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.
