The Trump presidency has brought into focus just how ugly American politics has become. Of course, our politics have had a dark side long before Trump came to Washington. But the Trump era has taken us to a new low. While many Americans are aware of our dire situation, a closer examination should help concentrate our attention on the urgent need to remedy this catastrophic state of affairs.
First, let’s look at Trump’s cabinet. He demonstrated his desire to dismantle or undermine much of the executive branch by appointing cabinet members who, in large part, had little or no expertise in the subject matter of their respective departments, e.g. Rick Perry, the new Secretary of Energy. It’s alarming that he has no background in nuclear weapons policy, a major role of the Energy Department. Or, worse yet, Trump nominated people like anti-environmentalist Scott Pruitt, Director of the Environmental Protection Agency, whose intended goals were in direct conflict with the mission of the departments they were chosen to lead.
Next, Trump tried to intimidate his former FBI director, James Comey, into silence by threatening to release secret recordings of their conversations, which, in fact, he never possessed. At the same time, Trump ignored the real threat to our democracy, the Russian meddling in our elections, while he accepted Putin’s denials and encouraged America’s intelligence chiefs to belittle the FBI’s Russia probe.
Then, Trump used the presidency for his personal profit; for example, doubling the membership fee at his Mar-a-Lago private club after he became president. At the same time, Trump’s companies continue to register trademarks in foreign countries since his taking office, which is not only ethically questionable, but likely violates the Constitution. The list of Trump’s abuses of presidential power goes on and on.
Most recently, Trump intensified his assault on the media with a tweet of a video showing him tackling and beating someone who clearly represented CNN. Such outrageous messages could very well lead to physical attacks on members of the media, or worse.
What’s just as troubling, however, is the fact that almost nothing is being done to curb or halt Trump’s un-American abuses of the presidency. Yes, Congress and the independent counsel are investigating Trump’s activities. But, these investigations could drag on for months, if not years. Meanwhile, Trump’s Republican Party seems unable or unwilling to take any action to rein him in. While some Republican officials call Trump’s behavior disturbing, they cower and do nothing. Their failure to stand up to Trump and protect our democratic values exposes how little they really care about the future of the United States or their constituents.
Unfortunately, the Democratic Party is not much better at pushing back against Trump’s corrupt politics. As the minority party with very little power, they still blast him on television and file lawsuits to deter him. Democratic senators, however, could bring Senate business to a practical standstill through numerous time-consuming procedural hurdles. Additionally, they could use the filibuster as frequently as the Republicans did against Obama, which was a record-breaking number of times. In any event, Trump pays little attention to them, and continues to trample on our civil liberties and dismantle our regulatory protections. Our democracy is sadly crumbling before our very eyes and respect for our country around the world is plummeting.
Nevertheless, there may still be reason for hope. The resistance to Trump and his Republican enablers is growing among the American people. In the most recent Gallup Poll, only 37 percent of Americans approved of Trump’s performance. The GOP Senate version of Trump’s healthcare plan received a dismal 17 percent approval rating. And, around the country, more and more Americans want Trump impeached. Last week forty-five marches calling for his impeachment occurred in cities across the country.
So what is the cure for Trump’s plague on America? We, the people! The key is building a broad-based, massive grassroots movement, which presents a positive alternative to Trump’s destructive administration. Beyond resistance, Americans must organize a Democracy movement to replace Trump’s regime. This must include a coming together of disaffected Republicans as well as Democrats and Independents, ethnic minorities, rich and poor, and all the various interest groups whose issues Trump has ignored or derailed.
Next month at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, the Democracy Convention (See https://www.democracyconvention.org) will bring people from all sectors of society together to unite them “in a common, deeply rooted, broad based, movement for democracy.” In addition, Our Revolution (See https://ourrevolution.com.), which arose out of Bernie Sander’s presidential campaign has a progressive agenda for America’s future that is gaining a good deal of support. Indivisible (See https://www.indivisibleguide.com.) is yet another group fighting to reverse the Trump fiasco. It is happening, but it will take all of us rolling up our sleeves and working together. I urge you not to sit on the sidelines. Join the millions of Americans who are mobilizing to save our crippled democracy.