By Mark Bauer
We’ll keep this short and sweet because there are likely some fixins that need tended to ahead of Thursday’s Thanksgiving feast. Before that tho we want to take a moment to address the turkey in the room: There’s a lot of anger in politics today.
Open up Twitter and you’re bound to find some sort of grievance trending for the day, and you’ll find a slew of eggheads and blue checkmarks chiming in on their position, increasing anxieties all the more.
It doesn’t have to be that way, though. Anger and fear are indications that something has gone awry. What does that say about our political system, then? Foremost, it points to an electoral system that promotes partisanship and polarization. We at Rank the Vote and hundreds of volunteers are mobilizing to get rank choice voting on ballots across the country because we believe a ranked choice voting system will disrupt that polarization.
In the meantime, we don’t want our joy and peace to be robbed in the face of adversity, so we’re taking inventory of the things we’re grateful for to stave off some of the anger. As Tony Robbins says, the antidote to fear and anger is gratitude as fear and gratitude are unable to occupy the same space.
Here are some of the things we’re thankful for at RTV:
Nathan Lockwood, executive director:
– vaccines are working well and we may make our way out of the pandemic
– my children have jobs and are growing up fast
– Disney is about to release three Star Wars series I could have only dreamed about as a kid
Dan Sally, digital strategy council:
As I’ve learned more about American Democracy, I’ve become more grateful for how resilient our system is. While we’ve had a pandemic, a contested presidential election, and social upheaval, our democratic institutions have persevered – much of the credit being due to the fact power isn’t concentrated in one branch or office.
While the need for change is urgent and the stakes higher than ever, I’m thankful that, despite the headlines, Americans are still committed to democratic values and our institutions have weathered the storm.
You’ve heard from us! Now what are you grateful for? Leave it in the comments!
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Mark Bauer is a producer, entrepreneur, day trader and former Independent candidate for Congress in Texas. Previously he spent 10 years as a legal journalist covering the legal market in Texas and regulatory issues in Washington DC. Mark’s primary interests involve using content and storytelling to help different groups of people better understand one another.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Rank the Vote, its members, supporters, funders, or affiliates.