Now what? The election of a delusional president, a theocratic vice president, a randian speaker of the house and the champion of predatory and polluting business as majority leader. And then a march by millions of women to assert their rights in society and to their bodies and the rights of the men and children who they care for and who have been abused by our racist and dystopian society. What next?
The organizing principle of the 2018 election must be impeachment. The Democratic Party should advocate and promise the immediate impeachment of Pence. Then the impeachment of Trump. Followed by the impeachment of the ethically challenged judges on the Supreme and Appellate Courts who have undermined our laws and the rights of Americans. And the Democratic Party should promise to elect Barack Obama Speaker of the House in 2018. That would put Barack Obama in line to become president again for a two year term of repair and reform.
By making impeachment the organizing principle of the 2018 election now, the rest of the pieces for the next two years of our politics will fall in place. Because the Senate map is so unfavorable to Democrats for 2018, the majority needed to convict any office holder in the Senate is impossible unless we act now. That is to identify weak Republican senators and recall them. Otherwise, we will need to find quite a few Republican senators who would break with their party — and sorry to say there aren’t any. Because Republican office holders do not serve the people, they serve their wealthy paymasters who have made their pact with racists, sexists, zealots and nationalists.
So come March when the DNC Chair is up for election, the question at the table will be whether to make 2018 all about impeachment. Everything flows from that decision. Should the party choose impeachment as its organizing principle then the policies that buttress that decision are easy to identify and advocate.
- reinvigorate democracy by insisting on voting rights for all, logical and fairly drawn single member districts at the Federal and state levels and transparency in election funding and political advocacy.
- a market economy that works for all and for the planet by reforming the rules of the market to spread out decision making through vigorous anti trust enforcement and financial regulation, to stop the outright subsidization of polluting industries and encourage sustainable energy, agriculture, and transportation and to insist on employment laws that reward work with adequate pay at all levels of the workforce.
- reestablish quality N-12 education as the birthright of all Americans whose primary objective is not to create worker bees, but to develop citizens whose potential to fully develop their own gift and skills is the main aim of education. Citizenship means being inculcated with the obligation to engage in our society on the basis of shared values of mutual respect of all.
- pursue peace and international cooperation that addresses the problems of global warming and the need for all people to have stable and responsive government. That means cooperation and the use of soft power, not saber rattling or the use of actual sabers when our actual survival is not at risk. Because in the long term our survival depends on peace, cooperation and a lifting of all boats around the world.
- emphasize the importance of faith for personal development and ethical action in the world. What would Jesus, or Buddha, or the G*d of the Torah and Quran really want humans and their societies to do? Destroy this precious earth and render human kind extinct?
- build up the commons — in infrastructure, housing, education, employment, health and leisure. Isn’t that what the pursuit of happiness is really about?
Frankly, is there an alternative to this organizing principle? Anything else is advocating incrementalism that plays into the hands of the malign forces that brought us Trump and Republican governance. And that will lead to divide and rule policies that result in the loss of rights and power for the people. We must use bold democratic and constitutional methods to fight the fascism and oligarchic kleptocracy that has risen quickly in our midst.
Monday, Jan 23, 2017 · 9:17:15 PM +00:00
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ProduceMan
The issue is how do we get our government back and short circuit This malign Republican era and Trump's rule without bloodshed and by mobilizing people to vote for as quick and effective strategy as possible? In the past 40 years of Republican cheating, voter suppression, consorting with foreign powers, they have barely had to pay for their actions. So they will not leave peaceably or lawfully unless the Democrats pursue a clear and popular strategy. As the clock ticks dominionist and similar ideologues will be taking over the Federal judiciary. There is nothing to stop the Republicans from imposing Erdogan style democracy on the US unless there is a clear and vigorous fight for 2018.