I know it’s bad.
There’s a question I get more and more frequently–during an after-speech Q and A, at lunch or dinner with friends, and on this platform: do I think the American experiment over? Is America going the way of Orban’s Hungary, or (even worse) Hitler’s Germany? Will the immense damage being done every day by Trump’s corrupt clown car of an administration prove to be irreversible?
There are obviously good reasons to expect the worst. I even have friends who are leaving the U.S.–heading for countries with competent governments (and national health care systems).
But I remain convinced that we will emerge from the current nightmare–that We the People will defeat the cranks, bigots and White Christian nationalists who currently exercise and abuse power.
I agree wholeheartedly with a recent newsletter from Robert Hubbell, in which he pointed to the incredible courage and effectiveness of the people of Minnesota. He pointed to the “Stop ICE for Good” campaign that he says has stiffened the spines of Democratic lawmakers and raised the anxiety levels of “mid-term wary Republicans.”
Trump tried to intimidate the people of Minnesota by unleashing a secret police force that had been told “the Constitution does not apply” and “you have absolute immunity” from state prosecution. But the people of Minnesota refused to be intimidated. Instead, they formed the equivalent of a citizens ’ mutual aid society, protesting, ride-sharing, grocery shopping, and serving as the community’s eyes and ears, watching and listening for the roving gangs of paramilitary thugs. The people of Minnesota made their stand in the coldest months of the year, braving temperatures that sometimes dipped to 30 degrees below zero (Fahrenheit).
In the end, the citizens of Minnesota won their battle with Trump’s Gestapo. As Hubbell acknowledges, that victory is not complete–but it is evidence that resistance is ultimately more powerful than autocrats understand. The magnificent effort mounted by ordinary Americans in Minnesota should encourage all of us–and it should also prompt each of us to do whatever we can to bring this increasingly ugly time to a close.
That brings me to a widely-cited eulogy delivered at Jesse Jackson’s funeral by former President Obama, in which he counseled us not to lose hope–not to give in to despair, despite the extent of the assaults we currently face. Obama has always been a powerful speaker, and there’s a reason so many outlets have quoted his remarks, especially the following paragraphs.
We are living in a time when it can be hard to hope. Each day we wake up to some new assault on our democratic institutions, another setback to the idea of the rule of law, an offense to common decency. Every day you wake up to things you just didn’t think were possible. Each day, we’re told by those in high office to fear each other and to turn on each other, and that some Americans count more than others, and that some don’t even count at all. Everywhere we see greed and bigotry being celebrated and bullying and mockery masquerading as strength, we see science and expertise denigrated while ignorance and dishonesty and cruelty and corruption are reaping untold rewards. Every single day we see that, and it’s hard to hope in those moments. So it may be tempting to get discouraged, to give into cynicism. It may be tempting for some to compromise with power, and grab what you can, or even for good people to maybe just put your head down and wait for the storm to pass.
But Jackson’s life inspires us to take a harder path. His voice calls on each of us to be heralds of change, to be messengers of hope…. Wherever we have a chance to make an impact, whether it’s in our school or our workplaces or our neighborhoods or our cities, not for fame, not for glory, or because success is guaranteed, but because it gives our life purpose, because it aligns with what our faith tells us God demands, and because if we don’t step up, no one else will.
The citizens of Minnesota stepped up. And by stepping up, they showed the rest of us what We the People can accomplish when–as a popular protest sign reminds us– enough of us say no.
Professor-priceless words. Thank you.
We have no choice, really. For me, sadly, I turn 84 in two weeks and can’t physically do what I used to do in such moments as these. But I can still write. If my surgery goes well next Tuesday, I’ll still have something of a speaking voice, so … I’ll do what I can.
And don’t forget, the people of Germany literally rose from the ashes of Hitlerism and WW II to rebuild a new kind of democratic republic that they never knew before. We will be forced to do that too, but not because we were blasted to dust by others, but because we abused our liberties and our democratic principles for too long. We listened to the corporate/banking liars that said we could all get rich.
When I was writing my op-eds and publishing my political essays, I noted that the percent of the abject poor didn’t change from when those data began before WW II and the 21st century. That means the number of poor people in America grew in number. When one looks at the income growth curves, we see the lies in full view.
How will we rebuild our democracy and “edit” the Constitution to prevent what’s happening now to ever again occur, make our society more fair and egalitarian and actually walk the walk of seeing what each of us can do to enhance the society – at all levels of living – to the place of our collective abilities?
There is no perfect plan to govern any nation peopled with different races, religions, creeds, needs and abilities; there is a reason that WE THE PEOPLE, democracy, has made America the one nation on the globe that thousands daily try to make their way here inside our borders. That reason is not dictatorship or monarchy; but democracy is not without its problems due to individuals who want their needs to be met before all others. Racism and bigotry and some form of caste system has always been the way of life, it is found in ancient history from long before the Bible was written, with each author including HIS personal beliefs and demands for leadership. Women always 10 steps behind men; but look at our women in leadership roles in democracy.
The Civil Rights Movement here was one race seeking EQUAL rights long denied; they sought to be part of WE THE PEOPLE, not to take control or for financial benefits they hadn’t worked for in jobs previously denied.
Does Trump’s current form of leadership have an identifying title? Even Putin, in his dictatorship, had the agreement of his governmental body approval to invade Ukraine and other nations to seek to reform the Soviet Union. Trump sought control over Greenland (or Iceland?), Panama Canal Zone, et al, and now has Cuba in his cross hairs to form his own Trump Union. Trump joined hands outside our borders with another self-styled dictator to declare war on Iran who was stronger than each of them separately and together they are not finding the takeover as easy and fast as they believed.
As Sheila stated; “The citizens of Minnesota stepped up. And by stepping up, they showed the rest of us what We the People can accomplish when–as a popular protest sign reminds us– enough of us say no.” WHY ELSE IS TRUMP WORKING ENDLESSLY AND ILLEGALLY OUTSIDE OF DEMOCRACY, RULE OF LAW AND THE CONSTITUTION TO PREVENT US FROM VOTING TO TELL HIM “NO”?
Hello, Vernon
I too am a dinosaur, just a bit younger than you and moved into a retirement home just the day after Thanksgiving last year. Best wishes for your upcoming surgery. Here are my latest ramblings on the new American democracy, couched in sarcastic language but with a very serious intent. I7m a long-term expat in Japan, but I hate watching everything America used to stand for get flushed down the swamp.
Tricameral government
Since the beginning of human civilization, opinion on every major political issue has trifurcated into a yes-faction, a no-faction, and a fence-sitter faction. The emergence of the political duopoly has distorted the tri-polar nature of our collective opinion to the point where, if there is any perceived chance of their own personal priorities ever being enacted into law, ordinary citizens are forced to adhere to one major party’s position on every issue, whether they actually agree with the party’s stance or not. Voting for a third-party is essentially a wasted vote, and may even help the less preferred candidate. This is particularly noticeable when one of the two major parties is focused and unified while the other is a herd of cats without an effective catherd.
In place of the current disfunctional system of non-representative representation, where the flip of just one seat can have dramatic consequences, I propose an equilateral tricameral legislature. The current system of statewide elections for two Senators each and various numbers of Representatives would become a historical relic in favor of equally weighted electoral districts, with elections supervised by each district’s own judiciary and law enforcement.
“States” would no longer exist in any practical sense. “Electoral districts” would essentially align with postal ZIP codes or telephone area codes, but be adjusted as necessary to include no more than 1,000,000 people in contiguous areas, so that no one district would carry any more weight than the others. Elections would be conducted according to the principles of rank order voting, supervised by the members of each voting district’s own judiciary and law enforcement structures.
Candidates for public office would declare their stances on the various issues of the day in regular locally televised roundtable discussions (replacing the circus sideshows formerly known as “debates,” which were really nothing of the sort). These district roundtables would be televised at the communities’ expense, with real-time fact-checking likewise supervised by the judicial branch. Privately funded campaigns would be regarded as prima-facie evidence of corruption, and attempts to conceal them will result in the exposed candidate to be disqualified from the ballot.
The top vote-getting candidate would become the district’s Nagus (formerly known as either “the Mayor” or “the Governor”), and the next three vote-getters will be randomly allocated to three-year terms in the tricameral federal Congress: one each to
the federal House of Doofuses,
the federal House of Knuckleheads, and
the federal House of Birdbrains,
such that the yes- no- and maybe factions of all districts combined are each equally represented in all three houses of perennially churning membership. These officers would divide their time serving in both the federal and district houses: as the district representatives in the federal houses and back home as chairpersons of the three District Councils.
In contrast to the100 State Senators and various numbers of State Representatives as mandated by the current Constitution, about 350 representatives would comprise each house. To inhibit the development of cliques (formally known as “parties”) the members of each house would be rotated each ear. The three-year federal term would thus be divided into one year of service in each house with constantly shifting compositions. All three houses would operate under the same rules of conduct and any house may initiate and type of bill.
Under this system of representation, the concept of national and statewide elections conducted by fifty-some gerrymandered state election commissions would become impossible: wealthy districts would continue to be represented in the three federal houses by wealthy Doofuses, Knuckleheads, and Birdbrains, but less wealthy districts too would be represented by members of their own socioeconomic class, as would predominantly homogenous racial, ethnic, religious, or other “identity” groups. Diversity of thought would be guaranteed, and honest consideration would be strongly incentivized.
Candidates for the office of Grand Nagus will be advanced to the public after extensive negotiations within the three legislative houses. In addition to the minimum age requirement imposed by the current Constitution, a maximum age too would be imposed. Once again, electoral campaigns would be publicly funded, illegal attempts at private funding would be penalized as corruption, and the elections themselves would be supervised by the local judiciary and local law enforcement.
Acts of legislation would need the majority vote of all three houses to pass and veto power would be accorded to not only the GNOT-DCONA (the “Grand Nagus of the Distributed Communities of North America, formerly known as POTUS, “the President of the United States of America”) but also to the Supreme Court (SCOT-DCONA, formerly known as CLAWTUS, the “Corrupt LAW-Twisters of the United States” as well. Delegates of both GNOT-DCONA and SCOT-DCONA would be eligible to participate in legislative discussions and negotiations in any or all three houses; likewise the district judiciry and law enforcement delegates.
For their offices and meetings, two of the future houses can use the two currently existing legislative facilities; the third proposed house can use the big beautiful Trump ballroom (formerly known as the TWHDEW, “the Trump White House’s Desecrated East Wing”) as soon as it is completed. The anger of millions of Americans at this former temple to the memory of the record-setting corruption of TGFOAT, the greatest Ferengi of all time, will be the fire from which the phoenix of American democracy arises.
Trump’s SAVE Act will require all married women to apply to County Circuit Courts for copies of birth certificates and marriage licenses just as DMV required for Real ID Drivers License. To reapply for Voter Registration will require the same proof with Birth Certificate name at birth the proof of change of name when married and for multiple marriages. The inundation of applications will overload the system with applications received in a timely manner via Internet or Trump’s USPS “snail mail” service these days to receive required copies of documents. There is much more involved than simply changing a woman’s name to allow them to legally vote involved in this crap shoot.
Would a Real ID Drivers License be acceptable regarding previously proven name changes as well as photo ID required at the polls to vote? We are already actively into the 2026 Election process; if women’s names already voted in Primaries can their names be purged due to lack of proof of name change? The questions regarding any of Trump’s demands and voter purging could be pushed back to his new demands of 2020 Election results if he decides to make the Act retroactive.
The shit gets deeper as we move into the 2026 Election process because as the continued 2020 “Stop the Steal” becomes more active; is this more distraction in Trump’s SCOTUS full immunity on all issues he decides to add?
WE THE PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW!
Jim Swan,
In light of your massive and lengthy overhaul suggestions, you should read my book, “Racing to the Brink: The End Game for Race and Capitalism.” You’ll discover that we would be on each other’s planning staffs. LOL.
BTW, you should polish this essay and get it published.
Jim Swan; OMG! It’s deeper than I envisioned. To obtain my Real ID Drivers License I had to apply for legal copies of my four, yes four, marriage licenses along with my birth certificate. I had my original birth certificate; 8 1/2 X 11 inches, heavy paper and with the official State of Indiana gold seal. That birth certificate threw the DMV staff into a huddle and required approval by the office manager to accept.
Will the 2026 Election requirements and qualifications to legally vote keep more voters at home, leaving Trump’s possible Third Term to become probable and would that allow us to put former President Barack Obama on the ballot against him? Is a puzzlement!!!
Vernon,
I’m praying that your surgery goes well, with no complications and an easy recuperation.
Can we recover from our current nightmare? Yes, absolutely we can. Then we need laser focus on how to prevent it from happening again. Remember, just because something is unconstitutional, doesn’t make it illegal.
Mainers also stepped up, just like Minnesota. The national media didn’t pay attention, probably because no white resisters were killed. But Mainers were well prepared: the Maine Council of Churches led an interfaith coalition with training sessions statewide starting last September, and sent of faith leaders to Minnesota. Many congregations trained teams that sprang into action when ICE started “Catch of the Day” in January. A statewide hot line helped those in need be connected to volunteers, including lawyers. Everyone knew to give others info on caring for children, who to call, etc. Because of the preparation, many who were swept up were eventually retrieved, even from detention in other states, by court orders, and brought home despite being left abruptly, without money, in places where they knew no one. Ordinary citizens followed ICE around, despite being threatened in scary ways, and not only recorded what happened but took info from detainees to help track them and notify family. In my retirement community, residents donated food and money collected weekly by resident volunteers. Others demonstrated in the cold, many reliant on walkers.
Thomas Brown, the Episcopal bishop, met with immigrants to learn more specifically how to help. One thing they asked for was a ready-to-eat Angolan stew. He worked with them to take their recipe, adapt it to available ingredients, tested it himself, and then sent it to every Episcopal parish in Maine. Many helped, but my favorite was a parish in Calais – 350 miles from southern Maine where most immigrants are. They welcomed multiple volunteers from the area, who had stew-making parties. Then they coordinated with parishes in towns to relay big pots of the stew to get it to Portland. A singer-songwriter was so taken by the story he recorded a song about it. I couldn’t link it, but if you google “Jim Sharkey Muamba Chicken Stew” it’ll come up.
After about a month, ICE ended their surge, and pulled out the extra thugs. I guess they decided it just wasn’t worth it. Resistance works!
PS: Maine has maybe 180,000 immigrants, many asylum applicants working legally, with almost none with criminal records. I gather Texas has at least 2 million undocumented, and Florida 1.5 million. Funny ICE isn’t bothering them, but wasting billions of our tax money to attack blue states.
As long as the Constitution and the Bill of Rights lives on in our hearts and in our daily actions the country is not lost.
Not only is your post superb, Sheila, but the comments it has inspired start my day on a high—a rare occurrence, I have to admit. I agree with Vern about publishing Jim Swan’s missive….and, frankly, given the number of posts with following commentary I read, this one, repeatedly, is tops!!
Vernon, hope the surgery goes well. Your voice is needed.