I’ve written before about being an Episcopalian, and one of our more obscure traditions is Laetare Sunday, the pink Sunday of Lent, our solemn liturgical preparatory season before Easter. Two weeks before Easter though, our service looks different: in some churches the purple hangings and vestments are replaced with pink hangings and vestments to mark Laetare Sunday.
In the British tradition, this Sunday is also known as Mothering Sunday, as it was a chance for domestic servants to return to their home parishes and often to see their own families. It is a chance to stop and take a breath before the solemn liturgies of Palm Sunday and Holy Week. And while Laetare itself means “rejoice”, it doesn’t mean celebration. The Episcopal Church defines it as “joyful anticipation of the victory to be won.”
That’s kind of where I am right now in this crazy truncated election cycle. I am still feeling positive about outcome of the election and here’s what I think is important going forward.
First, I’m not going to dwell on polling, because not only are we getting to the point where polls don’t matter, this election is only about one thing: turnout. The vast majority of public polling is designed as voter suppression, and Polymarket is voter suppression and everyone involved with it is trying to depress voter enthusiasm. It’s the same nonsense I wrote about in 2022. Let it go. Breathe.
Another thing that people are torturing themselves with are state early voting totals. Here’s a simple fact: you literally cannot make any meaningful extrapolations about 2024 from looking at 2022 or 2020, and before that you’re in an entirely different electoral universe. The numbers won’t come into focus for another 2 weeks. Let it go. Breathe.
The last thing that I think is important is the fallout from the Dobbs decision is still with us. I have had a few conversations over the last week with people who have decided that is no longer a factor in electoral politics, and so have given over to some measure of panic and despair. I am here to say that that’s not the case—women have not forgotten about Dobbs—and I expect we’ll see evidence of that in the turnout numbers as we move toward Election Day.
It’s OK to breathe.
