January 6th Raises Fundamental Questions

January 6, 2023

A New Year of 2023 – if I had known I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself —as the saying goes.  Well, that’s probably just wishful thinking.  However, the sentiment may not be lost on us as we consider certain aspects of the last few years. And especially the year just concluded in relation to us as a nation, and especially as a democratic nation. 

In some ways, we missed the boat and shut the barndoor after the horses fled.  But mainly, we allowed the slow creep of dangerous concepts, indecent behaviors, and lack of accountability into our lives, our psyches, and our institutions.  We accepted some of the dangers of Trumpism and then rejected only some of it at the polls.  Thinking democratic values and norms have been rescued and brought back to some ‘normalcy,’ some may even have embarked upon a hope that our democracy is no longer threatened as it was in 2022.  But complacency, bland acceptance, and covering-up is not equivalent to triumph, and passing legislation that is weak, inadequate and compromised to avoid substantive change is not victory but temerity and tentativeness. 

Moreover, the history making debacle of choosing a Speaker of the House by a fractured Republican majority has forever demonstrated the effects of non-attention to fundamental codes and behaviors that should govern in a representative democracy.  In a short period of time, following a distorted agenda and protocols of one unqualified-for-office individual (DJTRUMP), often with criminal intent, one half of Congress has become entirely dysfunctional and until a speaker is elected, entirely non-functional. And the entire travesty is being played out in public view.  Let that be a revelation to those who continue to vote for and support extremists, fascists, and insurrectionists – you will eventually pay the price for your malfeasance when you least expect it!

And so, in the early days of this New Year, it makes sense to assess where we have stood strong and where we have fallen short in the never-ending quest to perfect our representative democracy.

First, we have fallen short in several broad areas, ten of which I have listed below as examples of where we must improve:

• Defining representation; setting qualifications and relevant experience for every elective office
• Reforming our Supreme Court and lower court system; defining jurisdiction, ethics, and recusal
• Undoing the strangle-hold of dark money in politics and elections, and standing against every attempt to take over control of government for nefarious purposes, i.e., self-aggrandizement, authoritarian rule, or punishment of rivals
• Requiring transparency by every agency and contractor with penalties for non-compliance built into laws and regulations
• Building accountability into all legislation and executive functions
• Spelling out penalties for unethical and unlawful conduct and equal implementation of law enforcement to combat criminal behavior
• Requiring citizen input, performance assessment, and counsel in every area of governance
• Providing and protecting equal opportunity for every citizen in their quest for fulfillment (‘happiness’)
• Attention to global matters that affect us all: climate change; pandemics; aggression and war between nations; human suffering and inhumane treatment by governments; world cooperation and peace
• Providing adequate opportunities for positive citizen involvement in all aspects of governance and the assurance of social well-being; asking and providing for greater citizen service

Having listed some of our short-comings, let us turn to some positive actions that have occurred in just two years of the Biden-Harris administration:   

• Signed the Inflation Reduction Act, which:
  1. lowers health care costs for millions of families
  2. allows Medicare to negotiate drug prices for the first time
  3. caps seniors’ out-of-pocket spending for prescription drugs at $2,000 per year and
  4. ensures no senior on Medicare will pay over $35 per month
  5. 13 million Americans, covered under the Affordable Care Act, will see their health insurance premiums reduced by $800
  6. historic clean energy investments will help families save hundreds of dollars every year on their energy bills while strengthening energy security, creating jobs, and getting us closer to meeting our climate goals.
• Signed multiple bipartisan bills to honor and improve care for veterans
  1. signed the PACT Act – the largest single bill in American history to address service members’ exposure to burn pits and other toxins in American history
• Signed the CHIPS and Science Act that will help lower the cost of everyday goods, strengthen American manufacturing and innovation, create good-paying jobs, and bolster national security by making historic investments in research and development to accelerate the industries of the future and advance U.S. technological leadership
• Took actions to reduce gun violence:
  1. Signed bipartisan Safer Communities Act, breaking a 30-year streak of federal inaction on gun violence legislation
     1. requiring people under 21 to undergo enhanced background checks,
     2. closing the “boyfriend loophole,” and

• providing funding to address youth mental health

1. Issued more executive orders to reduce gun violence in his first year than any other President at the same point in their administration.
2. In July of 2022, President Biden’s nominee for director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, became the first Senate-confirmed director of the agency in more than 7 years
3. Biden administration acted to ban the manufacture of ghost gun kits and make it illegal to sell ghost guns without a background check 

• Worked to revitalize our alliances and restore America’s position of leadership on the global stage
  1. rallied our allies across the globe to ensure Vladimir Putin pays a steep economic price for his unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine
  2. alliances made stronger, especially NATO
  3. Ended America’s longest war and brought troops home from Afghanistan
• Addressed Gender-based violence and discrimination
  1. broke through two years of Republican obstruction and signed legislation in March 2022 to reauthorize and strengthen the Violence Against Women Act now reauthorized through 2027 and includes new provisions to expand legal services for survivors and support underserved communities.
  2. President Biden also signed historic legislation ending forced arbitration of sexual assault and sexual harassment, protecting survivors, and making it safer to report harassment in the workplace.
• Signed the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act into law, an unprecedented $1.9 trillion package that helped combat COVID-19 and supercharge a historic economic recovery.
  1. Helped get over 500 million shots in arms, distribute millions of therapeutics, and dramatically expand testing capabilities.
     1. Over two-thirds of Americans are vaccinated against COVID-19 
     2. took action to drastically increase the number of free testing sites around the country and

• secured millions of rapid, at-home tests

1. secured 20 million courses of antiviral pills that have been shown to reduce the risk of hospitalization or death by 89%

1. Delivered relief to families by sending over 160 million checks to Americans, expanding food and rental assistance, and providing aid to thousands of small businesses.
2. The expanded Child Tax Credit led to the largest-ever one-year decrease in childhood poverty in American history
3. Safely reopened America’s schools and made a historic investment to tackle learning loss and address mental health. Today, over 99% of schools are open for in-person learning. Before the ARP, only 46% of schools were open in-person
4. In 2021, the U.S. economy added over 6.5 million jobs – the greatest year of job growth under any President in history --And the largest annual decline in unemployment ever recorded

• President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is a transformational investment that is meant to create thousands of jobs and strengthen America to deal with 21st century realities. The law will:
  1. Provide billions in funding to repair bridges and roads; In 2022 alone, repairs were set to begin on 65,000 miles of roads and 1,500 bridges
  2. begin replacing every lead pipe in America,
  3. upgrade our ports and airports, and
  4. expand broadband access to all
  5. be the largest federal investment in public transit everand the biggest investment in Amtrak since its creation 
  6. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law also made investments to strengthen our supply chains and encourage companies to bring good-paying manufacturing jobs back home
  7. Strengthen Buy American rules to make sure more of what we buy in America is made in America
• Biden has made combatting the climate crisis a top priority.
  1. In the first days of his Administration, rejoined the Paris Climate Accords and committed to cutting U.S. emissions to half of 2005 levels by 2030
  2. As part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure law, making the largest investment in clean energy transmission ever
  3. allocated billions to clean up abandoned mines and oil wells, fund research of next-generation clean energy technologies
  4. create a national network of EV charging stations
  5. protect Americans from droughts, fires, and floods
• President Biden is working to shape a federal judicial system that fully represents America’s diversity
  1. Delivered on his promise to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court when he nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman and public defender to serve on the Supreme Court.
  2. Of the judges confirmed in the President’s first year, 80% were women and 53% were people of color.
  3. In his first year alone, 40 of President Biden’s circuit and district court nominees were confirmed by the Senate – the most in any President’s first year since Ronald Reagan

(For those seeking more on Biden Administration accomplishments, try):

              www.joebiden.com       www.pbs.org    www.newsweek.com

And THAT’S NOT ALL!  While the accomplishments of the Biden-Harris Administration have not been fully appreciated, there are things left unattended and other matters ignored as the second half begins with a Republican majority in the House of Representatives.  Perhaps the best way to approach this is to raise some very fundamental questions that seem to have been somewhat hidden from our view, perhaps on purpose.

QUESTION #1:  What is the PURPOSE of Government?  In Truth, perhaps too broad a question to be answered in detail, so let us concentrate our efforts on some clues we have about our form of governance.  It grew out of colonialist’s disgust over their controlling government in Britain and thus the Declaration of Independence (and Thomas Paine’s ‘Common Sense’) helped to define not just what they opposed, but suggested some valuable qualities they were seeking, such as:

• Freedom from tyrannical rule
• That there are certain universal inalienable rights that should be protected among which are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness (perhaps “fulfillment” is its equivalent and closer meaning); the states had developed their own constitutions during the Confederation, and some held out for a Bill of Rights in the new Constitution  
• All men are created equal
• Seeking unity out of a diversity of states and populations

However, as suggested by Richard Beeman, author of a guide to the American Constitution, the most significant change may have been the change in the way Americans conceived of themselves.  He quotes John Adams who observed events surrounding independence:

“Is not the change we have seen astonishing?  Would any man, two years ago, have believed it possible to accomplish such an alteration in the prejudices, passions, sentiments of these thirteen little states to make every one of them completely republican…?  Idolatry to monarchs, and servility to Aristocratical pride was never so totally eradicated from so many minds in so short a time.”

• Perhaps we have missed the most fundamental and immense change that occurred in our revolutionary era; perhaps we have ignored the immense importance of accepting the difference between being a subject and being a citizen; between being an obeisant follower or being an assertive activist; between being an object of manipulative control or being an advocate and innovator of equal opportunity for every person.
• Do we, as Paine said in ‘Common Sense’ have it “in our power to begin the world over again. “  

The fundamental question before us remains one of identity.  We must know and accept who we are before we can understand our purpose i.e., why we are here.

And so, the questions begin:

• What does it mean that all are created equal and endowed with certain inalienable rights?
  • Does it mean that everyone on this earth is equal to every other one in terms of abilities, brain power, good looks, family genes and background, human potential and promise of future success? Probably not.
  • Does it mean that all of us have human qualities that can be utilized in ways that enhance human life? Probably closer to our identity.
  • Does it mean that we are all born with equal value/worth, equal responsibility, and equal right to create a happy (fulfilling) life for ourselves and others? Closer to the interdependence and mutual responsibility that is inherent in human life and the forging of that which is necessary for communal/societal order and goodness.
• How is it possible then that there are those in every society and every communal grouping who are destructive of such concepts and who act as though they are above law and other persons, and seek to harm/diminish/enslave/segregate/mislead/abuse/institutionalize/destroy and devalue the equal rights, freedoms, and justice to which all are entitled? We have witnessed it all from Trump and the Trumpers especially on January 6, 2021.  That insurrection is a living reminder that democracy and equality and freedom are always at risk and we must be eternally prepared to resist and to reject the destroyers.
• How come naturalized citizens go through a process of recognition, education, and acceptance of their citizenship by taking an oath but those born into American citizenship have few requirements and recognition. Unlike naturalized citizens, citizens by birth don’t have to:
  • take instruction
  • pass a test called the US Citizenship Test (10 random civics question asked by a USCIS Officer in a naturalization interview)
  • read and write the English language in an understandable manner
  • take an oath of allegiance to the USA (the pledge of allegiance to the flag is not quite a pledge of loyalty to a Constitution and the Laws that are constitutional);
  • as a reminder, here is the oath that all naturalized citizens must take:

“I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God."

• be informed not only of their rights as citizens but of their responsibilities as citizens, such as:
  • Participating in the democratic process, such as jury duty
  • Respecting local, state, and federal laws
  • staying informed of issues in one’s community

support and defend the Constitution

• must pay income and other taxes timely and honestly
• maintain a moral lifestyle

• Take part in a ceremony that culminates in recognition of their citizenship

The question now becomes:  why isn’t citizenship-by-birth accorded the same (or similar) status in a protocol of instruction, testing, and the taking of an oath of allegiance in a formal ceremony of declaration and recognition (perhaps at age 17 before a first vote is cast)?

An equally valid question arises out of this discussion, and out of the current situation of unprincipled, immoral and potentially criminal activity of leading politicians and officeholders:

Can the qualifications for public Office continue to be so minimal that we are willing to elect (and have appointed) men and women who have little or no respect for our Constitution or for the laws that emanate from its provisions? 

If Thomas Paine was right, we do have at our disposal as citizens, the power to begin the world over again and as Jefferson declared: “the right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness (fulfillment).  But first, we must do honor to the gift of citizenship and set our standards higher than we have so far.  

 I suggest we pass laws that clearly define the responsibilities  of citizenship acquired by birth or by naturalization, including those listed above for naturalized citizens, plus:

1. Instruction in civics beginning in 4^th grade and ending in high school
2. Testing in civics beginning at the end of 4^th grade and before casting of one’s first vote (perhaps in junior or senior year in high school)
3. Enumeration of citizen constitutional rights
4. Enumeration of citizen responsibilities with the following added:
   1. Render community or national service for a certain period (I suggest a cumulative total of 2112 hours, which equals 4 hours on weekdays for 2 years -spread over as many years as necessary)
   2. Volunteer to vote in at least three general elections within an appropriate time frame
   3. Volunteer to increase election registration, to get more people out to vote, or to increase the number of polling place staff
   4. Join a 501(c)(3) or another volunteer organization as an ongoing contribution to your community                                                                      

Finally, we come to the critical question:  if citizen responsibility is of prime importance in defining who we are, then how come qualifications of candidates for public office are still at minimal levels of age, address, length of citizenship, and some small attention to quality of character?  I think I know part of the answer and it has to do with control.  That is, as long as qualifications are minimal, the power brokers can advance and sponsor those who are most likely to work on their behalf. That is why we currently have elected to public office some people who deserve to be impeached, locked-up, or fined; at least penalized for lying to, misleading, scamming, cheating, and bamboozling the voters.  This threat to our representative democracy must be stopped.  And the place to start is election reform:

No more dark money; no PACs, no unidentified third parties.  Congress must overturn Citizens United by codifying election requirements and eliminating corporations as individuals with a SCOTUS-created individual right of free political speech in the form of money.

• Limit private contributions to a reasonable level  that many might meet (like $1,500) and require identity of all contributors
• Forbid access to legislators by paid lobbyists; require office holders to record and report every personal outside contact and its purpose regarding legislation they are proposing
• No person allowed to run for elective public office without the vetting and approval of qualifications and conduct by a non-partisan commission in whatever district is involved; qualifications and vetting codes and procedures to be decided by local, state and federal legislatures with wide-ranging opinion-gathering from voters
• Other election reform suggestions can be found in earlier posts on this Blog at: rubamboozled.blogspot.com

For these dates:  6/17/2019, 5/08/2019, 1/12/2015.

Can we build a ‘new world’ that provides fully representative democracy?    Maybe, if we take seriously the need to address our shortcomings and our mistakes.  But we must have “a new birth of freedom” as Lincoln declared at Gettysburg.   Acceptance of inadequacy, lack of purpose, anarchy, violent insurrection, autocracy, and false information, plus lack of legislative leadership by the Republican Party, will not lead us in the right direction.  Our identity must be accepted and our Purposes must be clear for our actions to meet our ideals through good works and opportunities.  

Just as the New Year is a time to resolve individually to adopt new ideas and behaviors, we must resolve that our voices as citizens will be heard in Congress and in every corner of our government.   Daniel Webster, a senator, and U.S. secretary of state before the Civil War, spoke truths that President Lincoln made famous in his Gettysburg Address. Webster’s words were, “The people’s government, made for the people, made by the people and answerable to the people.” Lincoln placed that sentiment in a broad context and gave us a Cause and Purpose for all time:

“It is for us the living…to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is…for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation… shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” 

THE VOTE YOU CAST COULD BE YOUR LAST

9/27/2022

Yes, we do have choices.  What we make of them is another matter. 

In a democracy, choices and opportunities are supposed to be available equally to all.  Right now those choices are narrowing dramatically because some elected officials have decided that the vote is not meant to be given to certain people either because they are considered “unworthy” or because they are despised or hated by some who have gained enough power to limit the vote only to those they support as white enough, angry enough, militant enough or who already hold the ‘power of the purse’ giving them privileges and perks not available to all..

It is a sad state of affairs when choices and opportunities are taken away.  But here we are being given choices we do not endorse, choices of candidates we do not believe are even qualified for public office.  We have been given people who believe in unsubstantiated claims that Donald Trump actually won the 2020 general election because election fraud skewed the totals in several swing states.  Such nonsense has been repudiated in 60 + Courts in this land simply because Trumpers cannot present credible evidence to back-up their claims --because there is none! 

That one Big Lie underlies much of the situation in which we find ourselves for it has led to:

• Targeting of election officials for harassment, threats on their lives, property and family
• Appointment of loyalists to judgeships where they can delay criminal charges against the one man responsible for our loss of choice: Donald J. Trump
• Long-term manipulation of voting districts and voting procedures by Radical Right militants who used the voting system itself to unregister or disqualify thousands of people whose voting franchise they could control
• FAKE electors produced and directed by the Trump organization were an integral part of the plan to sabotage the election and keep Trump in office. According to Pulse.org, “The 84 people who signed bogus documents claiming that Donald Trump won the 2020 election included dozens of local Republican Party leaders, seven current candidates for public office, eight current office holders and at least five previous state and federal office holders. Groups from Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, New Mexico, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin all allegedly sent lists of so-called alternate electors to the National Archives after the 2020 election. “  
• The dastardly attempt to overthrow the duly elected Biden administration included inviting of an unruly mob to overrun the Capitol with the clear intent to get Mike Pence as V-P to declare Trump the winner after rejecting Electoral College certifications. Pence refused and ended up pn January 6, 2021 as the mobs quarry with the clear intent to hang him for his disloyalty to his boss.  Turned out not to happen and the Senate and Pence later did their duty and declared Biden the duly elected President  by Electoral College vote.
• Trump continued to fight the result by next having his state operatives harass, attack and set-up opponents to state officials who had some control over election procedures. That part of the overthrow plan has yet to yield its final outcome, but the 2022 election is expected to reject some key officials who did not perform as Trump required.

 Perhaps the major point to be made here is that Donald Trump and his Nazi-type advisors planned all of these manipulations as part of their attempt to continue Trump in office for as long as possible in order to transform this democracy into a  dictatorial state with Donald calling all the shots as the imperial President. All of these parts were planned as intended steps of an overall attempt to give absolute power to one man and after him, to one Party –the Republican Party and its officials.  Complete Power and Control were the aims, not just ‘winning’ of an election.  It is not just a question of Donald wanting a victory over those he considers his rivals, foes and enemies.  It is a question for him of total control of a nation – which would make him the total success he has always craved, outdoing even his father and giving him the pre-eminence he has always felt he deserved.

ERGO: in the mid-term elections this November, a vote for Donald Trump – supported or affiliated candidates-- is not a vote to choose the best candidates in a race.  It is a vote to end free and legal voting.  It is a choice of supporting acts of a  treasonous nature that are intended to lead to electing our first Imperial President in 2024.  It is a vote to confirm that our democracy no longer exists that one-man rule is our choice. It is a vote to accept and to approve using government to:

• Keep undesirable immigrants - “illegals”-- from our borders
• Abuse children of immigrants and other undesirables and use them as weapons in the fight to exclude some families from rights and freedoms
• Force a national ban on abortion with no exceptions
• Increase the wealth, success and privileges of a certain class or cohort of rich supporters
• Further the enrichment of Donald Trump and his minions through tax money and skimmed donations
• Detain and lock-up those who criticize and protest the agenda and the actions of Trumpian office-holders
• Arrange the control of all federal money by the Executive not the Congress
• Reduce or eliminate entitlements and hand-outs to people unwilling to earn their way
• Separate the ‘untouchables’ the undesirables, and the unproductive from those who are able and willing to support the regime
• Turn over key roles like education and punishment to private contractors

The list goes on and on.  Your vote for any Trumper is not a vote for putting someone in office – it is a vote accepting and approving the weaponizing of government to make this society conform to the agenda of Trump and his mob of totalitarians.  It is a VOTE of SURRENDER to the enemies of Democracy.

VOTE ONLY FOR PRO-DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES

A NATIONAL PLAN?

11/19/2022

Excuse me, but all this media commentary about Democrats “winning the Senate,” about voters rejecting Trump-picked candidates who were election-deniers, and about Republicans sniping against each other, is not particularly helpful. Why? Mainly because such talk does not adequately address the reality of “getting things done” within the political environment that remains (as Chuck Schumer emphasized in a recent late-night interview).
Loss of the House includes loss of the Speakership plus loss of committee majorities and chairmanships  means that the ability of Democrats to set forth and nurture legislation is greatly diminished. Moreover, the power to impeach and the power to pass bills that affect the raising of revenue (taxes and duties) are beyond their control.
As we have already heard, Republicans will take full advantage of their pick-up of these powers, and they will make Democrats suffer the consequences (some listed in the next section)
Democrats are likely to have a more difficult task in 2024 than they had in 2022 retaining their seats or flipping seats against incumbents.
The most important reason to stop talking about a huge ‘victory’ is because Trump has announced his intention to seek the presidency for the third time in 2024 and BECAUSE TRUMPIAN EXTREMISM IS STILL ACTIVE!
It is the same set of “principles” and myths that guided the 'America First' Movement,   Goldwater and Reagan and Nixon, and The Tea Party. It doesn’t go away; it reappears with some regularity. Under Trump (Bannon, Kelly, Stone, Collins and others), it sprang to life with a meanness, aggression, untruthfulness and self-aggrandizement that Trump brought to it. Unfortunately, his version spawned and collected extremists who are now part of its continuing character and format, like Jim Jordan, Marjorie Taylor Green, Elise Stefanick, Matt Gaetz, Rick Scott, plus back-ups like Ted Cruz, Lindsey Graham, and sadly, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas (and wife).
MOREOVER, there is still that 30-32% of the Republican electorate who choose to stand by Trump no matter what he does or says. They are the die-hard Trumpers who disrupt local school boards, threaten violence against ‘liberals’ and other local officials who are perceived as ‘enemies’ by simply doing their jobs.
THE ALARM BELLs ARE RINGING

RADICAL RIGHT REPUBLICANS STILL WANT TO IMPOSE UPON Us:

·    A Nationwide abortion ban

·    Nationwide ‘Christian’ ethic and beliefs

·    End of Social Security and Medicare

·    Voter & Election Restrictions that favor Radical Republican Trumpers

·    Use of State officials and agencies to overturn unfavorable election results

·    Cuts in all social and affirmative action programs

·    Huge Tax cuts for the rich & large corporations

·    Cutting out regulations that restrict businesses from exploiting consumers while adding others that aid them in that exploitation

·    Shutting down federal government to increase Executive power, authority and length of term

·    Increased Anarchy with lack of legislation, poor administration, and basic neglect of issues

·    Restrictions on curricula and teachers who try to present truth about American history

·    Immediate end to investigation of January 6^th insurrection and the beginning of attacks on Democrat leaders so that the system of oversight (checks and balances) becomes a meaningless charade

·    Immediate investigations of liberal activists and others like Hunter Biden

·    Use of violence as a political tool to scare voters and to punish targeted scapegoats

·    Opposition to all attempts to restrict guns that are killing large numbers of innocent children and adults

·    Impeach President Biden, VP Harris, and AG Merrick Garland

·    An autocratic State where one man has absolute power to declare what will be said and done

·    Militaristic policing and maximum prison terms for all offenders of their regime

WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT IT?

  WE CAN DO WHAT DEMOCRATS SEEM TO DO BEST – GET THINGS DONE (as Senate Majority Leader Schumer and retiring Speaker Pelosi have suggested).  Which just might include:

·    Solving real problems not made-up crises

·    Representing constituents not fat cat sponsor/donors

·    Expanding Social Security and Healthcare

·    Student loan relief

·    Abortion choice codified

·    Immigration policies revised

·    Amending the Constitution to reclaim basic rights and to overturn outrageous SCOTUS decisions, for example: to affirm that corporations are not individuals

·    Return to election reform as a top priority along with

·    Gun violence control

·    Inflation control

MORE MUST NOW BE DONE TO DEFEND & REJUVENATE DEMOCRACY

• Undermine Trumpism whenever and wherever it surfaces – maybe start by signing this MoveOn petition: https://sign.moveon.org/petitions/disqualify-donald-trump-from-holding-public-office-under-the-constitution-s-14th-amendment?source=rawlink&utm_source=rawlink&share=eb996fb7-44df-4259-8ca6-5cb2d54b747a
• Expose Trumpian lies and misinformation repeatedly
• Establish “Truth Teams” everywhere- local cells that promote the truth and inspire new policies and processes
• Publicity, research; local support, national planning and training of leaders—all informed by local actions, but done according to a National Plan
• Beyond Party, establish a MOVEMENT with central planning combined with local activism. LET THE PEOPLE SPEAK
  • Impose Penalties on any willful restricting or retracting of an established right
  • Return to voter and election reform as top priority
  • Track everything Trumpers do and publicize their anti-democratic actions
  • Limit jurisdiction of SCOTUS
  • Enable Trumpers to share in the effects of their OWN agenda; Example: withholding federal funds they voted against

Until we are giving equal time and attention to both programs and process, we will never be all that we can be.  That said, it reminds me that we need to imagine ourselves in a way that is similar to the way we think of military units (and of sports teams, perhaps).  They are not perfect analogies, but some truths emerge that might serve us in the political sphere if we make certain adjustments in processes that promote and implement program and policy.

Primarily, while winning victories is important, it is the ultimate goal of the troops and sport teams to be winning not for self-aggrandizement, glory or advancement, but for the welfare and safety of those for whom the battles are fought.  We need to make clear to politicians that they are “fighting to win” not for themselves alone but for their constituents, their teammates, their families, their friends, the victims of human degradation and for future generations of yet unborn who need opportunities to rise and to succeed in the lives they may choose.

On the sports fields, there is also that goal of team cohesiveness and fan pleasure and pride that goes with team building and winning

So, I ask: how do we do this?  How do we translate political victories into victories for the People and institutions, for victims of inequalities and those with special challenges or needs?  How do we envision, utilize, purpose, strategize and implement the fruits and outcomes of those victories?  And indeed, how do we make opportunities out of the losses and the negatives of losing?

• We start by knowing who we are and where we are going. The Democratic Party needs to conduct a broad-based review of its Mission and Purpose(s).  That review needs desperately to include grass roots activists as well as independents leaning toward a progressive mindset.  We already have some conduits for accomplishing this: local democratic Party Committees, staff employees at DNC, local district campaign leaders and staff, incumbent congresspersons and their staffs, and grass roots progressive non-profit organizations.  If we can organize to win elections, or at least to be competitive in all fifty states and voting territories, we can organize this effort as well!

This listening and data gathering should be mainly done in small group face-to-face meetings with leaders and constituents, but circumstances sometimes dictate varied methods of collection.  What it should not be is an amorphous polling or a limited input venue like larger town hall gatherings.

However, the data gathering instrument should be uniform and clear with instructions provided as to its use, definitions, and flexibility. Questions might include:

1. What characteristics of the Democrat Party most appeal to you?
2. Which value or characteristic is most important for the Party to widely promote, in your opinion?
3. What legislation would you like to see passed and implemented in the next four years?
4. If you were asked for three people investments for the Party to make right now, what three would you suggest?
5. How often are you consulted by Party or Representatives for your opinion(s) on legislation that will affect you? Have you ever testified before a congressional committee?

Secondly, we must implement a structure that listens and pays attention to local grass roots opinions and priorities on a continuous basis.  This is no easy task, but with newly developed resources, and many already in place (social media for example), we cannot fail to begin using what we have and to invest in new possibilities.  Why can’t Zoom (or similar systems) be used to enable legislative input by constituents to congressional offices and committees, for instance?  Are there potential uses for drones that would enable documents to be submitted in a timely manner from constituents?  Are there robotic entities being developed that might be used in such a network of data gathering and input to our branches of government?

Third, we need to stress the importance of investment and experimentation.  Are we losing that age-old concept of risk-taking as an integral part of governing?  Have we been captured and confined by conservative concepts of personal responsibility, small government, no-risk spending, lack of affirmative action (a kind of investment), and budgets that discriminate against certain groups instead of addressing needs and challenges that are forced upon some by circumstances?

 The Democratic Party needs to re-invigorate the kind of innovative risk that established the WPA, the CCC, the national highway system, the EPA, the economic rescue legislation under both Obama and Biden, plus the ACA healthcare legislation under Obama and Medical changes and challenges addressed by the Biden administration.

 There are other threads that extend out from these concepts including volunteer service to one’s community, mentorship and apprentice programs.

All the false premises of ‘overspending’ need to be exposed.  There is a point to be made that the constitutional powers of government have much to do with spending funds with good purpose.  In fact, the hoarding or saving of money is never mentioned in the Constitution.  What is clearly stated is that our government has many obligations and responsibilities – often called ‘powers’ – to undertake on behalf of the People and must use its resources to do so. 

In fact, after a rather lengthy list of powers, and corresponding mention of available resources, Article I section 8 concludes with this startling admonition regarding the role and power of the Legislature:

“To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.”

As a progressive liberal Democrat, I read this as an aggressive attitude regarding the role of government.  I see the “making of all laws” and carrying them into Execution as a green light on all spending which is lawful, necessary and proper for the protection and general welfare of the People.

On the other hand, a Right-wing conservative reading this same passage would immediately be drawn to the words “shall be necessary and proper” seeing this as a statement of support for limited government and therefore of spending limits (and reason enough for a ‘debt ceiling’ obstruction of infrastructure spending, unanimous Republican opposition to funds for veterans exposed to certain toxins, and for the principle of limiting government in whatever ways are necessary).

One could venture to say that the disagreement over the intent and meaning of this passage is a microcosm of the differing views of governing which pervade current politics.

Forth, we must get our act together in terms of promotion and training.  As part of a national plan, we must reverse a spotty record of communication and promotion.  We need to answer the question:  who is responsible for continual promotion of progressive values and principles, for publicizing valuable legislation and Executive branch action, for monitoring and improving the efforts of local progressive and Democratic Party groups; for publicizing and improving upon a national plan of action?  If you know of any such centralized group, please let me know; I do not think one exists because the Party depends entirely upon individuals to do promotion – candidates, media analysts, congresspersons, and department heads. But rarely seen or heard is a concentrated, consistent message that is brought to full effect by trained and talented speakers who are informed on a wide range of topics by all levels of the Party.  There is much more that needs review and innovation in this area, but we demur on detailed suggestions for now.

The spotty record of planned and continuous promotion is exceeded only by the lack of planned and targeted training.  What national strategy or plan exists for training progressive democrats in all of the areas I have mentioned, plus others not mentioned? Is there any group within the Democratic Party that is responsible for training members on how to be better activists; on what being a progressive entails; on campaign techniques like phoning, door-to-door campaigning; how to be a successful candidate for elective office; how to grow a feedback network; how to be an effective representative; how to write and promote legislation; the ins and outs of government operations, etc.  I know of outside groups that do some of this if requested but do not know of any national plan or organized Party effort to improve on training the troops.

Fifth, there is an important cohort of the electorate that is not receiving the attention it deserves from the Democratic Party.  In the midterms just concluded, it constituted the largest voting contingent of age groups. It is made up of persons ages 18-26, comprising 30% of those who voted and 53% of those voting for Democrats.  It is my contention that enough of the close congressional races may have hinged on the fact that Democrats essentially ignored making strong efforts to court these voters, thus defaulting a majority of congressional seats to the Republicans.

 I have no proof of this assertion and am relying mainly on personal experience in a local congressional contest for this opinion.  In that local case, a Democrat unseated a conservative Republican incumbent in 2018.  That Democrat made a concerted effort to court the college votes at several local colleges in the district, even hiring a staff person to target and work with students and faculty of those institutions.  He won by 4,000+ votes.  In the 2020 election, a staff person was not able to be hired to target the college vote (although some college-age volunteers did do some campaigning), and the Democrat incumbent lost the race by a mere 109 votes!

I venture another assertion:  Democrats and Progressives hinder their election chances by ignoring the college (and other youth) votes and a National Plan should contain suggested strategies for working with students and faculty at colleges in every district.

Sixth, this leads me to one more part of a national plan that I believe is vital but missing, and that is a plan for preparing the next generation for activist and leadership roles in progressive politics and government service.  Have we decided to ignore this mission? Nancy Pelosi has recognized that now is the right time to turn over leadership roles to a younger generation.  Others of the Party leadership have followed her example, but there are still too many of our leaders who do not understand the need to identify and prepare new leaders.  The mere fact that only one newly elected congressman is in his twenties underscores this premise.  

We could begin very simply by having local democratic party committees recruit young interns, observers, researchers to take part in meetings, forums, committees, protest events and campaigns. A second step might be joint efforts and exchanges with adults attending events organized by the young people.  A third step could be sponsorship of a young person for an elective office. 

My point is that this vital resource is not being recruited, trained and elected in preparation for a future with new issues, new problems, new ideas, new approaches to governing with a slew of old issues just waiting to be resolved.  We must pay attention to this or once again face the diminution of our democratic principles and structures.  The time has come to pass on the wisdom gained by experience to another generation.  What is the Democratic Party doing to ensure a successful outcome? 

Finally, we are obligated to a constitution that seeks happiness and fulfillment not for a select few, but that ensures opportunities of fulfillment for the greatest number, including the poorest and the challenged.  Our Mission is not to be CPAs; our Mission is to be creators and promotors of equal opportunity for building lives that contribute to the fullness of that adventure.   The problem is not overspending.  The problem is lack of disciplined and meaningful investment in People, too little attention to the importance of listening to their opinions, and training for our roles as defenders of the Constitution and the Rule of Law.                                            

We are not meant to take government for granted or to denigrate it or abandon it.  We are its caretakers and its lifeblood.  We have an obligation to take our role seriously by coming forth with a national plan that reflects the views of the People and not merely of a remnant or cabal or segment or elite leadership class of the whole. 

[Read more on some of these subjects at 12/09/2016 and 11/27/2018]

A RELATED RECENT POST

Criminal Minds -- Your Vote Has CONSEQUENCES!8/15/2022

Certain actions tend to breed consistent consequences. And, despite their false rhetoric, Trumpers cannot blame Democrats for their misdeeds because it is Democrats alone who have passed the most significant planet-saving, health-producing, inflation-fighting legislation that this country has ever produced! Allow me to share with you some of the certain consequences we will face if elections of 2022 and 2024 give us Trumpers-in-charge:

1) monetary manipulation required to finance the regime and to enhance the personal fortunes of its leaders and monied sponsors (NOTE CAREFULLY the TWO PICTURES below that you need to take very seriously)
2) dire restrictions placed on any who dare to speak or act contrary to the beliefs of the ruling order;
3) imposition of numbing conformity that can destroy this nation’s very soul.
4) control over society and voters that every fascist-type regime must assert to maintain power and to keep people in line.

Allow me to share with you just some of the certain consequences we will face if elections of 2022 and 2024 put Trumpers-in-charge. It is startling to recall that we have already witnessed despotic restriction and tyrannical control on public display during the Trump administration that continues today through his sycophantic followers. Space limits us to just a few examples:
⦁ Restrictive laws in 20 states that have dramatically increased the number of eligible voters who will lose their right to vote
⦁ threats of harm by Trump sycophants against peaceful protestors, election officials, school board members, and especially voters of color; AND NOW, actual violence against police, including counterintelligence, and the FBI
⦁ restrictions foisted by the Supreme Court's radical Right and state legislators upon women now threatened with laws that criminalize them if they seek information about or actually undergo an abortion.

• the spying on neighbors that comes along with such laws when they encourage monetary rewards for reporting any violators not only of anti-abortion laws, but of voting procedures as well.

⦁ Using federal employees and unofficial militia groups to perform militaristic actions and arrests that are both warnings and demands to us not to stray from complete adherence to their beliefs and practices.
⦁ the insurrection of January 6 at our Capitol was full-blown fascist violence at work to overthrow and eliminate legitimately elected government; and every violent act since has been prelude to overthrow of democracy.
History and experience tell us that voting for those espousing extreme nationalism, militarism, racism, violence and sexist control WILL INEVITABLY LEAD to further violence and complete militaristic control. Controlling your every move, including your finances, will be their sole agenda because tyrants always fear the rise of detractors and subsequent loss of absolute power.
Our voting choices in 2022 and 2024 will either brighten or extinguish the light of our unique form of governance. VOTES for any Far Right Trumper will HAVE CONSEQUENCES that will eventually come back to bite us where it hurts the most -- our health, financial benefits, our rights, our freedoms, our protection from foreign and domestic threats, and our opportunities (not to mention the irretrievable losses to our planet).
From the criminal mind of their leader to their negative voting record in Congress, in state legislatures and Supreme Court decisions, the Trumpers will put everyone at serious risk for violent fascist rule. Every single vote for a Trumper is a vote for putting criminal minds in charge of our lives.