A staple of political cartooning shows a person with a dripping brush in one hand and a bucket in the other, standing in a corner, trapped by their work: wet paint. Whether it’s Vladimir Putin with his tales of Ukrainian Nazis, or Donald Trump with his pail of “stolen election” lies, the question is the same: What happens next? There are two choices. One is to act impatiently, and make matters worse; the other is to wait patiently for the paint to dry.
Joe Kent rode the energy of 2020 misinformation to a close loss for a seat in Congress. His pursuit of a recount may be little more than cynical conspiratorial fundraising genius. But I am hoping that the process will be like “watching the paint dry” for the rest of us. Because, what’s not in the cartoon is the fact that there is more than just one person stuck in a corner in these United States and specifically here in Southwest Washington. It is all of us.
Until the unconvinced accept good-faith evidence and realize that their candidate lost, we’re all stuck. So I am praying that a good purpose may be served by this exercise in democracy. May the recount be as transparent as the snowmelt water in Crater Lake, and as compelling. Because we, who are all fellow American citizens, need to get out of this corner. Together.