Be Happy! January 26, 2025January 27, 2025 I’m not entirely a Don’t Worry, Be Happy type, though it’s a pretty great song. (“In every life we haf some trahble! When you worry, ya make it double. Don’t worry! Be happy!”) There is, after all, a lot to be concerned about. Fascism and climate change spring to mind. (And bird flu, a toppy stock market, tariff and deportation policies that could spike inflation that could spike interest rates that could tank the toppy stock market, unintended consequences of artificial intelligence, disinformation, cyber terror, unprecedented levels of inequality that rend the social compact, the San Andreas Fault . . . ) Maybe the difference between worry and concern is that worry implies stress and unhappiness; concern suggests responsibility and purpose. As in: We need to fix this. Or at least the parts we can. Hence yesterday’s post asking your help with the April 1 Wisconsin Supreme Court election. Paul W. pushed back: “Judges should not be elected. They should not make policy. Political parties should not be involved. I don’t care or want to care who sits on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.” → Fair. Except that control of the House in 2026 could turn on Congressional redistricting in Wisconsin — so you might consider caring anyway. I was heartened to see Nate Silver give Democrats an 85% chance of winning back the House in 2026. A win in Wisconsin April 1 would definitely help. And he gives us a 40% chance of winning a trifecta in 2028! The House, the Senate, and the Presidency! Less than even odds but a real shot. So there’s reason to stay engaged. Two reasons, really. The obvious one: it helps us win. Less obviously: It animates the spirit and improves mental health. Purpose is a powerful thing. As is hope. David Hogg, 24-year-old survivor of the Parkland massacre, has hope in spades: Four years from now, it won’t be a Republican entering the White House. I feel completely confident in that. Because while Republicans would LOVE it if we gave up, we’re not going to. Instead, we’re going to make the Democratic Party the strongest it’s been in over half a century. How? By electing young leaders all over the country with a bold vision for the future. Leaders who fight for us, not the uber-rich. If you can, will you rush a donation to Leaders We Deserve to help us elect the next generation of leaders so we can win – resoundingly – in four years? Our work relies on your support. Thank you. And thanks to Glenn Sonnenberg, who recently posted this song on his wonderful blog. Gonna be a bright, bright sunshine-y day. And — oh, what the heck. If Trump can bafflingly try to repurpose one gay anthem (hey! I’m friends with one of the Village People!), then, in the spirit of defiance, I can offer another. If we pull together — and treat our Republican friends with respect as we offer our alternative — we will survive. BONUS Hope For Cynics: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness.