Hitting rock-bottom with Trump

Americans are at a disadvantage when confronted with home-grown fascism, and kleptocracy, because there’s nothing in our genetic memory, our lived experience, that tells us how to fight it.

It’s hard not to get dispirited with everything going on.

I really believe that Americans are at a disadvantage when confronted with home-grown fascism, and kleptocracy, because there’s nothing in our genetic memory, our lived experience, that tells us how to effectively confront it.

To think that what was stopping our country from becoming a criminal state wasn’t the Constitution, the “rule of law,” or our better cultural breeding (“we’re not like EUROPE, they have that history of fascism and extremist parties on the right and left — not in America, land of the free!”). No, our fascist-free existence wasn’t evidence of our exceptionalism, it was simply a frail social contract waiting to be broken by the next narcissistic charlatan who cared so little about others, and the rule of law, that he simply broke things on purpose, not worrying about the consequences.

It’s an amazing thing, actually. America was always waiting and ready to be broken.

For years, Republicans have wanted to dismantle the Department of Education. Trump did it with the swipe of a pen. So many horrible things Republicans have wanted to do could have been done, had some sociopath simply forged ahead and done it anyway. I was talking with a friend about this the other day. Whether America needed a Truth and Reconciliation Commission after Trump was gone — basically, an official body that documents all his crimes, and figures out the fixes. My friend’s response? We already have such a commission — it’s Trump and his cronies. They’re lining up everybody to the left of Atilla the Hun. They’re going to destroy us, and our democratic institutions, in order to usher in their own fascist — there’s that word again — un-democratic, authoritarian state. At least they’re going to try.

In addition to a lot of pessimism, the friend did offer some good advice. The next time Democrats — or a sane Republican — control the White House and Congress — assuming that ever happens — we need to pass a series of laws restricting the president’s power so that he can never again do what Trump is doing.

Also, and the Supreme Court might have officially put the kabosh on this already, but Trump and his staff, and all his enablers, need to be prosecuted for any and all crimes committed while in office. It doesn’t matter what it does the country. Without the rule of law, the country is already lost. These people tried to violently overthrow the government on January 6, and they got away with it. Just imagine what they’re going to do next time. They’re not going to turn violent because the courts hold them responsible. They’re already violent, and will become increasingly so unless and until the courts hold them responsible for their crimes.

But again, the Supreme Court may have nixed that entirely, by ruling that practically everything a president does is immune from prosecution.

Having said that, I still believe in fighting. One lesson I’ve learned in nearly 40 years in politics, is that power comes and goes. One day the Republicans control everything, and Dems are convinced they’ll never be back in power, the next it’s Republicans in free-fall. The pendulum swings. And I know, some are saying “but will we ever have elections again?” Well, if Trump tries to stop us from holding elections, which would literally be the end of our democracy, I suspect he’d have a serious problem with social unrest, starting with opposition from the US military itself. I can’t imagine a lot of the generals would stand for Trump doing that. It’s a dangerous brew, to be sure. But I cannot believe that a lot of powerful people would just sit back and accept Trump ending our democracy.

The thing is, we haven’t really ever had an attempted fascist takeover by a felon who tried to violently overthrow the government. Trump is willing to do things that no Republican ever dared. That makes the threat he poses more pernicious, and unprecedented (as noted above). But the voters got tired of the guy once, in 2020. They can grow weary of him again, regardless of how God awful dumb they clearly are for re-electing him just four years after they threw him out.

It’s our job to make the voters weary. To keep reminding them what a crook and abject failure Trump is. And to make them regret ever voting him into office. But even then, MAGA has to be repudiated. Americans need to re-learn that authoritarianism, law-breaking, cronyism, and corruption are never the answer. And I fear they’re going to need to hit rock bottom for that to happen, they’re going to need to watch Trump destroy the economy. I really don’t see how else people change their minds on him. He needs to hurt them — oh, and he will — but it needs to be such a profound pain that they never go there again. And I have no idea if we will ever get to that point.

So, yes, I am still “hopeful.” I think we can beat him. I’m not sure how. But we really don’t have a choice. And, don’t forget, one way authoritarians win is by putting up no resistance, by capitulating in advance. It’s what some, but not all, of those law firms did when Trump illegally threatened them for helping prosecute the January 6 terrorists. Some law firms went to court and beat Trump. Others caved. We must never cave. He still doesn’t control the courts. Even a Trump-appointed judge ruled against Trump, quite nastily, the other day. Half the electorate may not care if America becomes lawless, but, so far, the courts still do.

And that alone gives me hope.

JOHN