What Do We Do Now?

The time for giving Trump a chance is over. The time for giving the GOP a chance is really over too. John McCain may recruit a few more Senators in opposition but the reality will probably be that the GOP will let Trump do whatever he wants as long as he gives the GOP's theocratic and dying-industries-cashing-in-on-the-environment factions what they want. If appeals to the judgment of history haven't worked over the last year - or last 10 years - they probably won't now. Perhaps the theocrats - seeking to impose their religious views on us through law in opposition to the Constitution and the religious teachings they supposedly subscribe to - think that the world is ending and the judgment of their twisted vision of the almighty is all that matters. Perhaps the authoritarians expect to rewrite history, noting that George Washington was a weak leader for following the example of Cincinnatus by voluntarily relinquishing power and returning to a farm. The profiteers, I imagine, never gave a shit about history and aren't about to start now.

So the question is: what the hell do we do? I don't have a satisfying answer to this. At the very least, I think it is important for those of us who see what is happening to maintain our sense of
outrage without having that outrage destroy us. We have to maintain solidarity among the outraged, and act in concert. We also have to figure out how to do this without letting the task consume us. We cannot let the demise-in-progress of the Republic destroy our lives and mental health. We must be able to think clearly in these times.

The time has come for us to be inconvenienced. The time may soon come for us to be brave. What we must do in the meantime is figure out how to make outrage and opposition a part of our lives while channeling it into organized action rather than isolated personal suffering.

There are more of us. We are not isolated from one another. We must act together - something GOP loyalists have been doing more effectively at every level for 20-odd years - with the clear message that this President is unAmerican and must be removed. Then that theocracy is unAmerican and must not be allowed to reign. These are the threats. Let's confront them without losing our minds or our backbone.

Trump Must Go

On his first day in office, Trump had his Press Secretary lie in the face of clear facts about . . . the size of his Inaugural Crowd. He then gave a rambling self aggrandizing speech at the CIA headquarters . . . and brought a staff of lackeys to start applause after his comments.

That's it for me, and it should be for anyone who has studied 20th century history and is familiar with the workings of authoritarianism. Trump has to go. He needs to resign or be impeached. And this needs to happen as soon as possible. It is in the hands of the Congressional GOP, who would have a President that would likely be more sympathetic to their agenda if Trump were removed.

Trump has already damaged our country. He has damaged the Presidency just by virtue of his campaign and the norms he has violated (such as releasing his tax returns). But I believe that his being our head of state for four years would subject us to such a ceaseless barrage of propaganda and disinformation that America, and Americans, would suffer from the spiritual, intellectual and motivational rot that is characteristic of those living under reality-controlling propagandistic authoritarians. He has not started to use the state to settle his petty grievances but when he does - we're there. Not to mention that for a President to act like a petty vindictive dictator, to have his surrogate sprouting straight-faced lies like Baghdad Bob, is a goddamn heartbreaking sight for anyone whose allegiance to America is predicated on more than where they were born.

Call Republican Congressmen and tell them that you support their impeaching and removing Donald Trump. I anticipate the typical rhetorical Jiu Jitsu from Trump loyalists: just accuse the other side of whatever they're accusing you of, rinse, repeat. If you ever bought into it, now's the time to step back and realize that we have clearly transcended partisan politics at this point. If you'd rather live under an autocrat than a Democrat, and voted accordingly for Trump, do your part by calling Republican Congressmen and telling them to cut out this malignancy before it destroys our cultural and political national character (I know it doesn't seem like our politics and culture could get more toxic, but we are just at the beginning.)

Trunp's Baghdad Bob

Trump's Press Secratary's lying about the size of his inauguration crowd reminds me of Baghdad Bob talking about the defeats the American forces were suffering to Saddam's forces. As it should, because straight-up lying in oppositon to easily verifiable facts is the province of authoritarian governments and dictators. Let's try to keep him from turning into what he wants to be.

Our nation and the Presidency and associated norms are gravely wounded but not yet dead. When FDR broke the two-term norm established by Washington a Constitutional Amendment was passed that limites the President to two terms. I can't imagine a Constitutional Amendment requiring Presidential candidates to release their tax returns passing today - it's hard enough to pass a Federal law. Seeing all of the marching today gives me hope - really - but it's just a start. More people have got to get engaged and stay engaged in the political process for things to get better. Here's hoping for more of that, leading to our Nation's surviving this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfAeMtcURg0&app=desktop

Obama in Retrospect

I volunteered for Obama in '08 because I thought he was our last best hope of reeling in out of control Executive Agencies and increasing government transparency. Instead, he openly deferred to Agencies when he disagreed with them and government activity is more opaque than ever. It was naive of me to think that he would do these things just because he was a Constitutional scholar. But I'm still staggered that, in the twilight of his Presidency, he sat on CIA intel about Russian electoral interference and allowed the FBI to kneecap Hillary Clinton with bullshit mediabait a week before the election (He claims he didn't know what FBI was up to. If so that's scandalous in itself.)

My enduring impression of the BHO presidency will be his refusal to take the bait. I suppose he was determined to be The First Black President who provided an example of maturity, intelligence and a model family life. He succeeded in this respect; unless you're blinded by ideology you can acknowledge that he's a decent and thoughtful man. I don't think that's what we needed though. I can't say things would have been better if he had fought more, but I really wish he had.

Now we have the worst imaginable man with apparent obligations to the worst foreign power (all things considered), publicly pissing on the agency that has been at spy-war with that country for decades. Well, what do you know: I hope that agency acts outside of his control and puts him in his place. A metastasized executive branch full of out of control agencies sounds better than a mentally ill autocrat in hock to another one.