Harris-Walz, Obviously

Issue 123

“Character counts.” Remember that? I sure do. I remember being lectured ad nauseam by the likes of Jerry Falwell, the Moral Majority and their ilk who were, circa 1992, apoplectic at the prospect of the governor of Arkansas, Bill Clinton, becoming president after 12 years of the oh so virtuous Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. I always agreed that character counts in politics. Duh. I never agreed with the politics of folk who refused — and still do — to make room in the country we share for people who are not like them. So this is for anyone who aligns with the desire — intention — for America to know itself as a dynamic, mature, multi-cultural, multi-racial democratic society that governs itself and works for everyone.

Bottom-line, when the head of our government and the people running it are of good character, we are all exponentially more free. We trust one another, first and always, to put country over party. We trust one another to create programs, implement policies, and pass laws for we the people that make our lives better and strengthen our society. We trust one another to regularly evaluate, assess, and make changes to any or all of it as a matter of course, regardless of who’s holding office. In our system of government, all things are possible when we trust one another and we know that people of good character are honest, trustworthy, and willing to trust others.

Still awake? Because this quotidian drivel is something that cynics cannot hear, anti-democrats are against, and conscious politics practitioners already know. But I hear you screaming, people, you’re demanding more. So let’s spice it up a bit by seeing what the question of character in politics looks like through our consciously kaleidoscopic lens…like we do.

Intention + Vibes

Wow! Character — and its many siblings including integrity, trustworthiness, service, honesty, compassion, selflessness — are all hallmarks of the new-consciousness (even if they are not exactly new traits) so living them anywhere, anytime will keep us in good stead. There is also, in our practice, the notion that when are clearly-intended and fully aligned with what we want, we listen to inspiration/gut/intuition to guide our decisions. So starting from a place of alignment with our intention for America as stated above, I’ll speak for myself when I say how comforting it is, how at peace I feel, when people of good character and high integrity are holding office and working as government employees at all levels. I feel confident, secure, and free. I feel proud to be an American citizen. Everybody always wants science to measure everything and that’s fine but it’s insufficient. In the new consciousness, we’ll measure so much more with feeling — also known in this election as vibes. When we feel feelings like confident, secure, and proud, we know beyond the shadow of any doubt that we are on track, heading in the right direction. Period. So keep going. Obviously.

So this is for anyone who aligns with the desire — intention — for America to know itself as a dynamic, mature, multi-cultural, multi-racial democratic society that governs itself and works for everyone.

When our government is run by people like the Republican standard bearer — and his minions — whose dominant traits are lying, cheating, obfuscating, denying, judging and the like, we are not free, not at all. Aligned with that same shiny, clear intention I’ll again speak for myself when I say how uncomfortable, disconcerted, unsettled, fearful, and on-edge I feel when people of bad character are in charge. I’ll scream from the rooftops all day every day that when we feel feelings — vibes — like unsettled, fearful, and on-edge, we know beyond the shadow of any doubt that we are off-track, heading in the wrong direction. Period. So stop. Obviously.

And while we’re on the subject I’ll add that feelings and vibes such as enthusiastic, connected, energized, excited, and hopeful — some of what so many are experiencing as they volunteer for Harris-Walz, register to vote for the first time, and contribute valuable dollars — should also be seen by anyone who aligns with the stated intention as evidence that this candidate and campaign are aligned with what we want. Obviously.

Beliefs

So there are the woefully underrated feelings/vibes and then there are the beliefs that undergird them. Beliefs are tricky when it comes to others because, in fact, we don’t really know for sure what another believes until and unless they tell us. But we can guess! For example, I’d guess that people who are investing precious time and energy in the Harris-Walz campaign are believing things like government can be a force for good; Democrats can win; this is important. Country-over party Republicans who are endorsing Vice President Harris for president are believing, I’m guessing, things like country is more important than party; Trump is a danger to our republic; I’m a patriot; defeating Trump is paramount. I’m not even going to attempt to guess at what pro-Trump Republicans believe, but I’ll remind everybody that choices abound and conscious politics practitioners choose on purpose what to believe.

Is it not obvious that if a bona fide candidate for the American presidency traffics in lies, “swears” fealty to a constitution he does not understand or believe in, divides and demeans his own constituents, dishonors and disrespects the military he’s charged to lead and cozies up to the world’s autocrats and dictators while trashing and undermining long-held geopolitical alliances actually wins the election, we Americans will no longer have the luxury of debating about Gaza? Or health care or student debt or immigration or voting rights or women’s rights or the rights of the LGBTQ community because we will not have a say in any of it? Because we will not be governing ourselves?

Our 2024 presidential election presents a binary choice between the Democratic ticket with two people each known to be of good character and the Republican ticket with two people each known not to be of good character — including the one who is a convicted felon. I heard “Harris-Walz, Obviously” first from a friend, it resonated deeply so I ran it through our conscious lens, shared some of it here, and voila! Conscious politics concurs: the choice is obvious.

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