The Republican Takeover and What To Do About It

Some highly unscientific and completely subjective political odds:

Trump is impeached: less than ten percent
Democrats win the House in 2018: thirty percent
Democrats win the Senate in 2018: one percent

Unless Democrats pull off a mathematical miracle, Trump is going to be the president for a full four-year term. The chances of impeachment are extremely low with a Republican majority in both bodies of Congress. Even if you impeach and convict the current president, Igor Pence is waiting in the wings to take the country back into the Stone Age. The chances of flipping Congress are low, so don't expect big changes.

The impeachment fairy is not going to get us out of this mess. Republicans are entrenched in every branch of the federal government and in a majority of state legislatures, and they are doing everything possible to protect their territory and make it difficult for Democrats to have an impact even when they turn out in greater numbers.

These are the facts. Spending money on special elections in red states and "nearly winning" races is like getting drunk and convincing yourself that the attractive bartender wants to take you home and have your baby. It just isn't true.

Democrats sunk their own boat when (a) they didn't protect union and manufacturing jobs and (b) they didn't have the political will to implement single-payer healthcare and a living minimum wage. They sold out to the same corporations and investors and big banks that the Republicans all secretly support.

The Republicans, driving by their superior propaganda networks, their irrational stances on guns and abortion, and their visceral hatred of all things Clinton and Obama, dug in and realized the dream that they had been forging for forty years when Jerry Falwell's amoral minority first demonstrated why the founding fathers wanted a clear separation of church and state.

That said, what the flip do we do about it?

1. Forget about government in the near term. It cannot save you. It works for greedy corporations and powerful special interests. Your ex is now sleeping with someone new. She rides him hard every night, and she is never, ever coming back to you. It's time to give up on her. (With luck, you can elect a new soul mate in a few years, but that process cannot be rushed.)

2. Support NGOs with private funding. If Pence and McConnell want to defund Planned Parenthood, let them. They won. They have the power. They can do what they want. Organizations like Planned Parenthood need record support from private donations. The power that put Sanders on the map can keep these organizations afloat. Get corporations - the ones that don't like Trump - to pitch in.

3. Support legal challenges. This would be a great time to make a donation to the ACLU, the Southern Poverty Law Center, the National Resources Defense Council, or any of a number of other watchdog groups. Legal challenges are expensive, but at this point, they are all that's stopping the Republicans from a full fascist takeover of the USA. 

4. Protest. Let your voice be heard. Express your dissatisfaction. Write to your congressman. Write letters to the editor. Attend rallies and town halls. Voter feedback is making a difference in the healthcare debate. It can make a difference on other policy debates as well.

5. Brace yourself for a long, hard future. Trump is likely to load the Supreme Court with conservatives over the next four years. Young, healthy conservatives. This is why the 2016 election was a must win for Democrats who, unfortunately, felt that it was more important to bicker over how the DNC is run than line up behind a candidate who could appoint some moderate and progressive justices. Opportunity missed. Lesson learned? Probably not. A new Dark Age has begun, and there's not much that progressives can do to stop it.

Copyright © 2017 Daniel R. South 

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