I spent two days in Reno last week walking precincts with members of the Culinary Local 225, the union that represents workers in the hotels and casinos. They are the most politically powerful union in the state and strongly behind Harris.
I probably knocked on 150 doors. It was during the week and most people weren’t home. Of the ones who were home it was about a 50/50 split between Harris and Trump. Maybe there were slightly more for Trump because some of the people who were “undecided” were actually for Trump but didn’t want to discuss it with me. I could tell.
Three of the Trumpers replied using the exact same words: “Harris doesn’t reflect my values.” I think they’d been taught to say that. They all said it in the same monotone as if they’d rehearsed it. It had a churchy feel to it.
I’ve walked precincts and knocked on doors every national election since the eighties. It’s something I used to love: chatting with people on their doorstep, getting a glimpse as to how they live even if it’s just seeing the porch and the front yard. Frankly, I don’t love it anymore, but I do it anyway. I don’t love the Democrats by any measure, but I’d much rather struggle with them in office than the Republicans, especially the MAGA crowd.
Some of my friends say they are tired of voting for the lesser of two evils. I say voting doesn’t enable us to pick a hero, but it does enable us to pick our opponent for the next four years. And it’s not about how we “feel” about a candidate, it’s about strategy. Which candidate or party will make it easier or harder for the society to improve? I don’t expect them to make those improvements on their own, but which candidate or party will get out of the way so the rest of us can move things forward? That’s the question. I admit, it’s a low bar, but it’s the situation we are in.
Anyway, looking at the polls tonight, October 27, makes me more worried than ever that Trump will either win or lose and cry foul like he did four years ago, and open the door to authoritarian or violent action. I wasn’t going to do any more work between now and election day, but maybe I’ll phone into a battleground state for a few hours this week. Lots of Californians are doing that.
Everyone says this is a scary time. The problem is many of us are worried not just about the election, but about everything. Many Americans assume everything is getting worse: the environment, our chances of making enough money, our health, the efficiency of our institutions, our neighborhoods, the future of the planet, how our kids are going to make it, etc. And we don’t see a path forward.
I understand that, but I’m not one of them. I don’t know how or when, but I think sanity will prevail. In the meantime I truly believe the only antidote to despair is action, even if the actions don’t turn into victories right away. And chances are, if my body tolerates it, I’ll be knocking on doors again in 2026.
That is, if we still have elections.