So what do we do now?
For those who think as I do, the election feels devastating. My country has elected a felon whose former top aides have described him as a fascist and “the most dangerous person to this country.” Yet in an election that wasn’t even close, voters not only chose him but also picked a Republican Senate to empower him further.
This will be a test of our country and of each of us, so let me offer a manifesto for how ordinary Americans of my ilk can respond.
1. I accept Donald Trump’s victory. If we are to stand up to Trump, we must first resist the impulse to be like Trump. We lost. We were outvoted. In a democracy, the majority rules, and that was not us. Yes, there is a contradiction when a democratic election elevates someone working to undermine democracy, but our first obligation is still to respect the voters’ choice.
2. I will be a watchdog, not a lap dog. Accepting Trump as president-elect does not mean surrendering to authoritarianism. In particular, I will be extra vigilant about attempts to abuse the legal system to go after Trump’s critics, and I will support institutions that are the backbone of democracy, such as the legal system, journalism and the civil service. I may hug a lawyer.
3. I will back organizations fighting to uphold human values. During Trump’s first term, the ACLU did heroic work battling family separation at the border. Planned Parenthood fought to preserve access to reproductive health. So many other organizations stepped up to assist the vulnerable. Let’s support them.
4. I will subscribe to a news organization. This is self-serving and God knows that we in journalism make mistakes all the time, but it remains true that journalism is critical to hold officials accountable. Oversight from news organizations will be particularly crucial if Republicans end up controlling both houses of Congress. As the corollary for that subscription: Hold us in the news business accountable for holding Trump accountable. We journalists shouldn’t dispassionately observe a journey to authoritarianism; we shouldn’t be neutral about upholding democracy.