She Didn’t Shout—She Showed Up
There’s something about stillness that unnerves the powerful.
In a country addicted to noise—where men buy megaphones and call it conviction—Susan Crawford stood still. She didn’t promise a revolution. She didn’t run on fury. She didn’t sell fear. She just showed up.
And now, she’s earned her seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
They tried everything. A billionaire cracked open his fortune, flooding the state with more than $25 million in dark money. Brad Schimel walked in with Trump’s blessing and a political machine behind him. But the people—ordinary, everyday people—saw something real in Susan Crawford.
They weren’t fooled. And more importantly, they refused to be bought.
Because this wasn’t just an election. This was a stress test of American democracy. And Wisconsin passed. Quietly, powerfully, defiantly—voters stepped up. They tuned out the noise. They looked past the celebrity endorsements and the attack ads. They said, Not this time.
That matters.
It matters because the stakes were real. A conservative flip of the court could have reshaped voting rights, reproductive freedom, and redistricting for a generation. But the voters—those who still believe the truth is worth something—showed us that character, calm, and clarity still carry weight.
Crawford’s victory wasn’t flashy. It didn’t come with fireworks. But it came with force—the kind that builds, brick by brick, not the kind that explodes and disappears.
She faced the machine and didn’t flinch. And because she didn’t, the machine blinked.
James Baldwin said, “Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
And this country—at least for a moment—faced it. Faced the money. Faced the misinformation. Faced the temptation to give in to despair.
And chose differently.
So if you’ve been feeling hopeless—if you’ve started to believe this whole thing is rigged beyond repair—let this remind you: it’s not over. Not yet.
Because Susan Crawford didn’t shout. The people did.
And this time, the system listened.
Maybe there is hope after all. Hope for a return to truth. To decency. To something that feels like normal—Whatever that is.
Don, can you add audio? There was something powerful about your voice attached to your first Substack written post.
Don, you captured it perfectly. Because of Judge Crawford's demeanor, poise, calm but dedicated approach, I maintained hope and optimism for and with the people of Wisconsin. I was concerned about the influx of money but just couldn't imagine the people of Wisconsin falling prey to such base tactics. They didn't. And now, the people of Wisconsin can sleep a little easier with the knowledge that while they may not always agree with the Courts rulings, they know Judge Crawford will be just as thoughtful and even keel in her consideration of cases brought before the court and how the law applies to them.