This famous Thomas Paine quote dating back to the American Revolution reflected the frustrations and disappointments experienced by colonial patriots when everything that they had witnessed suggested that the Revolution against King George was failing. Losses on the battlefield against the world's strongest military power in that day, feuding between the various colonies over the plans for the future, arguments between military leaders who questioned George Washington's skills as a military leader, and wintering over at Valley Forge Pennsylvania all added up to grim prospects for the future of the fight for independence. The fledgling Second Continental Congress, assembled in Philadelphia, abandoned that city as British General Howe and 15,000 troops captured the Rebel "capital" in the fall of 1777. Meeting in York, PA, Congress could not agree on how to pay for supplies, equipment, and pay for the army, barely surviving in nearby Valley Forge. This was indeed the low point of the American Revolution. The future of the United States teetered on the brink of collapse. And, to those "rebel" leaders who pledged "our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor" to the effort and had affixed their signatures to the "Declaration of Independence", it must have seemed that the hangman's noose was drawing near. Chaos. Despair.
Right now - 240 years after the Second Continental Congress was "removed" from Philadelphia and Washington's troops retreated to Valley Forge for a winter of recovery and re-grouping - progressives are at a similar crossroads. We have lost on every important battlefield in the election. We are feuding and arguing over who is at fault and what direction to take in the future. As Democrats, we question our choice of leadership - Hillary Clinton, and wonder where we lost our way. Right now are "wintering over" in this period between the election and the Inauguration of Donald Trump as the nation's 45th President, and conjuring up nightmares of the long, cold night that will begin on that day. And, while there will not be a "hangman" in our future, many will face painful changes in their lives which may include registries based on religious preference, mass deportation of immigrant families, including citizen-children born in this country, and continued disproportionate incarceration of Black and Latino citizens. Women rightly fear the loss of Roe v. Wade and control over their own bodies, diminished equality in the workplace, and a return to the days of "Mad Men." Working families, long frustrated with a lack of attention from the Beltway, are now voicing concern regarding a potential loss of health care, high cost of housing, continued low wages, and the lack of jobs. Students see no debt relief in sight and seniors are now worried about the future of Social Securing and Medicare as Republican Speaker Paul Ryan gleefully speaks about privatizing these systems and reducing benefits. And, minorities - Blacks, Latinos - and especially Muslims - have suffered a substantial increase of "hate" incidents across the country and fear that the forces of intolerance and racism have been unleashed during this campaign and have taken up residence in the White House with the appointment of Alt. Right leader Steve Bannon of Breitbart as "Chief Strategist and Senior Counselor" to the President.
As we winter over in this 2016-2017 Progressive/Liberal "Valley Forge", we can mourn. And, we can wallow in recriminations. We can argue over what might have been. We can cast blame on one another and point fingers at each other. Truth is - we should point the finger at ourselves and ask the question, what can we do to prepare to defend our democracy against the coming assault. How can we - together - resist the easy temptation to close up shop and stew in our own juices and, instead, get prepared for the fight ahead. As Hillary Clinton said in her first remarks delivered before a convention of the Children's Defense Fund the week after the election loss, she admonished her audience to continue their fight for the future saying, "because America is worth it. Our children are worth it. Believe in our country, fight for our values and never, never, ever give up...". Now is not the time to look back or to surrender to an uncertain future. Now is the time to take heart, to stand for our values, to talk truth to power, to speak out, rise up, and resist injustice wherever it may be found. Join a group. March for justice. Write a letter to your representatives - in city hall, at the state capital, in congress or to the president himself. As the winter at Valley Forge in 1777-1778 demonstrated, if we keep our resolve and commit to each other in defense of liberty, we can survive a terrible winter secure in the knowledge that we are all in this together and that the sun will rise and Spring will surely arrive. Instead of coming apart, we need to come together with a deepened resolve to freedom and equality for all.
Our democracy is resilient. But we need to be vigilant, committed to a better future, and willing to pledge our "fortunes and sacred honor" through supporting organizations that defend and advocate a progressive agenda and being personally ready to march for justice for all people. Valley Forge gave Washington's commanders the time to organize, train, and get ready for the coming battles. Let us use our "winter" to organize, train, and get ready to resist, to march, to peacefully demonstrate, and to engage in the fights ahead. In the end, we can... and we will... shape a better nation for our children and for their children.
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