Memorial Day and my beloved nation is at a crossroads —between pain and hope, suffering and peace, fragility and optimism. In the “before times,” this long weekend was always a moment of transition, a milestone marking the unofficial start of summer. School would be wrapping up and barbecues, parades, and trips to the beach would be on the agenda. This is still true now, but this year, like the one before it, is nevertheless cast in a very different hue. Last year we were approaching 100,000 dead from the pandemic. Over the ensuing 12 months another nearly 500,000 have died. A half a million souls lost. A wave of sorrow to memorialize.

We fervently pray that most of the loss is behind us now. The vaccines and plummeting case rates do fill us with hope. But we still are mourning collectively for all that was lost. Many of us feel that pain personally, as we mark friends and loved ones among those who were felled by this horrific disease. And because this is a global pandemic, we must bear witness to the tragic truth that much of the world is far worse off than we are. 

Memorial Day is, by definition, a time to measure and ponder loss. It is the yearly reminder that men and women not only fought for our nation but have died in that service, often in distant lands and in the early years of adulthood. Memorial Day is the holiday where we recognize that lives can be cut short, future hopes and dreams extinguished, with ripples of suffering reaching deep into neighborhoods and families. 

I have had the privilege and honor of reporting on our armed services in times of conflict. I have seen the terrible price of war. It is savage and unmitigated hell. I have seen the breath of life leave a young soldier’s lips. I have been on patrols where a dear friend disappears in a flash. The sights, smells, and sounds of war never leave those who have witnessed them. It is uncomfortable to speak or write about it, but it is our duty to do so. We must keep the full sacrifices in mind. For I have also seen the high cost of hubris and ineptitude from our political leaders paid for in blood by those who were called or pressed into armed service for their nation. I honor on this solemn day all of those who served and perished. And I mourn with families who have suffered their losses.

With the pandemic, the battle front came to our hospital wards, and the front lines were staffed by a host of heroes who have suffered greatly. What they have endured over unending months of heartbreak seems of a similar nature to service in war. Many of these women and men lost their own lives to the disease. And the mental toll, the likely PTSD, echoes that of the battlefield. I would hope that maybe future Memorial Days find a way to honor these protectors of our national security as well. 

How do we process this moment, especially as our own democracy is under assault from within? How do we try to dig deep with resolve when so much around us seems broken? How do we not give up? 

I find myself on this Memorial Day, as I have in years past, thinking back to the dark days of World War II when victory in Europe and the Pacific was anything but assured. Our armed forces were fighting heroically, suffering great losses, and losing. Could we persevere and finally win? Would we be there for our friends and allies? General Douglas MacArthur fleeing the Philippines in perilous fashion under the Japanese assault in early 1942 vowed "I shall return." Two and a half years later he did. And so shall we now. We have no other choice but to fight for that future.

For all these reasons, I choose on this Memorial Day optimism for our national destiny. We have asked for so much of our citizenry and have come too far as a nation for us to falter now. This moment is a test that we must pass. To consider any other result is too depressingly hopeless, and I firmly believe that the future is ours to shape. Wise leadership can galvanize our nation to return to the path of justice and sound judgement. 

President Biden embodies this journey. His life has been struck many times by tragedy, the worst kinds of tragedy, the loss of a wife and children. He undoubtedly carries that grief with him in all of his actions. He has persevered, but he has not forgotten. The loss serves as a foundation for the future... 

To be human is to feel the pain of mortality. Some of us will experience it more frequently and acutely than others. But its finality will be all of our ultimate destinations. So the question before us is, what do we do with this knowledge? How do we, the living, honor the dead?

To grapple with thoughts like this, I often reach for poetry. And I wanted to end this essay with a favorite that I feel is both fitting for Memorial Day and our pandemic times. It is by Archibald Macleish, written at the request of the Library of Congress to honor their staff members who had died in World War II. In war, most who die fighting are young and the poem speaks directly of them. In our current healthcare crisis, we see the whole spectrum of age among the ranks of the fallen. But the sentiments of this poem capture what is in my own heart today far better than I could ever elucidate. So please stay safe and pause to remember those who have sacrificed everything.

The young dead soldiers do not speak.

Nevertheless they are heard in the still houses: who has not heard them?

They have a silence that speaks for them at night and when the clock counts.

They say, We were young. We have died. Remember us.

They say, We have done what we could but until it is finished it is not done.

They say, We have given our lives but until it is finished no one can know what our lives gave.

They say, Our deaths are not ours: they are yours: they will mean what you make them.

They say, Whether our lives and our deaths were for peace and a new hope or for nothing we cannot say: it is you who must say this.

They say, We leave you our deaths: give them their meaning: give them an end to the war and a true peace: give them a victory that ends the war and a peace afterwards: give them their meaning.

We were young, they say. We have died. Remember us.

— Dan & Steady Team

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We can feel a warm glow of hope, a hope that comes with spring and a real sense, based on daily data, that this deadly pandemic might be dissipating, at least in the United States. A statement like this deserves its caveats. We need to make sure that people continue to get vaccinated, and that the vaccine is distributed equitably. We need to make sure that the rest of the world has access to vaccines. It is the humane thing to do, and it’s also in our own self-interest. As long as there are Covid hotspots, there will be the potential for new, deadlier variants and reintroduction. But all that being said, this light is real. This joy is real. These hopes and dreams are real. 

Before we plunge into the future, however, I want us to spend a collecting moment bearing witness, once more, to the suffering of these past many months. I want to acknowledge all the lives that didn’t have to be lost if we had handled our public health with more empathy, resourcefulness, discipline, and yes, science. Let us think of the families who have been shattered, the seats that will hereafter be empty at birthday parties and graduations, the broad strain that comes with loss on friend groups and communities. I imagine many of you fall into these solemn categories, and I send you my deepest condolences. 

Sacrifice has come in many forms, and I want to especially reflect on all those who served in the time of crisis, some of whom paid for that service with their lives. They will never get the recognition and praise they deserve. Their numbers are far too numerous to count. 

“Thank you for your service” is a popular sentiment that is often offered to men and women in uniform. And for good reason. Service in our armed forces is a choice to put one’s life in potential danger in service to the country. But the pandemic has proven what we should have acknowledged all along. Service, a deep service to one’s community and country, even a service that puts one at risk of harm, comes in many, many forms. And it is long past time that we as a nation start recognizing and rewarding that fact. 

One particular form of service that has been on high display comes from those in the medical profession: nurses, paramedics, doctors, lab technicians, and all the others who have cared, tested, and treated the millions of Americans who have had Covid. For a long while in New York City, we would applaud their heroism by clapping hands or banging pots and pans at a prescribed moment of nightly and noisy gratitude. But of course these people must serve all those who fall ill. And their responsibilities don’t wind down with the pandemic. Recently, some people close to me have had to have extensive medical interventions for reasons other than Covid, and all have been struck by the level of kindheartedness, professionalism, and thoughtfulness they received, from secretaries to specialists. 

In this pandemic, however, frontline service workers have included not only medical professionals but so many others who deserve our recognition and appreciation. There are far too many forms of service to try to compile a comprehensive list of recognition. I see those in the fields harvesting the food that gives sustenance to this nation, and the world. I see the grocery store clerks keeping the shelves of our supermarkets stocked. I think of those working double shifts to sort and send out the boxes that turn our online shopping finger taps into physical objects on our doorsteps, as well as the long haul truckers and ship crews who transport our goods, and the delivery women and men who complete the process. I hear the sirens and think of the first responders heading into danger when human instinct urges us to run away. To all of you, and so many more, thank you. 

Yet there is one type of service worker on whom I wish to cast a particular spotlight today. They toil in backbreaking, dirty, and often dangerous jobs, and their very career choice is often used as a symbol of the lowest jobs in our social hierarchy. They are the cleaners, the janitors, the orderlies. And I have met many over the years. They tend to take great pride in their work, and I can assure you most work far harder than the people who live and work in the houses and offices that they care for and clean. 

We have learned in this pandemic that cleaning air and surfaces and especially hospital rooms from this wicked disease is a literal matter of life and death. Every day, and every night, all across this country and around the globe, countless millions undoubtedly find themselves with soap and water, or some disinfectant equivalent, often on hands and knees, scrubbing, scouring, dusting, vacuuming, to keep others clean and safe. 

Do we know their names? Do we see them? Do we thank them enough? The ones who had jobs cleaning buildings after everyone goes home? (How many of them are out of work?) The ones taking out the trash can in the corner of the conference room, careful to be quiet to not interrupt a meeting? The ones whose job it is to make messes right, no matter how hopeless the task? The ones who politely knock on the doors of strangers at hotels? The ones clearing the plates? The ones pushing a bucket and mop after the kids have gone home from school? How many of these people are now without jobs? How many represent our broken immigration system? How many have been insulted and assaulted without feeling any recourse for justice? 

We know the pandemic has hit Black and Brown communities especially hard. And we know that the ranks of cleaners are overly represented by these same groups. Those who serve most are often those left to suffer most.

I came across a video that touched me deeply. It was back in January, with the pandemic raging. And to me, Rosa Martinez’s story is one that everyone should know. She is a hero in every sense of the word. And we must find a way to better recognize and compensate this work in the world that will emerge in the wake of this pandemic.

I have been pleased that many news outlets have published articles highlighting those who have cleaned during this pandemic, especially those working in hospitals. And I will share a couple links below for you to read. But ultimately this shouldn’t be a brief moment of appreciation. When you next find yourself around someone with a mop, a broom, a duster, or vacuum, please thank them for their service. And if any of you reading this fall into this category, thank you. A nation owes you its deepest gratitude and respect. You are a big part of what is holding us together and keeping us safe. 

Finally, I want to give a personal note of appreciation to Patricia, who cleaned our old offices in New York for many years. She was a whiz and a positive spirit who swooped in at the end of the day with smiles and stories. She became a friend to our ragtag group, and joined us for many happy celebrations. Sadly, she contracted Covid last year and became very ill. While she recovered, she lost her beloved grandmother, with whom she lived, to the disease. Pattie, you will forever be in our hearts and prayers. Thank you for your service.

—Dan

Articles:

They risk their lives cleaning hospitals. Now, they are getting vaccinated. ‘I want people to know that we exist’ [LA Times]

People are sending thank you cards to the Capitol’s cleaning crew. They deserve our gratitude. And more. [Washington Post]

No Bleach and Dirty Rags: How Some Janitors Are Asked to Keep You Virus-Free [NY Times]

The job of school custodians has changed massively in a short time because of COVID-19, but their efforts haven’t gone unappreciated [Chicago Tribune]

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This Sunday Essay opens with a fair warning. You may find what I’ve written below to be a little different in tone and style from some of the previous fare on Steady. 

For starters, let’s consider the idea of “steady.” I remain committed to the concept and the community we are building here where we try to take a long view on the news of the moment with a sense of, well, steadiness. But being steady doesn’t mean you can’t also get more steamed than a locomotive. And that’s where I find myself today. So usher out the children. Cover sensitive ears. Because this old reporter is full of a little fire. 

The topic at hand is the truth, and not some esoteric notion to be debated in a college philosophy seminar. This is a truth so urgent, so important, so obvious, that attempts to undermine it would be laughable if they weren’t so dangerous. So here it is. 

Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election. It wasn’t particularly close. He won the total national vote overwhelmingly and won decisively in the Electoral College. There is no credible suggestion to the contrary. Election officials confirmed it. The courts confirmed it. It is apparent to everyone who doesn’t live in an alternate reality, who doesn’t harbor seditionist impulses, who isn’t a craven opportunist, or who doesn’t marinate in the cesspool of these forces, otherwise known as Fox News. For those who suggest otherwise (who say that Biden is not the legitimately elected President of the United States), many have been deceived and others are willfully deceiving them for their own cynical, and dangerous, ends. 

And yet that’s where a majority of Republicans find themselves today, if you believe the polls. And it is certainly where a majority of elected officials are if you just listen to what they say, or more importantly don’t say. Now the origin of this lie-laden authoritarianism is the former president, who couldn’t fall back on his usual playbook of suing, sulking, and skedaddling to get himself out of the loser spotlight. So he decided to do what he does best, the tool he used to propel himself to the presidency. He lied. Not a small half-truth. Not a wee fib. Not even a bald-faced lie. A lie so big it deserves to be written as a proper noun — the Big Lie. 

This Big Lie led to violent insurrectionists storming the United States Capitol, attempting to stop final certification of election results. It has led to Republican state representatives falling over themselves to try to cut back on voting rights. And how do they try to justify it? They say their supporters have lost faith in the voting system. But that is because their supporters have been lied to by the same politicians who are now using that as an excuse to stifle democracy. Propaganda and authoritarianism play on in a destructive feedback loop. 

Now to be fair, not EVERY Republican has fallen in line. Take the high-profile case of Liz Cheney, the daughter of former vice president, Dick Cheney. She’s certainly no liberal (her voting record has been solidly pro-Trump), but she has had the temerity to say what her colleagues won’t, that the would-be emperor has no clothes (please spare yourself the mental image). For this act of bravery her fellow House Republicans are coming for her like a political version of Murder on the Orient Express, except in this case they have no problem brandishing their guilt for the world to see. 

So who thrives in such an environment? Craven opportunists like Elise Stefanik. You would think this Harvard-educated congresswoman from upstate New York would know better about the Constitution and the ridiculousness of the Big Lie, but she long ago pegged her future to prostrating at the altar of The Donald. And now she is poised to replace Cheney in Republican leadership. Some conservative groups are grumbling that Stefanik’s voting record is far more “liberal” than they would like, but Trump broke whatever tenuous links the Republican Party had to a consistent ideology. It’s now a cult of personality, not a political party. And fealty is prized over all else. Of course as many associates of Trump have learned over the years, loyalty for him is like most streets in Manhattan — it only goes one way. 

It brings me no joy in saying that one of the factors that is exacerbating this dangerous era in our national history is a Washington press corps that is struggling to make sense of a disorienting landscape. The bedrock of American democracy, for better and worse, has been a stable two party system — with some notable moments of exception. The press is used to two opposing forces waging battle over policy. At least nominally. Now the no man’s land between Republicans and Democrats is over a belief in democracy itself and not things like taxes or foreign policy.

Once again, this is not a theoretical musing. Is it too much to say that giving oxygen to the Big Lie, let alone actively espousing it, is a form of sedition? Full stop. Think about it. Is lying about the truth of last November making a mockery of any pledge of patriotism? No matter how many flag lapel pins you wear or how often you quote the “Founding Fathers,” to deny a fair and honest election and the orderly transfer of power risks placing you squarely in the camp of dictators and autocrats, and helping with the demise of democracy. 

The press needs to start taking this even more seriously than it does now. Every elected Republican who has played footsie with the Big Lie should have to defend that record before they can speak on any other topic. They can’t be allowed to dodge. The questions aren’t difficult. Did Joe Biden win the election? Where is your evidence to the contrary? And because there is no such evidence, if they try to quote something, they should be pressed on the truth. Live interviews are particularly problematic because politicians can stretch out a string of lies so long that they can spin their way to a commercial break. Those with a history of such actions should not be given prominent platforms for their performance art. 

The Big Lie must be the context for everything that is taking place in Washington, and political stories across the country. It is not old news. January 6 is not old news. This denial of reality is the animating principle driving the Republican Party. We can’t talk about legislation in Washington, immigration, climate change, fiscal policy, foreign policy, civil rights, education, or any other issue politicians are “debating” without talking about the Big Lie. Because if we have roughly half of elected officials espousing rhetoric and taking actions that undermine our elections and the legitimacy of our chosen leaders then our ability to do anything productive, to respond to the needs of the American people, will be undermined. 

Republicans desperately want the mainstream press to cover the daily news cycle through the lens of traditional party politics. At the same time, they go on their propaganda channels and stir up their base against the mechanics of fair and open elections. They spread the poison of illegitimacy to attack the Biden Administration. On Fox News you get a concerted and coordinated attack. Outside of that echo chamber you get what was once the normal news diet of a spectrum of different stories. But this is not a normal news environment. This is an attack on American values, and our ability to continue to function as a government that represents the will of the majority of Americans. The Big Lie is everything right now and the press and the American people must not provide safe harbor for it to continue to metastasize. 

I want to end with a note of some optimism. I believe the Big Lie is so ludicrous and outrageous that it can be made to collapse under the weight of its own perfidy. If it is put into the proper spotlight, if it becomes so radioactive that big business, the press, and the public at large refuse to bestow any legitimacy to those who traffic in it, then it can and will be defeated. American democracy might even emerge stronger in its wake. That will take perseverance, stamina, and yes, remaining steady. 

—Dan

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Three stories dominated the headlines this past week. They may seem at first glance distinct from each other, but I believe they are intertwined in important and revealing ways: the guilty verdict in the Derek Chauvin murder trial, Earth Day accompanied by bold climate announcements from the Biden administration, and the ongoing COVID pandemic. 

One obvious connection is what a difference an election makes. Could you imagine what would have happened if Donald Trump still had the presidential megaphone during the Chauvin trial and its aftermath? Actually, you can get a sense from the unhinged, racist rhetoric emanating from Fox News. Then amplify that by about 100. 

Now onto the climate front. Instead of a groundswell of hope that our crisis is being met with urgency and seriousness in Washington, we would have had four more years of denial and destruction. We are already in a dire place, but the consequences of a different election result would have made the situation far  worse.

 And with COVID? All one has to do is see the ongoing distrust of public health officials and the vaccine among Trump voters to understand where we might be if such beliefs, not to mention pervasive incompetence, still shaped our national pandemic response. 

The connections between these stories, however, goes much deeper than the failings of the previous president and his administration. They coalesce around one immutable fact —we are all connected to each other, shaped in our own lives by how we treat our fellow human beings and our planet. We build systems —of justice, energy, transportation, economics, public health, and many others. We hope that they allow for progress, but they are invariably shaped by our own biases and the limits of our imagination. Over time, systems do evolve, and often for the better. But we must remain vigilant and open to new ideas. We must constantly ask how we can do better. We must listen more to others and how what may work for us does not work for them. This is what the metaphor of the “fabric of society” is all about. 

Sometimes, we hit a point of inflection where we recognize that what is needed is not gradual improvement but a fundamental rethink. And I would argue that the three stories we’ve been talking about this week demonstrate that not only is there a broad belief that we need to fundamentally assess how we mete out criminal justice, protect the planet, and care for our health, but that change, potentially big, epochal change, is already underway. As I like to say here, and elsewhere, I have lived a long time and seen a lot of transformation. This feels like a moment when we can remake a lot of our world, for the better. 

In seeking to build a more just and sustainable future, it is important to not only recognize what needs to be fixed, but the strengths of what is already in place. In each of these stories, we see a lot of reasons for optimism on that front. 

In the trial in Minnesota, we saw a disciplined and determined team of prosecutors. We saw fellow police officers testify against Chauvin. We saw a multiracial jury convict on all counts. This is a criminal justice system that can work, and work well. Now we need to make sure that it works well more often. In our climate crisis, we see scientists and other experts think a drastic reduction won’t be easy, but it is possible. And that’s because of a revolution in technology, particularly around clean energy. We also see a rising generation of leaders who are determined to make combating climate change their animating principle. On the COVID front, we have seen remarkably effective vaccines produced in record time, thanks in no small part to years of basic research. We have seen scientists share information across national boundaries in order to spread the knowledge that could finally end the pandemic. 

In all of these examples, however, we must recognize how vulnerable the progress is and how strong the headwinds are in the opposite direction. A lot of these counter-forces center around denial of the central problem: systemic injustices around race, global warming, and even the seriousness of COVID. These forces not only threaten future progress, but could push us even further behind where we are currently. 

What makes me believe that this won’t be the case, that my optimism is justified, is that energy is more on the side of progress. I think even the business community is beginning to respond to the growing will of the people. They recognize that a future built around science, the truth, and a more equitable society isn’t just the morally right thing to do, it’s good for the bottom line. The biggest threat is the political imbalance in this country which means that even if the majority of the public believes a certain way, minority and unpopular viewpoints can wield power well beyond the limits of their numerical support in gerrymandered districts, the Senate, and the courts. 

But even there, I think the pressure is growing that will be too great to be contained. In an interview I did a few years back with the former Secretary of State George Shultz, we talked about why he had become such a big advocate for action on the climate. He knew it was not a popular viewpoint in the Republican Party in which he had once been a leader. But he said the truth would ultimately win out and those who stood in the way would end up being “mugged by reality.”

Mugged by reality. It’s a phrase that sticks in the mind. Of course muggings come with pain and suffering. We see that in the face and words of George Floyd. We see that in lives upended by storms, droughts, and other climate disasters. And we see it in the millions killed by COVID. But even while we see ongoing denial, more and more people are having to face realities they may have wanted to downplay or dismiss in the past. That was true of three stories in this week’s headlines. And I suspect it will lead to real action and change. Once you start to see things as they really are, it’s impossible to go back to a place of ignorance. Many knew these lessons already, especially those who have been marginalized by society. Now we have a chance to right wrongs and forge a future better prepared for the challenges we have ignored and the ones we have yet to face.  

— Dan

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