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Trumpanon: One Day at a Time
Jan. 20th, 2025 03:03 pm
So Donald Trump is being installed into office today, just like a defective lightbulb that you hope might work and not burn the house down, but that you know—more than likely—will flicker for a bit, and then create loads of toxic smoke. I guess you could insert your lightbulb joke here, but with Republicans uniting behind defective light bulbs, and Democrats unable to find a suitable replacement bulb to replace the one that was steady but dim, I’m not sure it is necessary.
The last time this happened, there were protests in the street. There were marches on Washington DC. It was the era of the pink pussy hat. People were up in arms, and there was fear across the land. On the Conservative side, there was jubilation about what they were going to do. On the Progressive side, the grief process was beginning. Shock. Denial. Anger. That’s what characterized 2017-2020. We couldn’t believe it. We were angry about it, and then we took to the streets.
Then we bargained. If only we could elect this old white guy, he would put the nation right. And, for a time, things seemed better, and it looked like we were on the right path. But the enablers took hold. The people that couldn’t or would accept change, or the people that only wanted change if it was on their terms. And an election was lost.
This time, the reaction seems much more subdued. Perhaps it is exhaustion, after all the energy spent in the election season, and all the energy spent during his first term, and all the energy spent dealing with him and his minions while he was out of office. This election was also different: at least where I was, there were a lot less of the good old boy truck parades and there weren’t trucks on the freeway flying his flag. He had learned better how to work the system, while on the surface vowing to dismantle the system. But then again, it could be depression. After all, that’s the next stage of grief.
In trying to make sense of what is happening today, I think back to my days in Alanon, the group for those who love alcoholics, addicts, and such. One of the teachings of that group is that you can’t change the addict. All of the things you think you do out of love to protect the addict instead just enables them to continue. They need to hit their bottom, and the best you can do is protect the people around you. Looking at Washington this time around, it appears that’s what some Democrats are doing. The attitude is: “You elected him, now you live to see what the consequences are. We warned you.” The theory, I guess, is either that Trump will somehow miraculous make things better, or (and this is the more likely outcome) things will get much worse. Inflation will be high, foreign relations will be in tatters, government will be ineffective. The Conservatives will see the folly of their ways…. wait, that will never happen for the die-hard Trumper. The Republican Moderates will see the folly of their ways, and we will rise again in 2026. We just need that next generation to lead us (oh, and alas, it will need to be a white guy, because we’ve tried twice with a woman and the nation rejected that).
If that is the approach, then the ride to the bottom will be a bumpy one, and people will get hurt. Further, unlike in 2017, we don’t have Congress as protection against the excesses. We also learned from 2017 that, while protest and fighting in the streets may feel good, it is not what brings lasting change. It can be a catalyst, but the energy fades.
We do have a few remaining tools in our arsenal, and they are what we must use. The first is the courts. The fading light bulb helped us here: Biden has been nominating and confirming judges at a record rate, and even more at the end of his administration. Just as Trump used the courts to his advantage, we must fight him in the courts. Presidential immunity and a Republican Congress prevents us from going after the man, but we can go after his policies. When they are unconstitutional and abusive, we can delay their implementation or get them overturned. The courts have traditionally been what protected the people: we need to hold them to that.
The other tool in our arsenal is the ballot box. You’re saying: “But that’s two years away.”. Not quite. The election is two years away, but now is the time to prepare. There are two prongs here.
First, now is the time to find the “new blood”—the people that will speak to the Gen X, Millennials, and whatever “the kids” are calling themselves these days. We need to get a younger and new voice into office, and that means getting them into local offices, state offices, Congress. We need to lay the groundwork and build the grassroots networks. We need to figure out something the Republicans are going at: working together and going in a unified direction. Yes, their direction was wrong, but their unity was strong.
Second, we need some Alanon tough-love for the Conservatives out there, and (for those in Red district), we need to make our voices heard about where we stand. “Letting Trump be Trump” is going to prove that his promises were as much an illusion as his cryptocurrency. Inflation will be high, and there may be impacts for the safety net that so many in Red states depend upon. We need to get these Conservatives to write and speak up to their representatives in Congress to let them know that their jobs are on the line if they don’t reign in Trump to prevent the excesses. Congressional Republicans may love Trump, but they love their paychecks more. Progressives who live in Red districts must likewise make their voices known to their Congresscritters: without disclosing party, let them know that their jobs are on the line if they put Trump over the Constitution. Those of us lucky enough to be in Blue districts or Blue states must encourage our Progressive leaders to use the system to their advantage. Just as Trump showed us that one can use the court system to delay and prevent, Congressional rules can be used to delay and prevent, especially in a Congress that is so close. Combine Progressives working to delay things, with Conservatives whose constituents are threatening their jobs, and … well, it will only take a handful to gum up the system.
We’ll protest and fight, but we’ll do it differently this time.
As I was working through this, a song from Noel Paul Stookey was running through my head. In light of the recent death of his compatriot, Peter Yarrow, it is appropriate to resurface. Noel wrote this song at the start of Trump’s last turn, and the message remains true today:
I won’t “work together” to dismantle health care
or “work together” to lower the minimum wage
I won’t “work together” to allow the weakening
of gun control by the NRA
i can’t “work together” to persecute the muslim
or “work together” to build a wall
I won’t “work together” to limit the freedom of the press
without that freedom, freedom’s sure to fall
I won’t “work together” to de-fund education
or “work together” to suppress the vote
I won’t “work together” to eliminate the funding
for reproductive rights and you can quote (me)
I will not “work together” to ruin the environment
or desecrate sacred ground
why would we “work together” denying global warming
with all the scientific proof that we have found?
I won’t “work together” to cripple the unions
or “work together” to unplug PBS
I can’t “work together” to normalize the racist
or tolerate the hatred they profess
I won’t “work together” to turn away the refugee
or “work together” to approve the waterboard
I won’t “work together” to create more nuclear nations
as if more of them could put an end to war…
I will stand, my God I will stand
I will stand and do my part
I will stand and work together
for my conscience, for my country, for my heart
[“I Will Stand (Work Together)“, Noel Paul Stookey, 2017]
This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as Trumpanon: One Day at a Time by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.
I’ve been down all day with the results from last night, with only 
It’s that time again. We’re closing in on the general election. Sample ballots are starting to go out. As people are already starting to make up their minds, I figured I should try to get this out as early as I could. Every election, I do a detailed ballot analysis of my sample ballot. This is where I examine each candidate and share my conclusions, and invite you to convince me to vote for the other jerk. Because this is a long ballot, I’m splitting this analysis into a few chunks (note: links may not be available until all segments are posted):
