Dear Senator Sanders,
I was an enthusiastic supporter during the primaries, and I am very glad that you will have a more influential position in the Democratic Party now that the elections are behind us. I’ve listened to you on the radio for many years. I know that, as an independent, you have spent your congressional and senatorial career finding common ground with those you disagree with; if you hadn’t, you would have accomplished nothing. So forgive me if I make any incorrect assumptions about your way of working in Washington. The following is based on my understanding alone.
This time is different. Not only is it different because Trump is outside our entire experience in national politics, as a racist, sexist, xenophobic fascist demagogue, and as a person of shockingly low moral character. On those moral grounds alone, we should be resisting his leadership at every turn. It is also different in that he has no prior experience or interest in governance, making him easy prey for dangerous influences. He has no personal discipline or apparent inclination to work to overcome those deficits, and may in fact be emotionally unfit for the job. On all these practical grounds we should be resist normalizing him as well.
Since he is a habitual and compulsive liar, we have no way of knowing whether he means anything he proposes as policy, from the worst to the best. Since he tailors those proposals to the moment he is speaking and the person he is speaking to, there is no way of knowing whether today’s proposal will be tomorrow’s.
Yesterday I heard you speaking to Brian Lehrer of WNYC (New York Public Radio), and you seemed to be open to the idea of working with a Trump administration on areas where common ground might be found, specifically on infrastructure. Knowing your history of finding common ground, I wasn’t completely surprised to hear you saying that. Also, we Democrats love infrastructure, and have been wishing for more focus on it for many years. It’s a very tempting goal.
But Trump’s concept of infrastructure is likely to be very different from ours. We expect infrastructure improvements to strengthen the commons. Trump may well be seeing infrastructure improvement as a way to further erode the commons. Our roads, bridges, railroads, airports, parks, energy and telecommunications systems could be awarded to the highest bidder, who, in return for building or improvements, gets to keep the improved facility as private property and keep whatever tolls they deem appropriate. He would likely get enthusiastic support for such a privatization program from Paul Ryan and the Republican House.
Senator, I know you are smart and wise in the ways of Congress. The ways of Congress may be about to change in ways we could not have imagined a few short days ago. For all our sakes, be vigilant.
