“I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose any voters, OK? It’s, like, incredible.”
Donald John Trump – January 2016
Depending on whether you are a Democrat, Republican, or Other, the outcome of November’s election caused strong emotional reactions. I am concentrating on those with whom I most closely align my socio-political views.
For the record, I consider myself fiscally conservative and socially liberal. I consider each issue on its merits and prefer to use a wide angle lens when deciding where I stand. In most cases I am moderate in my views.
The outcome of the election was horrific. I can hardly believe that we elected a convicted felon. He subverted the very office for which he has been re-elected. He stated many years ago that he could shoot someone in broad daylight and get away with it. Based on how the courts have treated the many accusations against him, It seems he is right! He attempted to retain the presidency by force.
There are so many social norms that he says he will either abolish or change. Issues that have been fought for and won through the legislative process and in the courts. I won’t itemize them here. Suffice it to say that we seem to be returning to darker, oppressive times.
Economists argue that the new Republican world economic posture will not have the intended outcome. They believe it will do the opposite of what the man and his minions project. Corralling and/or deporting immigrants will vastly deplete the work force for many necessary jobs. Adversely impacting our economy. It has been proven many times. Trickle down economics neither boosts the economy nor helps the middle and lower economic classes. Deficits soar. It’s a bleak outlook for many this year and for a few years to come. Yet as time goes by we see that the world has not yet ended.
I used to discuss global issues with my dad when I was a young man. I took a stance based on bible quotes. That we are in the end days of civilization, if not the earth itself. Wars, rumors of wars. Pestilence, disease, famine. Oppression and the mark of the beast. Those who know the New Testament know exactly to what I am referring.
Dad would take a completely different stance. He argued that the prophecies about the end of the world are part of our human experience. These prophecies, those maladies mentioned above, have existed for thousands of years. The earth has gone through many changes. Sure, some have been cataclysmic. So far, we are still here.
It is true that many signs point to an exclusive political and social environment. Yet I see glimmers of hope. There are many who openly oppose the restrictive, oppressive intentions of the soon-to-be powers in Washington. There are signs of understanding and cooperation. Even some people who voted for tridiot recognize that he is inept and dangerous. Signs point to opportunities for wins in the legislature and in the courts.
You very well might disagree. But I don’t think a negative attitude is productive. Now is the time to fight for our future. Ultimately, elections will decide. Unless, of course, tridiot is successful in his prediction that if elected, “in four years, you don’t have to vote again. We’ll have it fixed so good, you’re not gonna have to vote.” But I suspect that will be much more difficult to achieve than we fear.
Think back to tridiot’s first term in office. The wall. Tariffs. Deportations. Sure. some of his agenda was accomplished. But what the tridiot minions don’t remember is that most of his blowhard blustering was just that. No substance.
I realize that he has a favorable congress. He has stacked the judicial with politicized conservative judges. Yet somehow court decisions continue to be fair and just. Who knows if this will continue. I want to believe that saner minds will eventually prevail. I hope my dad was right!
Obviously, I have no more of a crystal ball that you. And I am by nature skeptical and, as I age, cynical. Yet I have hope and a certain level of confidence that we will survive the coming assault on our democracy. Some evidence to the contrary. In a way, I feel like I’m doing something to advance a positive outcome just by writing this message.
I feel your pain! We never thought we would live to see this happen. I am afraid for my children and grandchildren, and I pray that truth, honesty, common sense, and goodness will prevail in the end.
Hope all is well for you, Keith.
I found this article very helpful…
How to live under Trump II
What will be your posture in a second Trump era? Resistance? Retreating into the local? Returning to your craft?
Anand Giridharadas
Jan 07, 2025
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Is it by standing in perpetual resistance, philosophical fisticuffs in the air, chanting about democracy, calling out each incremental outrage?
Maybe it is. But maybe, I hear people saying of late, there are other postures to consider.
For some, it is the posture of retreat into the realms you can control: into private life, where you can make a good world for your children and loved ones even if you are struggling to achieve a good world in general. It may be a retreat into doing your actual work, your actual craft, your actual art, resuming a creative posture rather than living in a mode of reaction to the actions of a wannabe autocrat. And this posture of retreat is not, I think, like military retreat. It is not about handing over the country. It is rooted in the thought that what might make the country resistant to what has been happening to it is not more resistance but more health at the roots. Maybe what we can do is nourish the roots again.
For some, there is allure in the posture of returning to the local. I hear many people who are not turning away from politics in general, but who are redefining the geographic sphere to which they pay the most attention. They are thinking closer to home. They are going to meetings they always left other people to go to. Again, this doesn’t seem to me like a capitulation to anything. It seems like an analysis of where there is actually room to maneuver.”
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Thank you, Mary. Though I didn’t read the entire article, I like the concept. Grass roots impact worked well for the opposition. Personal efforts and responsibility can have far reaching effects.
You are welcome…I was listening to an interview with Anand Giridharadas about this article and found him very thoughtful offering ideas of things we can actually make a difference in doing. Go to the city council or school board meetings where they are trying to ban books or pushing for teachers to carry guns in schools, etc. I also considered the comments about returning to your creative side and your music. I’m glad to see you immersing yourself in your songwriting and music again.
Pay attention to local elections and attend town halls held by your Representatives and Senators for Iowa and nationally. You never know what will happen. I’ve probably sent this to you or mentioned it in the past, but this is my blog about when I went to a Senator Grassley town hall and ended up on Morning Joe, Greta, and several major national newspapers and magazines. The pressure local constituents were putting on Grassley was noticed.
https://farmgirlcookn.com/not-a-paid-activist-just-an-iowa-farm-girl/
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Excerpt:
This Tuesday, I went to my first town hall –ever! I went to express my concerns to Iowa Senator Grassley about a number of things, but mostly about the dangers of repealing the ACA without an adequate and quick replacement. Who knew that before the end of the day, I would have people sending me clips of me on Greta, and in the morning I’d wake up and see myself on Morning Joe — Wow — that was surreal !!! And boy I am glad I managed to comb my hair, put on a little lipstick, and throw on a clean sweater.
Have a great weekend.
Not all court decisions have been fair and just. The Hobbs decision, for one, that overturned Roe. Also expanding presidential immunity. But I have to think the pendulum will swing back sharply after these next few years. At least I hope so!
I have to add that I miss those arguments/debates with Dad. I learned a lot from him!
I suppose I should have said “some” rulings have been fair and just. I was thinking of those that went against tridiot personally.