We're Stuck

There's no easy way to say this. We are stuck with Trump. When voters stayed home or voted for 3rd party candidates, Trump was able to get just enough votes to squeak by in 3 key states so he could get a victory in the Electoral College. It doesn't matter that he LOST the popular vote by nearly 3 million votes. Some say that enough voters were disenfranchised in those states to achieve the EC victory.

The reality now is that we are stuck. Don't put your hopes on Republicans impeaching him. His base will stick with him no matter what outrageous thing he does. Republicans won't even think of impeachment unless his base somehow decides he's trouble.

So, what are the 72+million of us who voted for someone else going to do? As I see it, we can protest, pay close attention to what he's doing, and most of all, we can vote. Midterms and special elections aren't as sexy as Presidential elections. Democrats don't usually bother. But, not this time. This time, Democrats must realize that we don't have the luxury of not voting. The right is busy winning elections, from school board to state legislatures to US Congress. Are we just going to sit back and cede our country to them? No! We are going to make sure we are registered, help others to get registered and we're going to vote like our lives depend on it. Because they do!

Playing by the Rules

Would you play a chess game with someone who played by a different set of rules than you? That really wouldn't make sense would it? Especially if your set of rules put you at a disadvantage. Yet, this is exactly what some critics would expect of Democrats. Critics want Democrats to pass some kind of purity test that says they shouldn't take campaign monies from Wall Street or corporations while their opponents continue to rake in the big bucks.

When Barack Obama was first running for president in 2008, he promised to pursue with his opponent the course of using only public financing for their campaigns. When he saw how primary opponents were gaming the system using 527 groups (now called Super PACs) he reversed course. The linked article explains his reasoning. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/19/AR2008061900914.html.

As is everything in politics, it's complicated. We now have many critics of the Democratic party who want us to play by a different set of rules than our opponents. Democrats are expected to win races, but are asked to follow rules that would hinder their chances of winning.

It would be great if we had a system where presidential candidates could only use public financing and that prohibited outside groups from collecting monies or holding fundraisers for candidates. But, we don't have that. Our Supreme Court has ruled that corporations also have free speech rights under our Constitution. Their money is their speech. So, we have a system that allows PACs and Super PACs and we cannot require Democrats to play by a different set of rules than their opponents. If Democrats don't win elections, they don't have much opportunity to enact laws to change the system or to implement their platform.

Right now winning is vital. Be wary of any critic who wants to improve the Democratic Party by requiring Democrats to play by a different set of rules than their opponents.

"A Vision of Mutuality"

Wouldn't it be great if we lived in a world where all people respected and valued each other? In such a world, there would be no domination of one set of people over another. We'd all be seen as having equal value and potential. Do you believe that such a world is possible? Are all created equal but some are just more equal than others? This simply cannot be.

A long time ago, some very patriotic and wise men got together and came up with this:  "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Do you recognize it? Yes, it's from the Declaration of Independence. Look back, it says "all men are created equal". Did they really mean that? All - men - ??

The Founding Fathers eventually framed a constitution that said slaves were 3/5th a person and women could not vote. So, it appears what they really meant to say was that ALL WHITE AND FREE MEN (who were landowners) are created equal. Since that time Blacks and women have had to fight to be treated equally by this Constitution. We've had to amend that Constitution several times and we've had to take issues to the Supreme Court to ensure that ALL are created and treated equally. And we aren't done yet!

Perhaps you've heard this quote, "Women's rights are human rights." It's from a speech given by Hillary Rodham Clinton in 1995. You can read the whole things here:
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/hillaryclintonbeijingspeech.htm

That's over 20 years ago!  Are we closer to a world where all people respect and value each other? Or do we still have work to do? If you believe we may have come a long way baby, but, we still have work to do, you might just be a feminist.

There, I said it. A feminist. Do you want to be labeled a feminist? Some think it's a dirty word describing a man-hating woman who wishes she'd been born a man. Nothing could be further from the truth.
According to Bell Hooks, who is one of our most eminent feminist leaders, feminism is, "a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression." Anyone can be a feminist then. I am a feminist and I raised my three sons to be feminists. I'm proud they value equality for all. Feminism is for Everybody is the title of a book by Hooks published in 2000. Grab a copy. It's small, but, powerful.

I believe feminists need to be political. I believe ignoring politics is not an option. We need awareness of what's happening at every level in our political system. We cannot afford to ignore it. Not if we want to keep the rights we have. There are plenty who would love to see our political system return to the way it was when the Constitution was framed. 

 Are you interested? Are you willing to get involved? If you are new to political activism, start with Ballotpedia. It is a "nonprofit, nonpartisan collaborative encyclopedia designed to connect people to politics and elections at the local,state and federal level."  https://ballotpedia.org/Main_Page

There is carefully researched information available on the site. According to wikipedia, Ballotpedia was "Founded in 2007, it covers American federal, state, and local politics, elections, and public policy." Everything is referenced and it is free of partisan opinion. 

Here are some things you can do to make a difference: write a letter-to-the editor, attend a town hall, go to a city council meeting, volunteer for a candidate or organization you support; you get the idea. Act. 

Join me and others who want to make this world a place where mutual respect is the norm and all people are considered to have inherent value. "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it's the only thing that ever has."   https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/margaretme100502.html

The First Hundred Days

I am thoroughly exhausted by the chaos that is Trump's presidency. He has gathered a cadre of people about him who all seem to have some connections to Russia and are willing to lie about it. In just 70+ days at least 3 have resigned or been fired. Now, we have a president who's campaign staff are under FBI investigation for their ties to Russia and possible collusion with Russia to influence the outcome of the November election. How on earth did we get here? Many pundits far wiser than I have been trying to figure it out. Some blame the victim of this Russian interference by saying Hillary Clinton was an awful candidate. Some blame the DNC and the head at the time, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz. Others blame the media for not doing their investigative duty and informing voters of the extent of Donald Trump's ties to Russia and his vast businesses that would present many opportunities for conflicts of interest.

I think there's plenty of blame to go around but let's now stop looking for someone to blame. Now is the time to figure out what to do with an amateur administration that doesn't know how to function effectively in DC or in world affairs. Not knowing is one thing. (No one expects them to know everything.) The most troubling aspect in my opinion is their willful ignorance. From my view, it looks like they don't even care to know. That's just sad.

We can only hope this administration begins to accept the extent of their ignorance and tries to remedy it by getting expert advice. Having a former media president with no experience in government advise Trump is no way to govern. The apprentice president needs experts in the room, not his children nor his in-laws. If we make it to day 100, it will be because wiser heads than his prevailed.

Action Required

It wasn't just President Obama's nightmare coming true. Most Americans were horrified to learn that Donald J Trump had won the necessary Electoral College votes to secure the presidency. President Obama had to eat his own words predicting that Trump would never be president of the United States. He had to be gracious and kind to the man who was anything but gracious and kind to him during his two terms in office. Most of us who had supported a different candidate went through the stages of grieving; many getting permanently stuck in the anger stage. Many of us finally reached the acceptance stage only to wake each morning to the reality of Trump's presidency and a new round of outrageous tweets, ridiculous surrogate statements, and bizarre Congressional committee hearings. We are only just 3 weeks into this presidency and yet nearly half of Americans polled would like to see him impeached. So, where do we go from here? As a long time Democrat, my plan is to resist most of President Trump's agenda. I don't support most of what he's proposed to do as president. I will support any Democrat in office who also opposes President Trump. I will work to encourage people to vote for Democrats who are running for office. If you share my sentiments, please find something you can do in this article on how to oppose President Trump and commit to taking action.
https://qz.com/846940/a-yale-history-professors-20-point-guide-to-defending-democracy-under-a-trump-presidency/

The Resistance

According to a magnificent article  by Liel Leibovitz in Tablet Magazine we have three obligatory tasks ahead of us if we are to survive. You can read the article here: http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/217831/what-to-do-about-trump

I'm going to share the three points here. First, "The first, and most obvious, is this: Treat every poisoned word as a promise. When a bigoted blusterer tells you he intends to force members of a religious minority to register with the authorities—much like those friends and family of Siegfried’s who stayed behind were forced to do before their horizon grew darker—believe him. Don’t try to be clever. Don’t lean on political intricacies or legislative minutia or historical precedents for comfort. Don’t write it off as propaganda, or explain it away as just an empty proclamation meant simply to pave the path to power. Take the haters at their word, and assume the worst is imminent."

The second follows:  " Don’t waste any time, then, trying to understand: Then as now, many were amused by the demagogue and moved by his vile vision."

Finally, "Refuse to accept what’s going on as the new normal. Not now, not ever. " The point here is exactly like what the poet Maya Angelo said, "When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time." 

He has shown us and the Republican Party led by Paul Ryan has shown us. Let's get our act together and fight them every step of the way. 

We can throw them out of the White House and both houses of Congress if we can stop our infighting and act as a united party. I hope Democrats have the wherewithal to do it. Time will tell. 

Updated: Democrats and a very few Republicans will be the salvation of our democracy. When folks try to get you to vote against a Democrat because he/she isn't currently voting the way they want, check Ballotpedia for that member of Congress' voting record. Most likely they vote with Democrats the majority of the time. If that person were defeated in the primary and lost to a Republican in the general election, do you really think the Republican would vote with the Democrats the majority of the time? Folks who tell you to vote against an established Democrat, especially in areas the are Republican strongholds, may have a hidden agenda. Consider if they are trying to strengthen the Democratic Party or trying to blow it up. 

Love vs Hate

I wrote this last year before the election. Sadly, somehow, America chose hate and fear. Will we survive? Yes!! We will resist this charlatan every step of the way. Need help?  Go here:  theoppofile.com or find a local group of individuals who are also committed to Resistance.


Hate builds walls. It destroys and leads to violence and death. Hate sets people apart and creates fear. Hate divides and labels people.

Love builds bridges. Love brings peace and joy. Love unifies people and creates trust. Love brings compassion and serenity.

One candidate trades in hate. He labels people to create distrust and fear. He promotes violence and promises walls and policies to keep people separate.

My candidate talks about love. She wants to unify America. She promotes community and kindness. Her voice is raised for ALL AMERICANS. I trust her. She has my support. Which will you choose? #ChooseLove