To the Editor:
In my recent campaign for a seat in the Texas legislature, I got a first-hand glimpse at the irrational hate and anger that fueled the terrorist attack on our beloved Capitol this week.
Please don’t think I am just a sore loser. As a Democrat in such a Red district, I knew I had little chance to win. My hope was to force a dialogue about the Texas health care crisis. After watching a young man die a needless death because our state refuses to expand Medicaid, I felt compelled to do more than complain. My plan was to knock on lots of doors, tell that young man’s story, listen to those who have suffered similar fates under our failing system, and perhaps convince them to pressure their representatives to take action. COVID upended my plan.
With little prior experience, I attempted a social media campaign instead and was shocked by the hate and anger I generated. I naively believed, perhaps with a touch of arrogance, that the life I have tried to lead would insulate me from the worst abuses of that media. I was wrong.
Instead of rational dialogue about health care or any of the other issues I raised, I got attacks based only on party affiliation. For example, when I helped organize a prayer vigil that I hoped would help heal the hurt after George Floyd’s murder, I was accused of paying busloads of rioters to destroy my own community. (Believe me, if I had that kind of money, I would fund college scholarships, not death and destruction.)
But that was only the beginning: I was labeled a Marxist baby-killer, condemned as a dangerous radical, even told I was too ugly to be a legislator (I suppose under the theory that the worst thing a man can say about a woman is that she is unattractive). Because I am a teacher, I was accused of destroying young minds, and because I’m a Democrat, I supposedly hate America. The list could go on, but anyone who spends time on social media knows how this goes.
Perhaps before last Wednesday, we could dismiss these antics as harmless rhetoric. But in fact, words matter. If people believed the terrible things posted about me, they could easily justify harming me or my family. After all, they wouldn’t be hurting a real human being, only stopping a dire threat to their “way of life” or their version of America, just as the crowd that stormed the Capitol likely believed they served the greater good.
Here’s the good news. Only we, the people, can heal our country’s deep wounds. Politicians are supposed to follow our lead and do our work. If we refuse to engage in the hate-filled rhetoric and demand that our leaders get busy fixing problems like the health care crisis, we can restore our Republic. The “better angels of our nature” can still ensure government “of the people, by the people, for the people.”
