Keep raising the rafters on the ideals of American democracy

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As a fraught, divisive, and violent election came to an end, it was too close to call whether it would be Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump until the dark, predawn hours yesterday. 

And now in the bleak light of morning, it is clear Trump has successfully and even decisively staged a distressing comeback, after a criminal conviction and a call for an insurrection to overthrow the last presidential election. We are all left pondering how he emerged the winner, and how his dark vision for the nation has left us a deeply fractured America. So where do we go from here? 

There is perhaps some solace to find here on the Island, a sense that while we are part of a divided America, we are a community united on the local level. This is not to suggest that the Island is a place to hide from all the world’s troubles. We have to stay engaged and alert, and keep advocating for what we believe in, while also remaining curious and listening to other ideas, and we can do that by relying on the unique spirit of the Island and drawing strength from the unity we share.

Islanders voted nearly 4-1 for Harris and her message that America is a place where immigrants should be given a legal path to citizenship, where a woman’s right to choose should be restored, where the wealthiest in our country should pay their fare share of taxes, where climate change should be recognized for the peril it presents, and solutions to the crisis should be supported through policies that favor renewable energy. We rejected Trump’s seething animosity, his ability to shamelessly lie, his denial of climate science, his contempt for our Constitution, his crass view of a world where winning and making money is all that matters, no matter who gets hurt or left behind in the process. The character of a leader matters, and the Island was strongly united in rejecting Trump’s character. We rightly know that America deserves better than him.

But all of us who believed in Harris, and believed in the unlikely journey that brought her as a Black, multicultural woman to the highest levels of American government, will also have to find a way to reflect on the fact that the other half of America has a very different view. We have to take time to ponder their very different set of priorities, their deep concerns around the economy, their worry about a culture war that has alienated them. We have to do our best to search among those on the other side of this election for the ideas that are valid and that deserve a chance. We all have to find a way to understand how we can accomplish shared goals. It’s time to talk across the divide, and look for ways we can come together. 

Here on our Island, there is a great spirit of unity and community that can help guide us along the way, and we can lean on one another as we go forward. 

If you ever needed proof of the incredible spirit of this Island, it was right there on display this past weekend, at the 30th anniversary of the Barn Raising Ball, under the beautiful post-and-beam structure of the Ag Hall. The building stands as proof of what can be done when people come together with unity and purpose. Under the stars on Saturday night, it seemed a large percentage of the Island was gathering to laugh and mingle in the cool autumn air, to whoop it up on the dance floor to the sounds of Johnny Hoy and the Bluefish, and to enjoy the signature potluck desserts served on banquet tables. 

It was a celebration across the generations of all that is good about this Island and its spirit, and we are all perhaps more aware than ever just how grateful we are to live here, and to be part of this unique, vibrant, diverse, and unbelievably talented Island community. 

We still have to fight for our democracy, and we still have to be sure we challenge America to truly live up to its greatest ideals. It is just comforting to know we can all pull together and share the spirit of that beautiful 19th century tradition that came to be called “a barn raising.” That is when a community comes together and everyone pitches in with whatever they have — carpentry skills, engineering expertise, nails, boards, tools, meals — to raise a barn. 

Let’s keep that spirit alive, and think about how we as a community can help raise the rafters on the ideals of American democracy, even in the face of flawed leadership. 

Let’s roll up our sleeves. There is much work to do. 

 

38 COMMENTS

  1. While I agree with your sentiments I believe we need to leave space for the anger, sadness and, yes, despair many of us feel. We need to acknowledge all of that before sleeve rolling can begin.

    And , he whose name I shall not use, has never been and never will be my president.

    • So much for accepting the results of a free and fair election with an indisputable outcome. Over the last four-ish years, I’ve seen countless folks insist they would never engage in this particular brand of denial. Since Tuesday, many have been doing just that.

      We’re not living in a children’s novel. Trump is not Voldemort. Every mature adult, regardless of party, should be able and willing to say his name. He will be our next president, without exception, just as Biden is our current president, regardless of what we think or how we feel about these men.

      Emotion cannot alter reality. After much talk of preserving democracy, it’s important for us all to honor the concept in practice. That includes fact-based speech.

      • Katie, so good to see the MVTimes truth teller back here again. You’ve been sorely missed. Without being for or against anyone, you prove that maturity and reality rule the day.

        • Hi, Jackie, and thank you for the warm welcome back. I appreciate it more than you know, having been offline for a couple of months due to one emergency after another. Missed a lot and am only slowly starting to catch up. Not the most cheerful of tasks post-election.

          I thought of you—of your dedicated efforts—when Trump promised to end antisemitism on college campuses. A bright spot, I hope, after an exceptionally bleak year.

          Sadly, I thought of you again when I heard about Amsterdam. 😣 I’ve run out of ways to express how sorry I am that this hatred, this targeted, dehumanizing violence, still exists in a world that otherwise preaches tolerance. Know you’ll always have my support. ❤️

          One day the tides will turn towards fairness and peace. Towards actual inclusion for the Jewish community. I have to believe that is possible, though it doesn’t make up for the suffering, past and present. If the new administration can do anything to hasten the process of weeding out terrorism, I’m all for it.

      • Katie, Trump is in the process of destroying our country. (The bond markets have already responded to Trump’s desire for massive spending. The Department of Education is being dismantled as we speak. )
        Voldemort is an apt name for Trump.
        Mussolini also fits.

      • Katie– I have not seen anyone stating that the election was rigged and
        that Kamala won. Could you show us some examples of that ?
        Is there a single comment on this publication that
        says Kakals won ? I am quite willing to say trump’s name–
        either before or after words such as fascist, misogynist,
        garbage, maggot, liar, wanna be dick tater etc.
        Yeah– he actually won this time, in
        a free and fair election.
        Check out Jim Jordan trying to evade the question if the
        election was free of any cheating. Certainly if trump had
        lost, he would be right out there
        with investigations and denials. That says a lot.
        By the way, I really like the idea that is being floated that Joe
        resign so that Kamala could be the first female president.
        He should do it, if for no other reason that trump has
        said, we won’t have to vote again. I doubt he can pull
        that wet dream off, but his supporters are pretty far out there—
        so this could be our last chance.

        • “Say his name? You mean the same way MAGA referred to President Biden as Brandon?”

          That started with Trump supporters, yes. Then Biden’s team leaned into the Dark Brandon persona as part of his campaign. Suppose it became a bipartisan joke at that point. A rarity nowadays.

          I’ve always called him Joe Biden. I’m boring.

    • Susan,
      You think I voted for Hitler.
      Why should I want to ever have a constructive conversation on public affairs with you again.
      That’s something YOU need to work on.
      Move on.

      • If you voted for trump, you didn’t actually vote for Hitler but you voted for a man who has admitted many times he admires Hitler and has also said on numerous occasions that Hitler wasn’t all bad and had some good ideas.

      • Bill, the people who voted for Hitler: do you think any of them regretted it?

        Why did ordinary people vote for Hitler? First, the Germans were experiencing runaway inflation and Hitler promised them relief. Still, Hitler didn’t have the support of everyone and neither does Trump.
        Hitler blamed the Jews and minorities. Remind me who Trump is wrongly blaming for a bad economy (even though we are experiencing one of the best economic times ever).

        US inflation has been low for awhile, around 2.5%. But Trump and other republican politicians and conservative media lied and said our economy was terrible. It’s so terrible that parking lots of stores are packed and people fight for a parking spot. Americans can’t spend fast enough. During Biden’s presidency Americans have gone on more vacations than ever, including up 24% from last year. Trump lied.
        Americans are eating out more than ever before: the Food Away From Home (FAFH) reached 55.7% in 2023, the highest it has ever been. Trump lied.

        • “Why did ordinary people vote for Hitler?”

          Mary, ordinary people voted for Hitler the same way ordinary Palestinians voted for Hamas.

          The same way ordinary American liberals use antisemitic slurs and never talk about the American schools allowing for the harassment, threats, and violence against Jewish students and teachers. That, you see, is how it happened in 1930’s Germany and Europe. That is how it is now happening here in America and too much of the world.

          Jews exist, Mary. They have been scapegoats for thousands of years. THAT is how it happens. Ignorance or silence on the matter is no excuse for it.

      • Bill –Susan didn’t say you voted for hitler.
        And you claim you know what she thinks.
        I’ll say you didn’t vote for hitler, he’s dead after all.
        But, I think you would have voted for him if he were
        on the ballot.I know what you think, just as well as you know
        what Susan thinks, i think…
        But you did vote for the guy who
        most closely resembles him and his rhetoric, after all.
        Kamala certainly never said that foreigners were
        “poisoning our blood” . I wonder where trump got that line from ?

  2. Wow! I thought the MV Times was bias before. That was nothing compared to this tirade of distortion and alarmism.

    Let’s compare notes in two years and see if the country is happier, more united and more prosperous than it is right now. Also, let’s compare how much more peaceful the world is at that time.

    • Toni,
      1-Trump’s planned tariffs will be the biggest de facto tax increases our country has ever seen (which will make prices skyrocket). Hitler promised the exact same promises as Trump. Or did Trump make the same promises as Hitler? And Mussolini?
      2-when Trump pulls out of NATO Europe may fall to Russia (Russia kills journalists)—that is war Trump is making (remember his rally cry? Fight! Fight! Fight! Did you really think that hiring a fighter would create peace?
      3-when we have mass deportations 2 unexpected results will be a crisis in our work sector (not enough workers) which will make prices skyrocket, and a humanitarian crisis (families will be torn apart)
      Trump is a complete, No thank you.

      • Mary, where do you get your information? You do know Biden kept the tariffs and increased some.
        And how is Kamala doing her part calling for her side to fight, fight, fight? She mentioned fighting near 20 times in her concession speech. Is fighting for your cause different from fighting for our cause?
        Trump is for mass deportation as are 70 percent of your fellow citizens. If we need people to fill jobs, as you say, they can come through the front door, with sponsors so they won’t be a burden on tax payers.
        And I voted for Trump so you can thank me as we have already seen the positive results both here and across the globe. You’re welcome!

    • KMurphy, there is one thing this article missed: white supremacy is active in the United States and other countries around the world (Le Pen in France, for instance). Since most white supremacist organizations are private, it’s difficult to see how many people belong. We can see the evidence of the power they have by the results they leave behind: flying flags of white supremacist symbols, using WS hand gestures (many right-wing individuals, including Roger Stone, one of Trump’s inner circle, for example), or being sued in court and found liable for discriminatory behavior (Trump is an example).
      Americans cannot condone racist behavior. We must root out racism once and for all.

      • Richard Spenser, a leading and outspoken white supremacist, endorsed Harris 6 days before the election, calling her “a competent leader”, and abandoning Trump. Do you enjoy agreeing with white supremacists? Jew haters know where they’re welcome. Hello, Democrats. Why would you want to be part of a group that protects the harboring of antisemites and racists both? Jews are not safe in this country, or anywhere. Have you seen what’s happening in Amsterdam? Israeli planes are flying in to rescue the team and take home the injured. This is why we need an Israel, a place with people not even on your radar, a hated You your party falsely says is committing genocide for protecting itself. And liberals are worried about Trump being Hitler while you stand by in silence over violent attacks and killings against Jews right here in America, attacks that officials can’t seem to call hate crimes— even when the perpetrator is screaming, “dirty Jew” as he attacks. Liberals are now scared and angry and hysterical and exaggerating. You cry about how worried you are for the idiots who were too stupid not to vote Harris. Have I got that right, Mary? I see people saying how worried they are for what’s going to happen to middle Americans and their pocketbooks, while raging at them for voting “fascist”. Did Biden/Harris fix somebody’s purse that I don’t know about? Was it like a Hermes bag like the one Mrs Sinwar wore so fashionably in the Rafah tunnels? So much isolated compassion! Cannot condone racism but Jew hatred is fine and dandy… to liberal hypocrites.

        • Jackie, what’s your feeling about Mike Huckabee, evangelistic Christian, being appointed ambassador to Israel?

  3. Interesting that this introspection is happening now, though i guess better late than never. Why would anyone on the right wish to have discussions, after spewing hatred for anyone who voted for Trump? For years mind you. Keep up that heavy introspection and perhaps some day we can talk. But for now, I’m not interested

    • KMurphy, introspection is not needed. The republican party machine has been telling increasingly big lies, year after year, the lies get bigger, for 70 years. Hitler told big lies.
      One of the lies that Joe Rogan told was that we (American astronauts) never walked on the moon. I sat at a table with three people who said the US doesn’t have the technology to land on the moon 🌚. I have personally met two men who walked on the moon 🌚.
      Alex Jones lied about the children and teachers who died at Sandy Hook. He said they were actors and no one died. I’m acquainted with one of the mothers who lost a daughter. Alex Jones was ordered by the court to pay about one billion dollars for the lies he told. Alex Jones has and is trying to shelter his billions of dollars so he won’t have to pay. He isn’t even man enough to pay his own bills.
      Until the republicans own up to this mess and put an end to the lies, our country will continue to spin out of control and eventually our democracy will die.

      • Alex Jones is a bad man, a very, very bad man. What else ya got? Your story about how a middle aged woman, with nothing more than a high school diploma supposedly giving you her Trump-supporting reasons you did not like, is why Harris lost. Do you know why truly unlikable Dems gave themselves the reputation for elitism? Did you think that the elitist, liberal, utterly insane idea of who could most likely appeal to middle America (Tim Walz, lol) would win over even a single red vote? JD Vance, a guy I seriously dislike, wiped the floor with Walz. The wrong idea that Trump voters, more than half the nation, are too stupid, came back to bite you. Who’s looking not too smart now?

        Look in the mirror. The enemy of the democrats are the democrats. This is a self-inflicted wound.

        “Unless the Republicans own up to this mess…”. Mary. Come on.

        “If I see frothing maggots with their head in the sand, I will use that metaphor to describe them.” ~an island liberal

        This is how and why more than half of American voters voted out democrats’ lies and haughty, often antisemitic, elitism. Decent people, including many decent people who never before voted R, are sick of it. Stupid is as stupid does.

        That’s it in a nutshell. Your ideals are out of touch. And they’re hypocritical. And anytime some liberal dares scream the “how can you vote for a sex abuser” outrage, they show their antisemitism.

        Tim Walz. Seriously. 😐

        Move on. Patience for wailing liberals has passed the expiration date.

      • Mary,
        To paraphrase Scott Adams, what I learned from this election is that when you tell voters your candidate is running against Hitler, the strategy only works when that candidate appears to be a better option than Hitler.

  4. This editorial must have been written by someone who is clearly delusional! The country has moved beyond the hatred spewed by the Democrats and embraced our democratic process wholeheartedly. We’ve moved beyond the Liberal lies and misinformation. We’re done with the Left’s doom and gloom scenarios. Despite calling more than half the voters “garbage” we are heading towards a truly inclusive environment where we all prosper. You can choose to remain smug and hateful or join the majority of Americans who are thrilled and looking forward to a bright new future!

    • I’m firmly entrenched in the middle between the two parties, and yes, the far left spews plenty of lies. But if you don’t see, or won’t admit, the far right spews just as many lies, you’re just as delusional as whoever wrote this article. And if you think trump is going to actually do anything to help the lower classes in the long run, you are sadly mistaken. They’ll be some short term tax breaks for the lower classes, but the only long term breaks will be for the rich. Same as it’s been since Reagan invented trickle down economics. Which has been proven numerous times to not actually work.

      • Mary, clearly you don’t know what it’s like to have children or grandchildren in college, teachers and students, who are taunted and threatened and blocked from campus for the crime of being Jewish. The fact-based Republican ability to stand by our greatest ally and against antisemitic liberals is paving the way to a brighter future against bigotry. And this is before Inauguration Day. Your hysteria about what will happen is not reality-based. Your hysteria ignores what IS happening, right here in America, as we speak.

  5. We are a 4-1 island. This piece reflects that and yet reaches out to the 1. You are much more generous than I feel right now, but if we are going to survive going forward we have to forgive those who gave this horror to us. I am not ready for that, but thank you for starting that process.

    • Vicki, we need to take a stand against the lies the republican party machine has been telling. Forgiving is not in the process at the moment. Saving our democracy is going to take much push-back and work by the people willing to stand up for the truth.
      Forgiveness can come later—we need every ounce of energy to create an honest world—now.

    • Vicki we are not asking for forgiveness for this ”horror” we voted for. We are ecstatic that He swept the country and look forward to his corrections. You folks still think it is racism and misogyny instead of acknowledging it is wokeism and immigration. Once you get it right and appoint a real grown up you have a chance to return. However if you keep up identity politics you will fail.

  6. Maybe after a few antisemitic hypocrites list all trump’s terrible behaviors, some of it criminal, for another, what, 10 gazillion times, you can move on? Really, we need more lists of how many women he assaulted, some Stormy tales, his John Barron antics, his bromance with N Korea and Russia, his stiffing contractors, and, oy, those dance moves! Wasn’t there an elevator ride that needs to be described another 100 times? More liberal left lists, that’s what will help set this topsy-turvy world aright. You’ll get it out of your systems once and for all and concentrate on who the worthy dem leaders are you can honestly get behind. AOC perhaps? Elmer Fudd? Really, everyone who didn’t vote your way needs to be reminded over and over of who DJT is. We poor fools just didn’t know any of it.

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