Dana Black: It’s time to deal with the election consequences

Well, that didn’t turn out the way I had hoped, and now many will have to manage the consequences of our compatriots’ actions.

To be clear, I was not surprised by the Nov. 5 election results; rather, I was disappointed, in the same way a parent is disappointed in a child who has misbehaved in class. Although, as a parent, you may have loathed their actions, you recognize this is just a moment in their growth, and you will continue to love them and work to make them better humans.

But here we are, and now it is time to govern. Unfortunately, at the federal level, I don’t have much hope. As we continue to be distracted by horrible cabinet picks, we know the 118th and 119th Republican-led Congress will go down as two of the most ineffective sessions in the history of our government.

Now with Republicans controlling the House, Senate and White House, I doubt much will be done to actually help Americans, like the Affordable Care Act from the Obama administration. Or the 670,000 construction jobs created by the Infrastructure Law passed during the Biden administration. Particularly when the 2024 election winner said he will implement tariffs on imports, making life harder by increasing the cost of goods. For the sake of the nearly 40 million Americans living in poverty and those just above it, I hope I am wrong.

As far as the Statehouse? Gov.-Elect Mike Braun and his unwanted white Christian Nationalist running mate, along with Republican supermajorities in both chambers, must work to improve Indiana’s health care system, which ranks 41st in the nation. I doubt the overall health care of Hoosiers is being helped with our 33rd-ranked air and water quality or the fact that our pollution ranks 50th.

The one bright spot is that Indiana is ranked ninth for opportunity. But with our 30th-ranked higher education and a median income in the state around $41,000 a year, I wonder how many will be able to take advantage of the opportunities. With a 20-year-plus Republican stranglehold on Indiana policymaking, these are the rankings.

A famous truism says that insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results. Let’s hope Braun has something better in mind for Hoosiers. That his administration, along with legislators, will continue to do well in the areas we excel in and improve on the areas where we struggle. I want them to be successful because Hoosier families need them to be.

But here is the thing: Now that the election is over, our country needs some real healing. We need to be healed from the fog of authoritarianism and see that the greatness of our country is that we don’t want to be ruled by a king; instead, we want to be the masters of our own destinies. No, I’m not saying we should lie down and allow the forces that desire the destruction of our democracy to do so without a fight. We need to stand up, be visible and be ready to counter any anti-democratic policies proposed.

Unfortunately, too many in our nation think it is acceptable to be racist, misogynistic, homophobic and just downright mean to anyone who is different from their homogenized mental state of being. And that somehow this belief system will improve their economic positions. Sadly, I fear they will soon approach the “find out” stage of their election choices.•

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Black is former deputy chairwoman for engagement for the Indiana Democratic Party and a former candidate for the Indiana House. Send comments to ibjedit@ibj.com.

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