The Election is Over. What’s Next?

The focus of the day will be on the postmortem of the 2016 election, but my day started a little differently. There is nothing more heartbreaking than seeing people you love devastated to the point of tears. To know that there is nothing you can do to make them feel better, only makes it worse.

I assume my closest friends are asking the same questions I am. What does this mean? How did this happen? What does this change?

Pundits and the heartbroken with pass a baton that blames some group. I challenge you to fight that instinct. People will demonize and divide our communities. This is the time for us to rally, regardless of party, and build our vision for the future and we need to do this together.

Before I get too deep into my next steps, let me say, you need to do what is best for you. It is okay not to be okay. It is fine to be choked up or moved by the emotions of others. It is okay to be reserved or despondent. It okay to ask questions. There is no talk of sucking it up, rubbing some dirt on it, or anything else. One of my favorite phrases is, “you do you.” A dear friend takes it as indifference. Far from it. This is about you doing what is best for you. Today that is all anyone can ask of us.

What’s Next?

Find solace in your tribe. Find the people that understand you best. Your family. Your office. The safe space that you can be raw and process how you are feeling and why.

Break out of your tribe. Isolationism is comfortable. We make change together and not separately. Find groups. Work together. Make a difference.

Watch your words. Michelle Obama famously said, “when they go low, we go high”. No truer words have been said and truth does not change based on outcomes. Fight the temptation to blame shift or fight fire with fire. No one person or group gets 100% of the credit or the blame. Once you go low, it is much harder to unite.

Find your north star. Be inspired. Work towards that inspiration and keep that focus. Are you inspired by voter engagement? Do that. What are your goals? If you figure that piece out, outcomes like an election only reinforce your work or give you clarity to refine your tactics.

Never deviate. You want to work on making a widget, selling a widget, or inspiring people to use a widget, then why would you do anything else? Do not over simplify this. We all need a rest and we all need to think of the long game. When I say stay the course, I mean don’t be distracted by the noise in your life. If you care about workforce development, don’t be distracted on voter registration. If you care about voter registration, do not be distracted by transportation unless that is a tactic or coalition to achieve your north star.

Never stop. You will win some and you will lose some. Change is exhausting and breaks are necessary. If you quit the team or leave your movement, all that training, experience, and passion leaves with you. Please keep your fight alive.

Never go it alone. Nobody wins by themselves. Bring people together.

Inspire. Passion and authenticity cannot be replicated. Share your story. Build a movement for the long haul and organize yourself out of a job.

Remembering my greatest loss

The most devastating campaign I have ever lost was Proposition 2 in Texas. It was a race that defined what love is and eliminate the right for couples to marry in the state of Texas.

That was the first race that a loss (nearly 75% voted against us), meant people were directly affected. I thought of the faces of the people I met in San Antonio, Abilene, Waco, Houston, and so many other places. Telling them that Texas voted against them was the hardest thing I had to do. It was personal for them and it was personal for me.

That was 2005. Less than a decade later, marriage equality is the law of the land because good people never gave up.

I never want to see the people I care about cry. I am not sure what my north star is right now. I do know one thing, I am not done working to be the best version of myself and I am not done fighting for the best version of Austin, Texas, America, or the world.