smaller and smaller world since the election. The Democratic infighting which never really stopped after the convention has continued, with a battle to be fought over state chair Saturday. I feel constrained from speaking my mind both because of my better judgement about making it worse - I'm still writing, just not publishing - and because of some of the over-reactions I see.
All I'll say is that yes, there is value in new people and new ways... but there is also value in experience. Experience is what I have to offer, if that's still welcome. With all the "take over" and "throw the Establishment out" talk right now, I don't know if experience IS welcome. (And I'm still dumbfounded at the idea that someone as odd as me is part of any "establishment.")
What and how I do things the next couple of years depends on who emerges from these internal fights and how people get along after those decisions. I don't want to spend a lot of time with people who don't get me or don't like me, and I don't want to sit in long meetings full of tension. I have found over long experience that I work best alone, anyway.
The best use of my energy is to do what I do best, and that's not struggling through interpersonal challenges. I'm much better at digging into numbers and data, and maybe writing about it.
There are so many battles to fight right now, with a new outrage erupting faster than I can catch up my Twitter feed. Every issue is important, but I'm focused on what I know which is the election law that, two weeks after it was announced, we still haven't seen.
So I'll be at home this weekend. I'll hang out with my family and my pets. I'll watch my team win, I hope.
And at some point I'll start working on updating my fundraising lists. For me, that's the best way to fight back right now.
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