The next four years will go down in history as a mistake of monumental proportions, and the harms accrued by the time it’s over will take many more years to overcome. Hopefully it will teach us enough about what's wrong in our corner of political system to avoid making the same mistakes all over again in the future.
What's wrong with our corner of the political system? Good question...
The Boomers' Democratic Party has become entrenched and complacent, its 'big ideas' having succumbed decades ago to age (right about the time we became the middle-aged untrustworthies we never thought we'd live long enough to be) and the insider's soft corruption. The Dem bench of young up-and-comers is so sparse that it offers no real hope to the generations born into an America where they have no future. The party has been so focused on congratulating itself for how dead the GOP was looking that it forgot to check the mirror and see how close to death it too had come after all those “swings to the right.” It got caught up in single-mindedly chasing after 'conservative' left-behinds as the hard right went ever more radically reactionary, until it finally forgot that We The People are socially liberal by majority margin. This has resulted in having no effective representation in government for the philosophically liberal/progressive left. The ol’ Taxation Without Representation booby-trap/revolution-starter.
This nation NEEDS representation - effective representation - for the left side of the political spectrum where most of us live. Representation for people who care more about conditions for the people than they care about the profits of gigacorps, gambling-addicted banksters, the stock markets and the generationally filthy rich. And for all the very bright and energetic progressives ready, willing and able to tackle the Big Problems with innovative approaches, if only they had the political representation to secure a fighting chance to save our world.
The Democratic Party at this point no longer offers that fighting chance, despite the fact that many among its membership would dearly love to do so if they weren't so often slapped down. If the party does not now decisively come back to its New Deal roots and expand on those for the 21st century, it will deserve to fade away. And a new liberal/progressive, science-believing party must arise. That can happen so quickly it'll surprise the socks off comfortable establishment types.
Maybe - just maybe - THIS revolution won't be as bloody as our last one was. It can be done if we, the "Old and In The Way," will accept and acknowledge that we had our turn. We too often failed to follow through, it's time for us to vacate the stage. Take to our pipes (!) and slippers and rocking chairs by our fake fire electric Amish space heaters, impart words of sage wisdom to the young'uns when we're asked. Oh… and dutifully send in our votes, EVERY election, for the rest of our lives in time.
We need only embrace what is real and true... The kids are alright.*
[* Dedicated to my hero — Steve Wing — who ended his negotiations with the grim reaper on Wednesday, November 9th, 2016. He will be greatly missed by loving family, friends and hard-working colleagues worldwide, and a veritable army of students who have been, are, and will continue to be the necessary Environmental Public Health Heros of the future. Godspeed, my friend.]