Top 5 Reasons for Optimism in Scary Political Times
"We Have One Another’s Backs"
Below is a piece of mine, written for Antigravity Magazine’s Top 5 of 2025.
I wrote the “Top 5 Reasons for Optimism in Scary Political Times” column.
I know the topics I write about tend to be pretty heavy, but my aim is to (at least at the end of my pieces) remind people that we do in fact have power. A major key to exerting that power, remaining optimistic in the face of what is an uphill battle.
What follows are the top 5 reasons I believe we should still have some (hesitant) optimism about the future.
Click this link to read Antigravity Magazine’s full Top 5 of 2025 list.
Also, if you think there’s other reasons for optimism in the face of everything we’ve witnessed, please do comment down below. Lastly, if this piece brings even a modicum of relief (or something approaching that), please share with others.
Thank you!
- The GOP is Scared of Midterms
The Trump administration has been frantically pushing red states to further gerrymander their congressional maps in the middle of a 10-year redistricting cycle. This is a sign of fear. Public perception has not been on the GOP’s side, and the Democrats are expected to take back the U.S. House. The redistricting effort may not go the way the GOP thinks. At least one gerrymandered map has been struck down by a judge already. Plus, blue states are proposing gerrymandered maps of their own. But what exactly does the GOP have to fear? At the very least, losing the House. But in a speech given by Steve Bannon in November, he warned a crowd that if the Democrats ever got back in power, he and some audience members would likely go to prison. One can only hope.
- Pushback from the Judicial Branch
Federal judges have pushed back against the administration in several instances. For example, federal district courts between May 1 and June 23 ruled against the Trump administration in over 90% of cases. This pushback has come from a bipartisan coalition of judges. These rulings have led to research funding being restored to institutions, blocking Trump’s attempts to remove DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) programs from schools and universities, forcing the administration to reverse course on terminating student visas, and more. It’s true that the judiciary is at war with itself. The six conservative justices on the U.S. Supreme Court have given Trump an assist 90% of the time. But the tug-of-war has seemed to slow down the administration’s more extreme policies.
- People Keep Choosing Democracy at the Polls
When people have shown up to the polls this year, things have not gone well for the GOP, leading to shocking overperformance by the Democrats. For example: In Iowa, a Democrat flipped a state senate seat in a district that Trump won by 11%. There have been Democratic overperformances in special elections, and the elections on November 5 were abysmal for the GOP and anyone tied to them. These votes are statements, but not in support of Democrats. People hate them. But voters, according to polling, dislike the GOP much more, meaning these votes are a repudiation of Trump and the GOP broadly.
- Grand Juries Have Acted as a Check on the DOJ
As the Trump administration has tried to make examples out of political enemies, including the guy that threw a sandwich at a federal officer, grand juries have returned several of what’s called “no true bills.” Meaning, they’ve been refusing to indict defendants that the DOJ have brought before them. Grand juries refusing to indict someone is rare, and in just one instance, where the DOJ brought charges against a woman for interfering with ICE operations, the indictment was twice rejected. In just a short time, the DOJ under Pam Bondi has broken the record for the most no true bills. This has made it hard for the administration to weaponize the courts against the public.
- We Have One Another’s Backs
The most important reason to be hesitantly optimistic? People have risen to the occasion and shown up in huge numbers to demonstrate we aren’t on board with this administration. The second No Kings rally in October was the largest single day protest in history. Mutual aid groups have sprung up to fill gaps, and across the nation, you have people running ICE out of their neighborhoods. In one instance, in the U.S. border czar’s hometown of Sackets Harbor, New York, ICE kidnapped three children and the town succeeded in pressuring the government to give them back. Things are bad, but as long as people continue to resist, we may survive these next three years (hopefully not more). We just need to do it together.
Stories to read:
Danny Cherry Jr.
Danny Cherry Jr.
Danny Cherry Jr.
Support my work by sharing my newsletter with a friend, subscribing, or if you are feeling up to it, buying me a coffee :)
Oh, you can also become a paid subscriber, too. All money will be used to grow the newsletter!
I also wrote a crime novel. K that’s it.
