(Edit: I realized I should have added something about “doing something”, so I put that at the bottom).
I’m hoping we’re near the end of our FreakOut™ over the debate last week. Wow. In all my years of being alive, being a father, being in the Navy, and paying attention to politics, I have not seen a meltdown of what is supposed to be a smart group of individuals as I’ve seen from (mostly white) Democrats. But it has to end, and it has to end now, because when the media latches onto something to lower Democratic votes, they will keep doing it until you stop reacting to it.
So, let’s discuss a few things, and let’s figure out how to keep people sane through all of this, because we are in a war. We are battling a press owned by billionaires that don’t want to see what a second-term of Biden will do to their bottom line. We are battling a party that is aligned with Putin. And we are battling a Supreme Court that is setting itself to be the Ruling Body of the US, placing the President as a figurehead under its control. We are the people to stop it, and we have to stop it.
Memory Loss
I didn’t realize so many Democrats were born on June 26th. I mean, how else do we explain why Democrats forgot the four years under Trump and the three and a half under Biden? So, just in case you were born on that day, or in the heat of the moment you forgot here’s a small synopsis: The Trump years were hell, and the Biden years have been the best so far all around since FDR and the best for rights since LBJ. But let’s do a bit more detail.
Trump’s Actual Reign of Terror
Right from the start, Trump turned his eye outwards, and declared Muslims and Latinos enemies of the state. He banned Muslims, including students that had been studying for years here, preventing them from coming back to finish their education. He put Latinos in cages, separated parents from children, and allowed the children to be shuffled into the adoption system to be picked up by actual evil Americans, who most likely call themselves Christians.
But let’s not forget what his administration did to the executive departments. He completely neutered the State Department, cutting funding, eliminating positions, and that bizarre “You shall not look at Tillerson” thing. He tried to get every executive employee to sign a loyalty oath. He turned the Department of Education over to DeVos, who tried to destroy public education, tried to keep students paying for loans to fake colleges.
Oh, and how much money did he give to the rich? He and Republicans borrowed over $1 Trillion just to hand it over to billionaires, promising the rest of us a pizza a year, which most people didn’t receive. And, if you remember, the non-rich part of the tax cut expires next year.
And last, but definitely not least: COVID. First, he kills of the CDC group monitoring for diseases in China. Then denies that COVID is real, and then that it won’t be a problem, and then that it will be over quickly, and then that if we’d just stop testing there wouldn’t be any other cases. Remember how his FEMA department was confiscating COVID supplies being bought by blue states and sending them to Florida?
Oh But What Has Biden Done?
I’m gonna give you a short list off of the top of my head. If you really want to know, there are plenty of lists somewhere on this site (If I find one after, I will put it here).
He led the passage of TWO massive infrastructure bills during his first year, with the slimmest majority, which included Manchin and Sinema. Included in these were projects to provide internet access to rural areas, and tax credits that moved millions of children out of poverty (both of white Republicans have refused to fund — why aren’t rural Americans more pissed at this, I don’t know).
Because of these, our economy is still going string, adding another 200K+ jobs in June. We also have the lowest inflation rate among industrialized countries. No, things are more expensive, that’s how inflation works, but two bills that allowed workers to to have jobs (some economists were calling for slashing government until to a 10% unemployment to tame inflation) and we’re still the envy of the world.
At the end of 2022, he signed the marriage equality law. I mean, we’ll see if that matters at all the High Council of the Supreme Court, and the contortions they will go through to deny it to trans and gays but allowing Clarence Thomas to stay married. But the act was passed and signed by Biden.
He has reduced student debt for millions of students. He’s done it so many times that Republicans have started running to their favorite Texas lawyer to stop him. They don’t want young people to have a life, and they’re hoping you’ll blame Biden.
Speaking of judges, he’s appointed a huge number of judges, mostly women, making the courts more like actual America than white-only America.
Yes, there is a lot more. Hopefully you remember now.
That was then this is —
But What Has He Done for Me Lately?
But He Hasn’t Gotten _______ Correct
But He’s Old
He Did Bad at the Debate
This is the part where I tell you to get it together. It’s just so sad to see people who I thought were smart fail just about every test of being the minimal of mature adults. So let’s cover a few things.
We Are at War
We are in an election season. But more importantly, we are at war. If you don’t feel that way, then you’re aren’t paying proper attention. Yes, I am repeating this, because it’s important. Our Republic is at stake.
What we are fighting against: The Slow March Towards Fascism That is Now a Sprint
Ever since the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Right Act, the Right has been slowly working its way towards fascism. They’ve known since minorities were able to convince enough whites that they deserved to be treated as equals that the only way to avoid the slide towards accountability was to take over the country. They have been patient, making small changes here and there. While various groups — women, minorities, gays — have been fighting for their rights, the Right has been laying the groundwork to take over.
The biggest thing that kept Republicans from completely destroying everything during Trump’s term was they weren’t prepared. Clinton was supposed to win everything, the popular vote, the Electoral College, and become president (the fact that she fell short is a topic we will not be discussing right now, but some elements of it are the same problems that we are having right now). So, when they got in, they were winging it. That’s not the case any more. They are prepared. Project 2025 is real and it is coming and there will be no stopping it with the Roberts’ court handing Trump all the power he needs. And if you haven’t been paying attention, here’s a sample of what’s coming:
Are you ready for this? Are your gay children, your trans friends, and the women in your lives ready for this? Because it’s coming and we have to stop it.
There is an excellent breakdown of Project 2025 at this diary: F**K THIS NOISE ABOUT DUMPING BIDEN. Let's Talk About Something That Matters: PROJECT 2025
What we are fighting against: The Propaganda Machine on Our TVs, In Our Newspapers, and on the Web
But we are not only at war with Republicans and the Supreme Court, we are at war with a media run by the wealthy. A media that many of us grew up trusting to at least give us the news has now turned into one that feeds us propaganda to make us come to a conclusion, like Biden is old and unable to do the job. I mean, check this out:
Where are the Stories About Trump’s Performance? Do you wonder about that, the lies he told, the fact that he would go off topic when his brain glitched and ramble something incoherent? Where the the 142 stories about that?
Where are the Calls for Trump to Drop Out of the Race?
What we are fighting against: The Wealthy That Don’t Like Biden’s Support Raising their Taxes and Supporting Labor
Biden showing up at picket lines has scared the rich. Biden passing rules to help labor scares the rich.
And That’s Where We Are
So we’re fighting a three-front battle. But we’ve got the numbers, and we’ve got the better people, IF WE CAN JUST STICK TOGETHER. But how do we do that? Here’s my ideas.
Guide Posts
Most of us have a code, a few things that guide us. Do you know what yours are? Mine are fairly simple:
- We are here to take care of each other.
- We are here to accept people for who they are.
- We want a future where people can be themselves and contribute to society.
- Nobody is perfect.
- Even though I am better at some tasks than others, that doesn’t make me better than others.
- Sometimes, no matter what we try, some people are evil and we have to stand up to them. And it’s OK to do that.
These principles mean that I choose those that are trying to do good and support them. I might decide that another person is better, but ultimately, at any moment, I have to back the person with the ability to make change.
Is this a perfect list? No. Am I perfect at these? No. Nope. Naaah. But a lot of times when I’m not it’s because I forget these principles in the heat of the moment.
I think most Democrats have something like this. But I think it’s easy to forget them. And I think, after the debate, people let that one event and the media’s relentless push of a narrative cloud out their principles.
Manage Expectations
I think core Democrats might have been the wrong people to watch the debate. Far too many were hoping for a “win” whatever that means in the context of the debate. And we didn’t find one. On the other hand, others went looking to see what the two men really did stand for. And by the end, they knew Trump was dangerous. That sounds like the real win.
Don’t Panic
I would tell my kids when they were growing up that panicking was not going to solve anything. When you panic, you give up control, and your brain goes into flight mode. All reasoning goes out the window. Instead, I would tell them they need to assess the situation and look for a real solution.
Are you a Democrat because you wanted to vote for Biden? I’m not. I’m a Democrat who wants to ensure that people get to live their lives without someone trying to kill them or starve them or force that thing that the Right calls Christianity but is violent militarism on others or any number of things the Right wants to do. And because of that, when I look at the situation right now, there is only one choice on what to do: Make sure Democrats win in November. That is the only choice. And Biden is the only choice as president. There is no replacing him, and there is no need to replace him. He’s the right person for the job, surrounded by the right people for the job. He accomplished many of the things we wanted in his first term, debate be damned.
Look at Others
You know who I didn’t see panic? African Americans. It also seemed that people who donated for the first time didn’t panic either. From what I understand, most new donations to Biden came after the debate. So, maybe we should look for those that have seen this before — including the previous times Democrats panicked — instead of listening to the media, who have an agenda.
(Edited to add) Do Something
The biggest thing we can do to help Democrats to win is to do something. Join a campaign, help GOTV, donate, join a group to write out postcards. And talk to others. Don’t be silent.
And would someone tell Congressional Democrats to keep quiet.
