A First Step

Listening to Trump railing against an honest conservative Republican for refusing to entertain his conspiracy theories, I was struck that even as Trump the man recedes, “Trumpism” is clearly here to stay.   After more than 50 lawsuits Trump isn’t backing down or walking away; neither can anyone who cares about the future of America–young, old, black, white, brown, progressive and conservative must recognize that the ideologies and attitudes Donald Trump represents are a cancer on American democracy.  Decency, respect, a willingness to find consensus and compromise; none of this has anything to do with ideology or party affiliation.  

We all have differences of opinions, but that isn’t an excuse for conspiracy theories.  If Trump wants to ask questions about voter fraud, he and his allies should, and have, been allowed to do so.  But to so blatantly disrespect honest election officials in a way so reminiscent of McCarthyism is dangerous and wrong.  It cannot and should not be tolerated by anyone, of any political persuasion.  

The argument that one can support Donald Trump’s policies even if you don’t support Doanld Trump the man just falls flat.  Donald Trump’s only policy is the acquisition of power for Donald Trump the man.  I understand that so many of us are frustrated with business as usual in Washington, and that that is what Trump has latched onto, but it’s not an excuse to tolerate the bullying of an honest person doing his Constitutional duty.  Whether Trump won Georgia isn’t the point.  How long are the American people going to stand for a person distorting reality to suit his own self-serving political motivations?  The founders realized that there is something in all of us that wants power for power’s sake, that’s why they created checks and balances.  But, the system only works when enough people are willing to work to make the system work.  It doesn’t work automatically.  This is not a question of one man, or even one movement, this is a question of what it means to be American.  The threat is existential; and it is real.  Ultimately, it is simple: do we want an America in which there are rules for everyone, or do we want an America where potentially everybody can make up the rules as they go along. 

This moment of crisis is an opportunity for those of us who sincerely care about the health of American democracy.  As Biden prepares his cabinet, rightly turning his focus away from Trump himself to the tragic state of affairs in America and in the world that have come about because of Trump’s selfish desire for power; it is important for progressives to seize this opportunity, to develop a deep commitment, knowing that if we do not act now, and act decisively, Trumpism will be back, even as Donald Trump begins to fade.  The Biden presidency is a partial win, a first step, but the fight absolutely cannot end here.