In 4 days, on December 19, the Electoral College will vote, choosing the next president of the United States.
Clearly President-Elect Donald Trump has broken his campaign promise to “drain the swamp”. Instead has filled his cabinet with three men from Goldman Sachs and appointed people to head agencies who are on record saying those agencies should not exist. Most of us are recoiling in horror to realize Trump’s presidency would do tremendous harm to our climate, democracy, economic equality, social and racial justice, LGBTQ rights, women’s rights, freedom of speech, our standing in the world, and on and on… It would be a country that functioned even more to serve the elite 1% and create greater suffering for everyone else. It would not be a country that we want to live in, nor want to pass on to our next generations.
But there is a glimmer of hope… The Electoral College makes the final decision … in 4 days. There is a huge effort underway to convince at least 37 Republican electors to not vote for Trump. According to Lawrence Lessig, a Harvard University constitutional law professor, there are 20 Republican members of the Electoral College who are considering voting against Donald Trump. I know it’s a long shot, and it is an unprecedented possibility … however, we are in an unprecedented situation.
You can get involved!
Make Democracy Matter has set up a map of the electors in each state. Click on any red state to get a list of the Republican electors in that state; click on the elector and you have the option of calling or emailing them to request that they NOT vote for Trump.
Law professor Geoffrey R. Stone argues persuasively that voting against Trump under these circumstances is faithful to our nation’s founding principles: it is the courageous, patriotic thing for electors to do. Also by the latest count, Trump lost the popular vote by over 2.5 million votes.
If ever there was a time for us to take action, to move out of our comfort zone and make a few calls (or emails, although calls have been shown to be more effective), to take a stand for what in our heart we know is right, to believe in the power of the people, to hope for a miracle and take action on it … THIS IS IT!!
Let’s tap our Inner Warrior to get active and stay active … to fight for the country and the values that we believe in!
It’s also good to remember, as this great organization Climate Mobilization states:
“Whatever happens on December 19, there is no substitute for building an unprecedented mass movement to protect American democracy, secure fundamental human rights for everyone, and restore a safe climate through a WWII-scale mobilization. We remain firmly committed to that mission, and will keep mobilizing and organizing to build it in the coming weeks, months, and years.”
Go to the Save Democracy website and click on your state to learn about protests in your state capital on December 19. Sign up and attend! Make history!