Trump has already achieved much that despots of various countries have demonstrated to be the makings of authoritarian regimes (see my postings of the second half of 11/2016).
1) He has co-opted (or is co-opting) the existing structures of government to his advantage. In brief, he has:
a. Subdued the Executive branch to his liking by:
i. appointments of department heads who swear absolute loyalty to him
ii. undermining or destroying the mission and purposes of those offices thereby weakening the constituencies who are served by those groups
iii. attacked career civil servants as “Never Trumpers” or as a “deep state” that works against his agenda
iv. co-opted the Department of Justice as his personal legal team
v. casting doubt on the work of investigative agencies such as the FBI, CIA and others
vi. having insulted and belittled the Generals as “losers” ‘dopes’ and ‘babies’ so that the armed forces are kept in check
vii. reduced the budgets of agencies that he wants to control
viii. gotten rid of consumer advocacy groups wherever possible
b. Captured the legislative branch by co-opting their powers of:
i. oversight
ii. impeachment
iii. declaring war
iv. approving judicial appointments
v. deputizing congressional leaders as his henchmen and using them as conduits for his agenda
c. Is stacking the federal courts with hundreds of questionably qualified but loyal Trumpers who will find for him in every case that promotes his agenda (and probably his aggrandizement)
o and now we learn, he is using the DOJ (and challenging the rule of law) replacing previous lawyers for Roger Stone with DOJ personnel who will seek, to not only reduce the penalty for Stone, but attempt to undo the penalties imposed under the Mueller probe for others of Trump’s convicted staff
Now that he has captured all three branches of the government (and been helped to do so by the U.S. Senate, and by the House’s failure to build a strong case for a pattern of abuse of office and breaking of laws), he has increased another aspect of despotic regimes, continuing dirty work that he launched before he was even nominated for the office of president.
2) Retaliation against political enemies to destroy their credibility:
a. The attacks on Romney have already begun; Trump even used the National Prayer Breakfast to denigrate Romney’s name; (it is reported that a loyal Trump follower who is member of Utah’s State Assembly, is planning to introduce legislation to allow voters to recall senators)
b. In the State of the Union, he painted Democrats as socialists who are out to destroy this country; he will not let up on that theme for he must do as the 1930s Nazis did and grind socialists into the dirt
c. Invade the base of the Democratic party as he did by his staged “touch-the-heart” actions toward black and brown guests at his State of the Union rally
d. He has begun to remove people physically from their assignments so all can be painfully aware of how disloyalty is treated: having Colonel Vindman (and his twin brother) escorted from their assignments at the White House, and then announcing the firing of Ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland; others will undoubtedly follow.
e. Enlist and support the industrial complex as allies; use them to raise money, sponsor candidates and destroy the wrong candidates
3) Unleash powerful forces that look like militia to intimidate some voters (like the March in Washington supporting the 2nd Amendment with many participants carrying guns), and hate groups showing up as counter- demonstrators in situations like Charlottesville
4) Raise the ante on promoting the press as “enemies of the People”, along with greater restrictions on press at government and political events
5) Increase the use of the “Big Lie” to confuse and play to the fears and anxieties of the Trump base; the State of the Union address served as the catalyst where gross statistical exaggerations, unverified claims or twisted numbers stood out, such as:
a. 7 mil. off food stamp rolls
b. “This is a blue-collar boom!”
c. #1 producer of oil and gas; energy independent
d. 12.000 new factories built with thousands more planned
e. Tariff strategy is working
f. Health insurance plans better and 60% are less expensive
g. Will always protect families that have pre-existing conditions, along with Social Security and Medicare
h. Asked for bi-partisan support for some major laws already passed by the House and lying dormant in the GOP Senate: lower drug costs, rebuilding of infrastructure and extension of family leave to all
6) Launching War on Democrats:
a. legislation to allow citizens to sue a Sanctuary City for damages if family member harmed by illegal immigrants was being protected by that City
b. plan to introduce legislation banning late term abortions; right to pray in public schools; protecting 2nd Amendment rights
c. will never allow “socialism” to destroy American Healthcare
So, here’s the deal: TRUMP has begun advancing a dictatorial regime and a war on Democrats in order to WIN the 2020 election.
QUESTION IS: WHAT ARE THE DEMOCRATS DOING ABOUT NOVEMBER 2020?
Supposedly:
· blasting Trump
· debating and presenting the issues of importance
· spreading around some ads detrimental to Donald Trump
· preparing to push more legislation of importance
· expanding their ground game where candidates have the money to do so
· trying to figure out who of the candidates can beat Donald Trump and display some unifying leadership
In the meantime, the public senses disarray and some poor organization (Iowa caucuses), lack of coordination (from the DNC and congressional leaders) and a strange quiet on the part of the freshmen who were gung-ho and out-front at the beginning of their terms. Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer have emerged as the voices and the images of the Party. It raises some questions in my mind and probably in yours as well.
The Senate has done virtually nothing with HR #I and other very important House legislative initiatives among the 300+ bills they have passed and sent to the Senate
v WHY HAS THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY BEEN VIRTUALLY SILENT ABOUT THE IMPORTANT MATTERS CONTAINED THEREIN AND STUCK IT AT LEAST EVERY OTHER DAY TO THE REPUBLICANS FOR THEIR FAILURE TO TAKE UP THESE PROPOSALS?
v WHY HAS THE DEM PARTY NOT LET THE PEOPLE KNOW THAT VIRTUALLY EVERY BILL THAT TRUMP HAS BEEN ABLE TO SIGN INTO LAW HAS BEEN BI-PARTISAN – many times sponsored or co-sponsored by Democrats – AND THEREFORE THE RESULT OF DEMOCRATIC ACTIONS NOT INACTION?
v WHY ISN’T THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY BRINGING CONSTANT INTENSE PRESSURE ON TRUMP FOR ALL THE WRONGDOING AND LIES HE IS PERPETRATING?
o impeachment was successful in bringing forth some of the depravity and corruption of this man and his regime of criminal minds, but
o THE ABSENCE OF PROVING A PATTERN OF CRIMINALITY, ABUSE OF POWER AND CORRUPTION WAS A FATAL MISTAKE ON THE PART OF THE CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS
v WHY DOESN’T THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY HAVE A “TWEETER-IN-CHIEF” OR COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR WHO MESSAGES EVERY DAY; COORDINATES STRATEGIES AND PUBLICIZES WHAT THE PARTY IS DOING RATHER THAN ALLOW MR. TRUMP TO DEFINE THAT FOR EVERYONE?
o is that what the DNC or DCCC is supposed to do?
o well, it’s not getting done because those two organizations are so intent on raising funds and producing candidates that they have neglected that duty
o which raises the fundamental question:
v WHAT ARE THE PURPOSES AND AIMS OF THE DNC AND THE DCCC?
o they are watchdogs of primaries and should prevent debacles like Iowa
o they are responsible for debate formats but are they producing the best image and forums for the candidates?
o are they responsible for building pipelines to grassroots organizations so that information sharing from local activists is sure to get due consideration? E.g. how do they solicit on-going views and opinions from the grassroots? what structures have they built to assure that conversation and collaboration is vital and on-going?
o are they responsible for coordinating Party publicity and formulating how public information is presented?
v DOES THE PARTY NEED TO RE-ORGANIZE [perhaps along the lines of the old Organizing For America (OFA)]?
o For instance: what conduits does the Party have to Black or Hispanic/Latino voters? How do Black and Brown leaders at local levels get their concerns heard on a consistent basis?
o One of the first needs is to find out what Democrats (and other progressives) at the grass-roots have on their minds, because that is where the strength of the Party exists; the people need to be heard, including members of the local democratic committees and members of other activist groups
o Information gathering and information dissemination are key ingredients in organizing and taking needed actions: what is the capacity of the Democratic Party to do both these jobs? In my experience, it is limited and needs much more emphasis.
o For instance, can you tell me where the locus of communication resides? What does it do? Who heads it? Why is it so hidden? What is its purpose for being? How many staff and volunteers work in it?
o Do ordinary people ever get asked about how legislation will affect them; or, what problems they need resolved?
o Another concern: what analyses are being done on the 2016 election results, and what strategies have been instituted in the districts and States (Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin) that swung that election to Trump?
o Training potential and current activists and candidates is an essential part of organizing Democrats so just what capacity does the DNC or DCCC have for doing that? How many campaigns at the local level are receiving training support for their efforts?
o What is being done about voter suppression and new voter registration? Is the Democratic Party actively resisting in states and locales where voter suppression is being carried out? Does it even have representatives finding out who is affected? And, helping to bring people together in class action suits for loss of their fundamental franchise (perhaps by enlisting NAACP, ACLU or civil rights lawyers to take on pro bono cases where needed)?
o And, of course, one must ask: what is the Party doing to determine how continuing foreign interference by Russia, China, etc. (through internet attacks can be blocked or destroyed?
Forgive me readers. I have perhaps led you astray by starting out with Trump’s dictatorial behavior and then switching you to questions about the Democratic Party. BUT, isn’t that part of the transition we need to make? We must preclude Donald J. Trump from making all the noise and garnering at least 90% of media coverage and voter attention. Democratic progressives must get organized well enough to stem the tide of Trump madness and to defeat this wannabe despot in November 2020. We have no choice. So, as I often do, here are some suggested action steps to take wherever you are:
1. attend your local democratic committee meeting (usually monthly) and find out what they are doing and how you can assist; bring others with you
2. join a local activist progressive group if you are not already a member
3. attempt to connect activist group with Dem committee – suggest common activities
4. get involved as soon as possible in a national activist group and/or in a campaign that has national significance – either of a Presidential or a Senate candidate
5. begin to raise concerns in these groups when you see lack of purpose or organization – offer to assist in whatever improvement steps need to be taken (better to volunteer to help than to just ‘gripe’);
a. remember you are an active member, a partner and an asset to all of these organizations – you are not just a cog in a wheel; your voice needs to be heard; your opinion is important; you have a shared leadership role to play when you bring a talent, a perception, an insight
b. provide positive feedback to others regarding their unique contributions and encourage teamwork toward a common goal of winning back the Presidency and the Senate
