Feverish Thoughts About the Election
100 words for 100 days — Day 8
My heart is a little heavy as I sit down to write today’s 100 words.
Today was the 2022 Midterm Elections.
Returning to Georgia from a wild bachelorette party in NOLA over the weekend, I woke up today feeling like my body had been trampled by a freight train.
No, it wasn’t the tequila. I wish I were that cool.
A nasty sinus infection was spreading in our group of girls and I unfortunately happened to catch the bug near the tail end of the trip.
So, here I am, typing today’s entry while sniffling, stuffy, and fighting a fever.
And yet, I still pulled myself out of bed, and dragged my battered body to the voting station. Because no matter how high my fever, how sore my throat, or how stuffy my sinuses, I will always, always vote. (FYI — I wore a mask so that others wouldn’t get sick).
And while my head continued to pound mercilessly, I couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of satisfaction as I collected my “I voted” sticker. I left the polls feeling hopeful.
Unfortunately, as of earlier this hour, I found out that Stacy Abrams had lost to Brian Kemp. Thus, the heaviness in my heart.
She’s a good woman. A woman who has fought for so many. A woman who has served as a voice for the voiceless. A woman who is the reason Georgia turned blue last election. If it were not for her fighting the voting repression strategies currently placed, so many would not have been able to cast their votes. She made it possible.
She’s a good woman. She cares so, so deeply. Anyone can see that.
As naive and childish as it sounds, my hurt aches because a good woman lost to a bad man. I know, I know, it’s not that black and white…heh.
But, it led to an interesting conversation between myself and a friend. Perhaps, it’s high-time to stop playing good vs bad. Perhaps, it’s time to stop chasing this so-called fantastical, moral high-ground. Maybe, the only way to beat the miscreants is to throw their game right back at them.
Because, as much as I disagree with many conservatives, I cannot deny that they do get shit done. Their methods are arguably amoral, but they check off their agenda boxes successfully.
Perhaps it’s the parade of emotions associated with the elections. Perhaps it’s my fever and sinuses. But maybe, I wonder, what would it be like to have a liberal candidate who didn’t play it safe. A candidate who gave the conservatives his or her middle finger and then some. As much as my heart hurts, it’s high time we got someone who can “bully” back.
