“Enemy. Enemy. The word is tugging at a recent memory. Pulling it into the present. The look on Haymitch’s face. ‘Katniss, when you’re in the arena…’ The scowl, the misgiving. ‘What?’ I hear my own voice tighten as I bristle at some unspoken accusation. ‘You just remember who the enemy is.’ Haymitch says. ‘That’s all.’”
“Haymitch’s last words of advice to me. Why would I need reminding? I have always known who the enemy is. Who starves and tortures and kills us in the arena. Who will soon kill everyone I love.”
“My bow drops as his meaning registers. Yes, I know who the enemy is…I let the arrow fly, see it hit its mark and vanish, pulling the thread of gold behind it” (378).”
- The Hunger Games, Catching Fire (by Suzanne Collins)
Tonight, fellow Democrats, we shall watch the Iowa returns. Engage. It’s ok. You’ve been waiting for it! If you’re like me, you’ll be watching all the annoying human interest stuff through gritted teeth — “omg, look how long the lines are!” and “you guys, this confused person here is our next interviewee, and after 3 seconds you’ll see she has no idea how politics work! But she’s choosing tonight! For you!! Ma’am, tell us again why you think what you do?” and so on.
Root for your favorite! Send them good karma. Send them $10! This is a marathon, not a sprint. With new rules, a wide field, a historically unpopular incumbent, a volatile world, and an electorate tuning in at levels never-before-seen this early, tonight means a lot!
But not everything.
And, this thing has been a journey so far, right? If you’re like me, you’ve gone from a casual early-in-the-primary posture of, “you know? I could get on board with almost any of these fine folks! Look at this diversity!” to “well, I’m gravitating towards someone, but you know it’s still just an embarrassment of riches, you guys!” to “fuck that Tulsi Gabbard but basically anyone else would be such a relief amiright?” to “another one’s running? And who dropped out?” to… some reluctant but... persistent... emotional attachment to a particular candidate, even though I know it’s still early. Maybe mine is different from yours. I’m sure we each have our reasons.
But tonight, after the results begin to become clear, before we return to bickering or moaning or celebrating or commiserating, let’s all do four things:
- ONE: take a deep breath. Say it with me: Iowa is still only Iowa. It’s the start of the process, not the end. Like it or not, the Warren campaign is right: beware making too much of what will certainly be “breathless media narratives” out of Iowa. Tuesday will come, we’ll still have a bunch of good candidates running, and an asshole in the White House. That Exciting Campaign Network Music will get your adrenaline up. The Big Charts will wow you. Commentators will rush to tell you What It All Means. Relax. Just step one. And Iowa is not America. It’s just Iowa. Perspective.
- TWO: enjoy this moment. Our country, fucked up as it currently is, is still pretty amazing. And while it’s certainly not unique, the idea that we get to argue and discuss and debate and then argue some more, and then actually, as a group, peacefully try to choose who to lead us is still, in the grand sweeping history of thousands of years of human life on earth, more than worth celebrating. Your ideas are just that — yours. Others have other ideas. Not everyone is operating in good faith. And not everyone knows as much truth as they might. But you don’t know everything, either. Be humble. Life is long. We’re trying our best. This is a good time to be alive. Do not despair.
- THREE: stay engaged and speak your mind. Democrats are ostensibly trying to pick both the best candidate to win the White House and the best next president to govern from it after the election. The two aren’t always in alignment! But you’re allowed to tell your friends, family, internet readers, and anyone else you like who you think it ought to be, and why. Do that! You’re also allowed to say why someone else’s choice is not who it ought to be. And I mean, you can do that, in moderation, with tact — but do yourself a favor and couch the latter in the former. You can tell me why you prefer Coke without calling Pepsi drinkers fuck-ups and douchebags — I know you can. (And if a Pepsi drinker calls you a douchebag, you don’t have to stoop to his level. #BeBest) In any case, whatever happens, do not check out. If your fav loses, you can wallow. For a day or two. Then get back in here. We need you. We need everyone.
- and FOUR: remember who the enemy is. Does this need explanation? The list of reasons to replace our current President is long, and our chance is closer than ever. This part of the process is hard because we’re literally arguing amongst ourselves over who our champion will be. But remember that none of us is the enemy. None of us is Trump, or his sycophants, or his supporters, or his cheerleaders. The time will come to turn up your indignation. Bottle that rage and save it for October. For now, your powder should stay dry.
Friends, all we’re doing now is watching our team members put their names into the Goblet of Fire. Maybe it’ll be someone from your house who is chosen! That’d be sweet! Or maybe another Hogwarts house. How does that stupid goblet even work, anyway?? It’s confusing. But no matter — we know that whoever’s name flies out of it, that person will represent us and should have our support. Way ahead of us lie the actual challenges, the twists and turns, the real contest. And eventually someone has to face down the truly evil, horrific creature the other side is rooting for. That’s where the real drama lies. This is just the preamble. Pace yourself.
Also, a final thought: whatever happens tonight or in the weeks ahead, reject — REJECT — the “Dems in Disarray” narratives. Ignore them! They are meaningless! It’s pointless to even engage. And you don’t need a memory longer than four years to know why. This time four years ago, do you even remember what the GOP was up to? There was Trump, telling one candidate she was ugly, telling another one his dick was too small, telling another one his dad killed JFK — and he still won the primary easily… and then went on to win the White House… and then consolidated power from all of these people! And now has sky-high approval from within his own party. Clearly a political movement, when properly motivated, can quite easily argue among its members during a primary, stoop to comically low levels of discourse and behavior, and still rally months later and achieve unity. So: no missed handshake or questionable booing or poor choice of words among our folks should drive a wedge into our larger movement. Don’t let it. [insert joke here about what the equivalent of these ridiculous insults and jokes from 2016 would be among our mature 2020 candidates]
In short: watch tonight. Have perspective. Be proud. Be patient. Indulge your emotions, for good or ill. But remember the long game. This president cannot be allowed to continue. Our words, deeds, donations, communication, and persistence over the next eight months matter. They really matter. Keep your eyes on the prize. Remember who the enemy is. And may the odds be ever in our favor.