THE WAY FORWARD FOR PROGRESSIVES IN TRUMP’S WAKE

    Apocryphal Chinese curse - May you live in interesting times.

    Voltaire - We must tend to our garden.

    As the omnipresent sounds and sights of progressives rending cloth and gnashing teeth over the past fortnight powerfully demonstrates, an ignorant, anti-democratic, immigrant-bashing, climate change denying demagogue won the Presidential election two weeks ago. With both houses of Congress in Republican hands, an open seat on the Supreme Court, and 33 states governed by Republicans, Trump's power seems nearly unfettered. How should we respond? One is reminded of the old baseball manager riddle: Question: What's your strategy when you're down 13 runs in the top of the 4th? Answer: Pray for rain.

    Nevertheless, there are probably a few things we can do. America's two most prominent progressives Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have suggested that they are willing to work with Trump within limits to the extent he focuses on "improving the lives of middle class families" and "rebuild[ing] the economy for working people." But Sanders also promised to "vigorously oppose" Trump “to the degree that he pursues racist, sexist, xenophobic and anti-environment policies."

    Hawaii Democrat Tulsi Gabbard accepted an invitation to meet with Trump Monday November 21 to discuss the violence in Syria. She indicated in an email to her supporters the following day that Trump appeared truly interested in her views and listened respectfully to her call for peace with Syria and the need to devote our resources to rebuilding our country. Like Sanders and Warren, Gabbard also reassured supporters that she would "not hesitate to express" disagreement with "President Trump."

    Sanders, Warren, and Gabbard are doing the right thing in my opinion. Demonizing Trump or pledging to limit him to one-term in office would almost certainly be counterproductive. Fundamentally a narcissist, the President-elect has shown that he is susceptible to flattery but lashes out the moment he feels under attack. Thus cooperation or even muted praise when warranted may reduce the likelihood that Trump will pander to his base’s baser instincts.

    Moreover, a refusal to work with Trump to the extent he actually does propose commonsense job-creation plans - such as rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure - and to withdraw troops from the Middle East could prove fatal for Democratic election prospects in the future. If exit polls are to believed, Trump owes his electoral success to voters who desire change in the way government works - including a perception of excessive partisanship on both sides of the aisle. In order to demonstrate they put country over party, progressive Democrats would be wise to stake out policy areas where a dialogue with Trump could prove fruitful.

    Certainly there are good reasons to be skeptical. New York Times columnist Paul Krugman has written that Trump's plan to rebuild America is really a massive giveaway to corporations that would receive property rights in, rather than payment for, the projects they construct. We must do our utmost to stymie privatization of our roads, post offices, and airports.

    We must also be prepared to stand up and say no when Trump or his followers target minorities for persecution or move to deprive Americans of basic economic rights such as health care or retirement benefits. One of the more frightening of the many frightening proposals being bandied about by the incoming administration is to round up millions of undocumented immigrants. Kudos to the many communities, law enforcement officials, and school districts - including Montgomery County Public Schools - that have stated that they will not participate or provide any assistance to federal actions to arrest immigrants.

    Although Trump has not called for a Muslim registry, he has not ruled one out either. The right response should the incoming administration call for Muslims, or individuals of any other discrete group, to identify themselves to the authorities: A broad coalition of faith and non-faith based groups muster their adherents and members to register regardless of religious affiliation.

    As progressives, we should reach out to Trump supporters when possible. Many will respond to a call for true economic justice - medicare for all, free or affordable public colleges and universities, a true middle-class jobs program - especially if they do not sense patronization or condescension on our part. After all, a significant aspect of Trump’s appeal in the still depressed Midwest was his promise not to enter into the TPP and to abrogate previous trade deals which - whatever their benefits - have cost millions of Americans good-paying manufacturing jobs and exerted downward pressure on wages throughout the country.

    In the wake of Trump’s election, the old adage think globally but act locally was never truer or as Voltaire said in Candide - we must tend to our garden. Voices on the left will have little to no affect on the new President and his advisers and appointees.

    But we can exert pressure on local lawmakers to protect reproductive rights, to expand low-cost healthcare, and to continue our transition away from fossil fuels towards a clean green energy future. We can insist that our public schools protect minorities and we can we can reiterate to our children the importance of treating each other with respect and empathizing with the less fortunate.

    A group for which I blog, Progressive Maryland, is initiating a new push to identify and assist progressives who wish to run for office. Certainly, we must create a pipeline of qualified and appealing progressive politicians.

    Trump’s election is very troubling. There are good reasons to fear the damage of which he and advisers capable. Our duty is to try to limit their harm and, where and if possible, to steer them towards responsible, even beneficial, policies while cultivating our garden.

    Comments

    "Sanders, Warren, and Gabbard are doing the right thing in my opinion. Demonizing Trump or pledging to limit him to one-term in office would almost certainly be counterproductive."

    Well, ignoring Warren in the equation, I'm so glad it's time to reach across the aisle and stop demonizing opponents. If only Sanders and Gabbard and their followers had done this back in June and July, we might not be having to learn how to speak Republican right now.

    Anyone bother to count the damage that non-stop demonization of the DNC caused in these elections?

    Try this: "In mid-June, Gabbard said she was still "not prepared" to back Clinton," finally giving Hillary a rather tepid endorsement 2 months later with    But she has no problem meeting with Trump 2 weeks after his win to push her rather controversial assertion that "a no-fly zone would escalate the war in Syria. That would lead to “more death and suffering, exacerbate the refugee crisis, strengthen (the Islamic State) and al-Qaeda, and bring us into a direct conflict with Russia which could result in a nuclear war,”" 

    Yep, I've been hearing about that coming nuclear war whether over Syria or Crimea/Donbas or even Chechnya. Meanwhile Syria and Russia are hitting civilians in Aleppo hard, but somehow Tuli's concerns about them didn't make her sound bite now or a year ago. Shame she couldn't take the time to praise the progress in retaking Mosul, or something positive.

    "She’s a lawmaker who has a soft spot for dictatorial regimes. She pals around with Sheldon Adelson. She’s declined to sign onto an assault weapons ban. She opposes admitting refugees. She a frequent fixture on Fox News, where she has slammed the president over his refusal to use the term “Islamic extremism” to refer to terror attacks."

    Elsewhere: "The Hawaii congresswoman was also one of just 47 Democrats who voted for a bill that would make it all but impossible to admit new refugees into the United States...And oddly enough, considering her state’s reliance on the tourism industry, she mirrored Trump’s overreach on immigration issues by calling for European passport holders to be forced to apply for tourist visas, citing terror concerns.... But foreign policy is not the only realm where Gabbard and Trump see eye to eye: She is also wishy-washy on gun control. Trump opposes a ban on assault weapons, a flip-flop from his prior positions; Gabbard, meanwhile, is conspicuously missing from Democrat efforts to legislate the issue. Eighty percent of Democrats, including fellow Hawaii Democrat Rep. Mark Takai, are co-sponsors of a bill that would ban so-called assault weapons—Gabbard is not among them."

    Here's the Inquisitr backing Jill Stein over Hillary in September - while still claiming the primaries were "rigged", plus proclaiming how Tulsi could run against Trump in 2020 - using his own talking points?

    Sanders at least finally got off his high horse at the convention, & got in a pretty good month of campaigning in October. Warren was "with her" from the moment Clinton had won. The rest of the gang? A pretty mixed record.


    Good points. Trumps Education Secretary is the sister of Eric Prince, the Blackwater war profiteer whose trigger happy 'security' guys raked automatic weapons fire into innocent civs in Baghdad on more than one occasion. The Trump nominee, DeVos, is another millionaire/billionaire, and she supports the Acton 'think tank' which supports the return of child labor. See Work is a gift for our children.

    Trumps mob of white supremacist nutjobs want to privatize everything from public schools to Medicare to Social Security, with vouchers payable to the GOP connected billionaire owned for profit Wall Street traded corporations of your choice. And they want to also privatize any and all public infrastructure that can make money by stiffing the suckers people they fly over.

    And cutting taxes on corporate profits to top it off, and income taxes, giving 95+% of income tax cuts to the 1%.

    They also plan to finally eliminate the inheritance tax. It mpacts only start to occur with estates above 5 1/2 million. So kids like Barron never have the gift of child labor bestowed on them, and they can get those million dollar loans when they grow up. All paid for by the middle class.

    This is an administration heading to disaster after disaster, and there will be nothing progressive about it, Bernie's or other progressives fantasies notwithstanding.

     


    I can't help but wonder If you watched Trump rallies during this election cycle because this comment has me confused:

    As progressives, we should reach out to Trump supporters when possible. Many will respond to a call for true economic justice - medicare for all, free or affordable public colleges and universities, a true middle-class jobs program - especially if they do not sense patronization or condescension on our part.

    The Trump supporters who consider the ACA to be socialism surely will not respond positively to a progressive call for a "medicare for all" form of insurance.  The GOPers intend to KILL Medicare as it exists now.  The TeaPartiers and Alt-Right groupies really don't want government money going for public schools at all, and in no way would support help for students in college if it came from tax money.  Considering that most Trump supporters are employed and make a decent living, they don't really care about the middle class in general; they just don't want "free stuff" going to anyone but them.

    This may sound condescending, but I didn't mean it that way.  Trump talked tough, and let them know that no "reaching out" needs to reach their ears.


    Good point. Trump's promised to destroy the Dept of Education, his Secretary pick is a billionaire voucher fanatic, and half of the people who voted for Trump don't expect their kids to go to college and the other half will do a private college like the prestigious Trump U. The man knows his base - why are we second guessing?


    Ironic - if Hillary met with or was endorsed by any one of the presumed enemy - Kagan, Kissinger, Goldman Sachs, Rahm, head of Singapore - it was presumed she backed their war crimes going back decades and their money exploitation and their neocon ways. If she met with any of her Progressive counterparts, it was assumed she was insincere and had nothing to share, was jus promising stuff she would never deliver.

    But someone else hops to Trump to find common ground just after a bullshit disgusting campaign? Just doing the right thing.

    Guess Trump's a uniter, not a divider.

    Tulsi spouts more hawkish and anti-immigrant and pro-gun blather than any Dem I've seen for a long long while, but since she has a younger fresh face and hails from Hawaii, people think she's the party's future. Especially being a woman, since we still didn't manage that checkbox - could she be the one? "Heart, be still."

    Need coffee..


    Hey Peracles ...

    He who wrote this is off on a fool's errand...

    "...cooperation or even muted praise when warranted may reduce the likelihood that Trump will pander to his base’s baser instincts."

    This guy said it best.

    ~OGD~


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