I heard something yesterday that stopped me cold.
You all know me. I’m not one who likes to dwell on negativity. I’d far prefer to find the silver lining, or the action we can take to turn things around.
But sometimes, the gravity of our situation hits me like a ton of bricks.
I was listening to the MSNBC broadcast in my car yesterday, and the panel was discussing what a problem it was that people who support Trump don’t seem to care that he’s obstructing Congress, or care that he used the power of his office for personal gain.
It was then that a panelist (sorry, don’t know who it was) said this:
“There is such a thing as a republic that is not earned by its citizens.”
I muted the radio and pulled over. I did. I had to write that down. A republic… not earned… by its citizens…
We have too many people who are happy to allow our Constitution to be corrupted because their party is in power right now. Too many people have tuned out politics altogether. That’s a lot of our country who isn’t fighting to keep our democracy.
That’s a lot to put on the shoulders of those of us who ARE fighting. Those of us who see the dangers of continuing down this path. We know what can happen.
But if we’re outnumbered by those who don’t (or won’t) see it, we might lose our democracy anyway. And that’s the thought that made me stop.
I refuse to stop fighting because that would mean crossing over the line into their camp. I will do everything I can to send a strong message in November of this year.
But folks, I’ll admit it. I’m kind of scared right now.
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OMG This is what has terrified me since 2017 but it’s finally been put into words.
Hello TOKYOSAND. All you say is true. Plus we have a part of the population that are being deliberately lied too about what is happening. I just found out State Propaganda TV ( aka Fox News ) is showing video of the Senate trial with no audio. Instead the hosts are narrating the video falsely, using republican talking points or outright lying about what is being said. Their viewers do not know their being lied to. Talk about gaslighting on a national level. These people then get a totally wrong idea of what is going on, they then repeat it and argue from that viewpoint. I have already had several online talks with a couple of these people who are so badly misinformed they are in a different reality. Hugs
This is indeed a very scary situation which may or may not be resolved in a positive manner. Time will tell.
It is true, though, that people do not deserve democracy if they don’t appreciate it. When I hear so many people these days speak only in terms of cultural identity, when they value subjective opinion over objective facts, when they denigrate education and intellectual pursuits, and when they look to authoritarian leaders as some sort of political messiah, I fear the worst.
However, I was encouraged today to see that public opinion has shifted markedly against President Trump regarding impeachment. One poll showed that 57% of likely voters support removing him from office.
It really scares me to read that you’re scared now, too.
I’ve been scared for a long time about where we’re heading so much that I left the US. All the signs of resurrected autocracy have been visible since at least the ’80’s.
I’ve been observing a steady devolution with two conflicting transformations happening simultaneously. Americans have met robots halfway. Their identities and sense of validity are defined by their perceived productivity; they’re are increasingly alienated from their own instincts and emotions.
I used to be part of a tiny informed minority talking into the wind. Now so many more people are aware of what’s being done to them. They’re ‘woke,’ if you will. And so many more of us – not just the marginalised – are in action. My fear is whether it’s too late.
The GOP have stripped away all pretence. Their blatant lying and bombast in the face of the reasoned, beautifully crafted impeachment arguments make me want to weep.
Thank you for writing and educating us. We have no choice but to persist.
Thank you for writing. Yes, we must persist. Our country and our form of government is too precious to give up on. Upon reading that you are abroad, I must ask if you’re involved with Democrats Abroad?
Yes! We were directly in touch several months ago when I tagged you in a few posts in DA Spain social media. Thank you for creating such great SM-ready content. 😉
I now live in Spain, but after the installation of GWB as president, I wanted out and we moved to Australia. It became apparent that we’d moved from the frying pan into what was a political, and soon became a literal, fire (It’s a very fragile continent and all the signs were there). Upon my first visit, I realised that if we’d had a choice, we should have moved to New Zealand. Right now, they’re blessed with J. Ahern, but Peter Thiel and his bunker-building ilk are contaminating the culture. All digits crossed.
I didn’t clarify the two contradictory currents in my original comment. 1. Americans ceding their individual value, instead increasingly pegging our own worth to our perceived productivity; 2. The increasing awareness of the big scheme and what rabid Neo-capitalism has been doing to us.
You have an open invitation to visit here. Just ping. Cheers, M.