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{"id":733,"date":"2024-11-11T12:31:44","date_gmt":"2024-11-11T12:31:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/doomscrolling-about-the-election-do-this-instead\/"},"modified":"2024-11-11T13:39:31","modified_gmt":"2024-11-11T13:39:31","slug":"doomscrolling-about-the-election-do-this-instead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/doomscrolling-about-the-election-do-this-instead\/","title":{"rendered":"Doomscrolling about the election? Do this instead."},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p class>\u201cDo you think <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msnbc.com\/deadline-white-house\/watch\/-beyond-belief-that-trump-could-take-this-stance-fears-grow-over-trump-s-infatuation-with-hitler-222605893690\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Donald Trump<\/a> is going to win?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class>For months I\u2019ve been asked this question nearly every day by friends, family, neighbors, acquaintances at parties, and readers. My response is always the same: \u201cI don\u2019t know: All the data indicates this is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/2024-election\/uncertainty-reigns-election-closer-ever-seen-rcna175326\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">coin-toss election.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n<p class>After such a dramatic roller coaster of an election season \u2014 Trump surviving assassination attempts; President Joe Biden dropping out; Vice President Harris stepping in and surpassing Trump in the polls; and Trump closing the gap with Harris in these final weeks \u2014 it\u2019s understandable that people are curious about what supposed political experts think will happen next.<\/p>\n<p>If you fear a crisis for the republic brought on by Trump\u2019s return to office, then the crisis is already here. <\/p>\n<p class>But the tone \u2014 and frequency \u2014 with which I hear the question suggests something more than just curiosity. It betrays anxiety. The manic attention paid to the polls isn\u2019t just about how close the race is, but how high stakes it is. Many liberals and conservatives are addicted to watching minute-by-minute analysis of battleground surveys in an attempt to get a sense of how much they should emotionally prepare themselves for a possible Trump victory.I\u2019m happy to report there is a remedy for this feeling: step away from the ghastly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/2018\/11\/6\/18068700\/midterm-elections-results-predictions-needle\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">election needles<\/a> and get more involved in the political process.<\/p>\n<p class>Polls are important tools for democracy, but the popular culture surrounding polling can undermine democracy. It\u2019s important for citizens to understand each other\u2019s attitudes and how they change over time. But incessant tracking of who\u2019s up and who\u2019s down and microanalysis of demographic shifts can transfix people in unhealthy ways. Democracy becomes gamified, and many of those who consider themselves politically engaged become passive spectators.<\/p>\n<p class>The reality is that the polls have long told us what we needed to know: this election is so close, there is no way to responsibly predict its outcome. From the vantage point of a citizen, everything else is noise. This will likely be, even more so than other recent elections, a race <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/2024-election\/different-turnout-models-change-nbc-news-poll-results-rcna175096\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">determined by turnout.<\/a>If you fear a crisis for the republic brought on by Trump\u2019s return to office, then the crisis is already here. A man whose former colleagues <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msnbc.com\/rachel-maddow-show\/maddowblog\/trumps-former-pentagon-chief-suggests-trump-earned-fascist-label-rcna177032\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">describe as a fascist<\/a> is within striking distance of winning back the White House. The high plausibility of his success \u2014 propped up by the conviction of tens of millions of supporters \u2014 provides a lot support to the argument that democracy is losing.<\/p>\n<p class>It is imperative, then, to find a way to win that argument. No, not on social media. But on the ground in communities where votes are going to matter most. There are doors to be knocked, fellow citizens to be listened to and talked to. There\u2019s no shortage of ways to participate in organized democratic efforts beyond just casting a ballot. Anyone who means what they say about fearing what could happen come Election Day should view voting as woefully insufficient for the challenge at hand.<\/p>\n<p class>This is true beyond just this election \u2014 and true regardless of how this election turns out. It is crucial for people who care about freedom from tyranny, economic exploitation and ecological catastrophe to unlearn the culture of hyperindividualism and political helplessness that prevails in capitalist democracies. In America, people predominantly see themselves as isolated individuals observing the political class, segments of which they periodically vote in and out of office in mostly binary contests. Many people confuse <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/2020\/3\/11\/21172064\/politics-is-for-power-eitan-hersh-the-ezra-klein-show\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">political hobbyism<\/a> with political engagement, and let economic elites and their allies stack the deck when it comes to the vast majority of policy decisions.<\/p>\n<p class>There is an alternative. Think outside of the strict confines of a voting booth. Allow your fear and your hopes to move you. Liberals would be wise to look to their left in thinking about what it takes to fight plutocrats and right-wing demagogues who scapegoat the most marginalized among us. Form popular power by working in concert with co-workers, neighbors, friends and other groups with shared interests to build institutions that harness the will of the people outside the two major parties. These networks are critical for the long-run project of expanding multicultural democracy and economic freedom. And they can also mobilize in defense of whatever flawed version of democracy that currently exists.<\/p>\n<p>What I notice among people who spend time on activism is that they sound more optimistic. This isn\u2019t to say that they don\u2019t experience anxiety about the future, or that they\u2019re naive about the daunting odds that the left faces. A lot of them are exhausted. But putting in work gives people pride, grit and agency. It allows people to see firsthand what it takes to build mass power \u2014 and how doable it is if enough people get on board. It certainly beats watching a horror movie unfold on a screen.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-activity-map=\"expanded-byline-article-bottom\">\n<div data-testid=\"byline-thumbnail\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.msnbc.com\/author\/zeeshan-aleem-ncpn1235332\"><picture data-testid=\"picture\"><source media=\"(min-width: 320px)\" ><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_focal-60x60,f_auto,q_auto:best\/newscms\/2021_37\/3506325\/zeeshan-aleem-msnbc.png\" alt height=\"48\" width=\"48\"><\/picture><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span data-testid=\"byline-name\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.msnbc.com\/author\/zeeshan-aleem-ncpn1235332\">Zeeshan Aleem<\/a><\/span><span><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ZeeshanAleem\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Zeeshan Aleem is a writer and editor for BLN Daily. Previously, he worked at Vox, HuffPost and Blue Light News, and he has also been published in, among other places, The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Nation, and The Intercept. You can sign up for his free politics newsletter <a href=\"http:\/\/zeeshanaleem.substack.com\/subscribe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.msnbc.com\/opinion\/msnbc-opinion\/trump-kamala-harris-polls-win-election-anxiety-rcna176927\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cDo you think Donald Trump is going to win?\u201d For months I\u2019ve been asked this question nearly every day by friends, family, neighbors, acquaintances at parties, and readers. My response is always the same: \u201cI don\u2019t know: All the data indicates this is a coin-toss election.\u201d After such a dramatic roller coaster of an election [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":734,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","category-trump"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/733","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=733"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/733\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":917,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/733\/revisions\/917"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/734"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=733"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}