A Domino Principle reader wrote today: “What I want to know is: what can be done to stop Trump. Since there seems that NO ONE can or will. I know voting is the best way to get him out, if we can have a election without him suppressing the voters.”
The news each day is overwhelmingly horrific. Election tampering and voter suppression, plague, racism, fascism, economic collapse, corruption, treason and a President’s relentless betrayal of his oath of office and erosion of American values.
Our friends and family are getting sick, are unable to pay their rent and are sometimes dying. Our colleagues are losing their jobs and businesses.
Meanwhile, climate change, white nationalism, an unchecked gun culture, a failed educational system, a failing healthcare system, and a runaway national debt all pose existential threats to America’s future.
And we know with virtually absolute certainty that between now and January 20, 2021, these things are likely going to get far worse rather than better.
The primary job of preventing a rogue President from destroying our democracy lies with Congress. If the House of Representatives and the Senate were jointly doing their jobs, this would not be happening. But it is clear that the Senate, most particularly the Republican majority in the Senate, is preventing any effort to stop Trump from changing America from a secular representative democracy into an illiberal authoritarian oligarchy. David Frum’s prophecy is coming true before our very eyes: “If conservatives become convinced that they cannot win democratically, they will not abandon conservatism, they will abandon democracy.”
So what can we do between now and the election, you ask? We are not helpless. We can do several things, none of which are easy:
1) Get up and PROTEST (safely and peacefully) as you are able. It is possible to march in the streets, wear a mask, and socially distance. I’ve done it, and will continue to do it, as opportunities arise! Use YOUR VOICE to put pressure on your elected reps. Don’t stop until they take action.
2) Stay aware and knowledgeable so that when acquaintances try to gaslight and spread disinformation, you are able to identify and call out their nonsense. In addition to the articles I author personally, on a daily basis I share on the Domino Principle’s Facebook profile some of the most insightful columns being written to help each of us stay aware of what is going on and how we can make a difference.
3) Use your voice, on social media and otherwise, to spread truth and appropriate values. Share the columns that I share, especially those by Heather Cox Richardson. Share others, like Dan Rather, David Frum, and all the rest who have the knowledge and insight to separate the dark from the light. Silence is complicity.
4) Volunteer and offer resources to help support candidates who represent your values. The “Time, Talent and Treasure” challenges I will be posting to Domino Principle on a regular basis over the next few months should help you do this. Also remember that you really can make a difference by volunteering in so many different ways at the local level. Yes, it is difficult to do so in a pandemic, but ways can be found to contribute.
5) Share this posting on Facebook and retweet it on Twitter in addition to “liking” it. Likes are nice, but “shares” are far more effective.
6) PROTEST, PROTEST, PROTEST. Yes, I know, this was #1 as well. PROTEST and don’t stop PROTESTING until the Republicans in Congress start listening to the vast majority of people in America!
As John Kennedy once said… “We choose to [do these] things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win”.
Together, we can make a difference.
This post was originally published on Facebook on August 14, 2020 using this sharable post:
and on Twitter using this retweetable thread:
THREAD: Democracy Matters — Here is what you can do. 1/20 pic.twitter.com/QV0o6IN0Vk
— Cliff Kurtzman (@DominoPrinciple) August 14, 2020
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