Democracy isn’t a spectator sport, and it isn’t a gift granted by an orator or strongman. Self-governance requires a lot more than merely shouting your desire for it – a people who elect a person promising “more freedom” are condemned to be ruled by snake oil salesmen.
9-months into every progressive’s worst nightmare, Trump supporters continue to bask in victory without much direction beyond the concessions stand. While ADAPT is righteously saving Medicaid and Obamacare, Trump voters restrict their democratic participation to the mob-thrills: elections and rallies… The Endless Rally: In Search of the Perfect Chant. But Democracy requires more. Much more.
It’s well past due for Trumpters to move beyond electoral bombast and do American Democracy, not just decry it. It’s time the Trump “coalition” stop shouting at democracy and start practicing it. As it stands, the Trump voter movement is little more than a bowel belch that’s making Russia giggle while the rest of the world holds its nose and politely turns away.
Trumpsters & democrats can agree on policy – if they get over politics
Practicing democracy requires translating bumpersticker politics into actionable policy. “Build that wall” won’t solve Trump voter problems (nor will it work to ease their relentless fear of Change and Other). However, if they can temporarily get over their inbred-DNA-hatred of “DAMN DEMOCRATS!”, then they will discover willing policymaking partners in support one of their favorite battle cries: drain the swamp.
Lords know Trumpsters are angry. We get it. We accept it. The Orange One is still riding their anger-wave on his oldschool longboard – as he will continue to do until his dying day1. Yes, Donald J. Trump will be interred with the best of them; with pomp and most definitely circumstance… we can only hope The Mooch will be one of the pallbearers.
The problem2 is Trump voter anger prevents their translating politics into policy. All they know – and therefore all they understand – is that they’re damn angry and want to drain the swamp. Ask them how, and they have no clear idea because the extent of their life-participation in democracy is chanting at rallies and voting. Trump voters need to be taught that if they really want to self-govern, then they need to step up their game a hell of a lot more than that.3
Democracy isn’t a spectator sport, and it isn’t a gift granted by an orator or strongman. Self-governance requires a lot more than merely shouting your desire for it – a people who elect a person promising “more freedom” are condemned to be ruled by snake oil salesmen. People have to take responsibility for self-governance… you can’t be a grown up without also doing your chores.
I ask Americans who voted for Trump: do you want to rule your own lives? Then stop waiting for Trump to fix all your problems!
… One of the great ironies of Trump voters is they arrogantly claim to pull themselves up by their bootstraps while simultaneously praying to Jesus for salvation, relying on government subsidies to live, and voting for Trump to magically save them from the future (for which their anti-education mentality has made them wholly underprepared). In truth, I can empathize: my life is a mess, too. But at least I’m self-aware enough to know it’s a mess of my own making, and that no one – no one – can, or will ever magically fix it for me.
A bird walked on Hope…
Like the Obamatons, Trumpsters gave their hope to their candidate; they forked it over. But Hope doesn’t bestow Change. Hope is something a person has, not a people. Giving your hope to someone else – hanging your hope-hat on the promised actions of another – makes you less whole and less capable of dealing with the day-to-day. That’s OK for a lover or a spouse, but it’s not a good idea for politics and policymaking.
Hope is what makes a person strong enough to keep fighting, keep pushing, and keep problem solving. ADAPT doesn’t hope someone else will “save” them – they save themselves. The problem with most Americans is they put their hope into candidates rather than into themselves. If the Obamatons and the Trumpsters took back their hope – reclaimed it from their candidates so that it once again buttresses their own actions – well, then, we might actually get something accomplished.
How can America drain the swamp?
Whereas republicans in Alabama decided to tackle draining the swamp by means of voting for a gun-toting, homophobic, twice de-benched slave of Fundamentalism – POLITUSIC has a different idea: Kill Citizens United.
And why not? Topically, Alabama is a recent survivor of a category 5 super PAC pummeling. Mitch McConnell’s super PAC threw millions into that race. Alabama voters didn’t buy it, but I’m certain they hated it. Trump voters are primed to learn the truth about the boring topic of “campaign finance laws”, and why reform is fundamental to draining the swamp.
The first step of draining the swamp is one that all (non-rich) Americans support: end super PACs. Democrats hate super PACs because they hate inequality. Trumpsters hate super PACs because they hate the establishment… they just don’t realize super PACs are the establishment. Trumpsters must be taught: if we don’t remove the hundreds of millions of mega-donor dollars in American politics… then the swamp will never be drained4.
Citizens United is the damn that created the swamp. If y’all are telling the truth and really want to drain the swamp, then you must break the damn. On this matter of policy, Trumpsters and Obamatons can agree – so reclaim your damn hope and get ‘er done!
1 One cannot cannot resist the temptation to envisage a gold-plated casket placed into a monster tomb protected by two larger-than-life marble reliefs of Trump; thumbs up5 and a full head of hair (back)
2 Among others. (back)
3 Like understanding why Kaepernick, and those who followed, started kneeling in the first place. (back)
4 Especially given the nifty loophole that allows money raised for campaigns can be used to pay legal fees (back)
5 Thumbs on hands that are noticably larger than real life.
