Donald Trump continues to lay the groundwork necessary to destroy the fabric of America. This statement isn't hyperbole. Thankfully, women and a few forward-looking companies like Starbucks are fighting back as timid politicians acquiesce to Trump's evil deeds.
Republican politicians fear Donald Trump, while Democratic politicians continue to believe the fallacy that they can work with Trump and the Republicans. How did that work out for the last eight years?
Democrats, progressives, forward-thinking Republicans, and others must do everything in their power to object to every policy proposal or act by Trump. This means maintaining the status quo for a few years. Many people will get hurt in the interim. However, if we enact any of Trump's policies—whether good or bad—we will set a dangerous precedent and even more people will be hurt as bad policies get codified.
Democrats must not provide any votes to confirm a new Supreme Court justice. Leave the Supreme Court with eight votes until the next administration. Republicans can choose the nuclear option, but that will set a precedent. Despite the results of the last election, the country is moving left morally and economically. The failure of the left did not get a Republican elected president. That failure got a pseudo-populist elected. A nonexistent filibuster will serve progressives if the grassroots work is affected.
Americans cannot allow a person who divided the nation with his sexist, racist, xenophobic, homophobic, misogynistic, and narcissistic acts to lead effectively. Allowing him to govern will give the green light to other demagogues to use his tactics. Some may say this isn’t the right thing to do. After all, did he not win the election?
Let’s be clear: Trump is our president, but a president without the mandate of the people. As such, he does not have the moral right to make the dramatic changes he is attempting. Remember the following:
- He lost the vote of the people by almost three million votes, the largest losing margin ever by the Electoral College winner.
- Russia, a foreign country, helped get him elected. At a minimum, they used information technology to sway the results. Of course, it is yet to be determined if it went deeper than that.
- The FBI assisted him with selective release of information on Hillary Clinton while holding back details of his Russian involvement.
- The press gave him $2 billion of free advertising and were completely derelict in their journalistic duty except for investigative reporting by a few journalists like Kurt Eichenwald.
We have a president in office who ripped people off through business dealings, fake universities, and more. There is ample evidence that he demeaned and abused women. He populated his cabinet with billionaires who did the same, from Steven Mnuchin who ripped off old ladies for mortgage mistakes to Tom Price who profited from legislation he voted on.
The majority must speak up in an organized fashion. It started in full force with the Women's March. It continues with grassroots organizations following the Indivisible Guide. We did our part here in Texas as we flooded Ted Cruz's office building with constituents, and it’s continuing weekly at his office and every day by phone. We are letting our politicians know they pass Trump's policies at the risk of their political survival. That is how we work at the grassroots.
Forward-looking corporations also have the power to do the right thing. Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz announced that he would hire several thousand refugees, starting with those that were helpful to American service people overseas. He wrote a letter to his employees to let them know he is opposed to the evil emanating from the Trump administration and will mitigate them where possible—from health care, to bridge building where they've erected walls, to fighting for DACA.
Now some Trump supporters are talking about boycotting Starbucks. I use Starbucks as my second office. I purchase their expensive coffees because I know they treat their employees well, giving them health care, education, and livable wages. They also make an attempt to do the same for their suppliers. So folks, go out there and support Starbucks. They are one of the good corporations fighting Trump's evil.
The fight back to sanity will be difficult. But one cannot lose hope, lest wicked wins out. Stay strong and be consistent. Make your opposition peaceful but loud.