Feeling Blue?

—

If you're like lots of us, you're having lots of feelings this week. Or maybe you just aren't sure how to feel.

Whatever you are feeling, it’s ok.

There is time to feel what you’re feeling. In the words of Dr. Jemar Tisby:

"We exerted every effort and then dug deep to find even more energy for action. Let’s not move immediately on to the next fight and resist phase. Let’s feel first. The exhaustion. The grief. The worry. The anger. Even the despair. These feelings need not last forever, but neither should they be suppressed or ignored. Take the time you need to process."

Lots of things didn’t turn out the way we wanted, hoped for, and worked for. And there are lots of likely reasons for that. Several have offered their takes. There are plenty of words out there from folks attempting to analyze everything in the immediate aftermath.

We don’t have a lot of words to add right now. And that’s ok.

There will be plenty of opportunity for reflection and plenty of time for words and analysis. But it doesn’t all have to happen right now.

Right now it’s ok to just be in the right now.

—

It’s also important to celebrate our successes!

Surrounded by a sea of red, McLean County was a brilliant beacon of blue on Tuesday.

• We sent Dave Koehler and Sharon Chung back to represent us in Springfield.
• We gave Eric Sorensen his largest margin of victory as we sent him back to Washington D.C.
• We had the largest vote total for a Democratic candidate for President in the history of McLean County.
• And for the first time in history, we will have the majority of the McLean County Board!

That’s worth celebrating — not just because of the hard-earned electoral success, but because of what it will mean for the people of McLean County and our communities.

Governing is not about power. It’s about people. And each of the folks we elected will help us build a better, fairer, brighter future for EVERYONE in McLean County.

That would not have happened without the hard work of people like you — people who have given their time, contributed their money, supported our candidates, knocked on doors, and VOTED. And while those efforts have ramped up in the last 8 years, the work started long before that. There were many who came before us, put in the work before us, and struggled before us who deserve our respect and appreciation for helping get us to this point.

—

So take some time to feel. To grieve. To lament.

When you’re ready, join us. But to do even more, it will take more of us. So bring someone along with you!

We will all roll up our sleeves and get to work, together. We will keep marching, together. We will build that better, fairer, brighter future, together.