Moving forward: What is it we want once we remove the cancerous MAGA outrage

Commentary on the state of our union from a Florida perspective

On the eve of last weekend’s No Kings Day protests, political commentator Robert Reich shared a pertinent question he received:

“I know what you’re demonstrating against — Donald Trump — but is there a positive purpose, too?”

I’ve included a link to Reich’s thoughtful and persuasive response below, including this thought:

Trump himself is not the cause of the growing cynicism about democracy and the deepening polarization of our society.

He’s the consequence and culmination of decades of neglect of our system.

Trump is a conman. We all know that. And what all conmen do is prey on other people’s vulnerabilities. Trump would not be president if our democracy had been healthier in the first place.

He’s like an opportunistic cancer that grows because the immune system is weakened.

There are millions of Americans who will turn on the Republican Party during the coming midterm elections—if fair elections survive the next few months of Trump’s and the G.O.P.’s relentless campaign of voter suppression.

But they are just as likely to turn again unless things change.

So, it’s good to ask that question: What’s the plan, what is on offer that people can buy into and rally around?

I have my own thoughts on that, all pretty obvious, but first an emergency room analogy:

When a car wreck patient shows up in the E.R., doctors rush to stop the bleeding. Sure, sometime after they save the victim’s life, they can start planning a program of rehabilitation, but first things first.

To my mind, that’s what the No Kings Day protests are about: Rallying people around the idea that it is, in fact, possible to stop the hemorrhaging.

Much like antibiotics are used to fight a disease, the upcoming election gives us the opportunity to rid the American body politic of the infectious threat MAGA presents to our democracy,.

What’s that?

A top-to-bottom dominance of one political party that allows a clown like Trump to run roughshod over the guardrails the Founders created just to prevent the current disaster from ever happening.

First things first: Americans must reclaim Congress—both the House and Senate—to stand as a bulwark against our deranged president.

Argue all you want (and I’ll join you) that the Democratic Party has its own share of blame for the mess we are in. But at this moment in time, whether we like it or not, we have a two-party system of government, and stopping the MAGA onslaught on our freedoms means we must support Democrats.

Now, having said that, and acknowledging that’s the first step, it is crucial that the Democrats develop a clear and honest message of what they stand for.

Here’s Reich’s answer:

We are now in America’s Second Gilded Age. The only way to guard what is left of our freedom is to confront today’s anti-democracy movement with a bold pro-democracy movement that protects and revives the institutions of self-government.

A pro-democracy movement dedicated to not just to standing up against authoritarian strongmen like Trump and against big money like Peter Thiel’s, but to empowering all Americans, politically and economically.

That’s an inspiring mission statement. It’s all about freedom. But it needs bullet points.

Beyond undoing all the damage caused by Trump and his lickspittle followers, what’s on the to-do list to prevent this from happening again? Here are some specifics I’d suggest to prime the pump. Use the Comments button below to add your own if you like.

• Raise the federal minimum wage to what it would be today if it had kept up with inflation and cost of living—somewhere north of $20 an hour.

• Adopt Medicare For All. The Affordable Care Act (Obama Care) was always a stopgap measure. We have a proven, cost-effective national health care system in the United States already. Expand it to everyone, not just seniors and the disabled, like the rest of the civilized world.

• Lower the crippling cost of post-high school education and job training. Public-supported education needn’t stop at Grade 12. In the age of AI, retraining will be vital.

• Campaign finance reform is crucial as big money is killing our democracy. Overturn Citizens United, abolish Super PACs, ban corporate donations.

• Tax the Rich, Relieve the Rest of Us: Billionaire democracy haters like Trump’s buddy, Peter Thiel (he mourns the idea that women have the right to vote), need to pay their fair share of taxes. In one of the most prosperous periods in our nation’s history following World War II, the tax rate on earnings over $200,000 was 94 percent. In today’s dollars that would be a base of $3.6 million. Seems fair to me.

• Save Elections. Bernie Sanders suggests registering all Americans to vote when they turn 18 and that Election Day should be a national holiday. I’m with Bernie on this. (And, frankly, a lot of other things, too.)

We can’t get to these reforms without ousting the anti-democracy forces currently in power. So, first we stop the bleeding. By voting.

What do you think?

Related:

Toward a pro-Democracy Movement by Robert Reich

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J.C. Bruce is the founder of Tropic Press, a Florida online news service dedicated to sharing news and commentary relevant to Florida readers, whether it originates in the Sunshine State or elsewhere. Bruce is an award-winning former newspaper editor, journalist and author living in Florida, his native state.

Onward thru the fog

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed if you are a rational person living in the Free State of Florida, but there are plenty of smart, reasonable people just like you here. The purpose of this newsletter and the Tropic Press website is to provide a source of news and commentary that shines a light through this irrational fog.

Thank you for your support as a subscriber. It is invaluable. This is especially so for those of you who have chosen to upgrade to paid subscriptions. Your contributions are making this possible.

J.C. Bruce

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