"Trump Resistance Movement" and "Democratic Party" Are Not Necessarily Synonymous

One of the observations that became a little bit clearer and more focused following Saturday's massive anti-Trump, anti-Musk, anti-GOP rallies is the fact that the Democratic party is not in the lead when it comes to this movement, and while most Democrats are part of the resistance and opposition to what is, after just 77 days, a miserably failing Presidency, the two things, which I will identify as the "Trump Resistance Movement," and the "Democratic party," are not necessarily the same thing.  

There has been a massive amount of analysis of the 2024 election, most of it speculative, without strong, solid data to back it up, purporting to have discovered the exact reason why Kamala Harris lost one of the closest elections in history to Trump.  Just this morning, I heard a talk show guest of Richard Chew, on Chicago's WCPT, claim that it was a movement away from Democrats of Gen X'ers, black men and Hispanic voters, but the evidence he offered was speculative, not accurate.  

Personally, my observation is that the defeat was caused by the same reason most Democrats have lost elections, going back to 1980.  It's their inability to match the message with their actions.  The shifts in various demographics cannot account for the drop off of 5 million plus voters from the 2020 election.  It's hard to take the message seriously if the actions don't match the rhetoric.  Democrats claimed that Trump was an existential threat to American Democracy, as he certainly proved from 2016 to 2020, and is now proving once again.  No argument there.  

But the actions didn't demonstrate enough conviction to convince a lot of "low propensity voters" that they were serious about the claim.  The overall effort made to use Constitutional means to eliminate such a threat by Democrats in leadership positions was weak and irresolute, and was not convincing enough to marshall the kind of voter support necessary to win.  If they'd put in an effort to match their rhetoric, and Biden had stayed on, he'd have won a landslide.  Harris would have had an easy win.  

Their old-line leadership, which includes Biden, just couldn't break out of their habits.  I love Joe Biden, I think he was the right choice in 2020, as a transitional President, to bridge the gap between the horribly failed Trump term, and a progressive, reform aiming Democratic party under Harris.  But he spent such a long time in the Senate that he was hobbled by unwillingness to mess with its traditions and its antiquated, anti-democratic features dubbed as some kind of elite status by many of its members.  The remnants of an old, give-and-take system that valued political compromise that is long gone, abandoned completely by the opposition party, dragged Democrats down.  

Democrats could not see past the obstacles thrown up by a Republican-corrupted justice system, and in spite of claiming Trump was a threat, they could not get him in front of a jury for trial as a seditious insurrectionist as a result of a series of frivolous delays, along with deliberate foot-dragging on the part of an irresolute and inept, incompetent attorney general.  Discussions about breaking the filibuster to pack the Supreme Court, when they had the power to do it, were pooh-poohed.  We're talking about saving the country from a potential dictatorship, here.  But they made keeping the antiquated, outdated and undemocratic filibuster a priority. And they weren't willing to take the step necessary to pack the Supreme Court, which would have opened all kinds of doors, including getting Trump tried and convicted as an insurrectionist long before the mid-term election rolled around, eliminating the ridiculous and unconstitutional immunity ruling and saving Roe.    

With control of both houses of Congress and the White House for two years, the Democrats were unable to accomplish this highest priority of government tasks.  

With a Few Notable Exceptions, Democrats Weren't at the Front of Saturday's Protests

Some Democrats, those who have also been baffled and frustrated by the irresolute stumbling of their party leadership, were an active part of the Saturday protests and rallies.  Of course, with so many different locations, it's hard to tack the involvement of everyone who was out there.  But from accounts I've read, most of the speakers were activists, authors, local leaders who aren't necessarily office holders.  The Democrat who represents the state legislative district in Illinois, where I live, didn't even show up at a rally.  

Here in Chicago, it was local chapters of Indivisible that organized and promoted the protest.  Democrats in Congress, even the leadership, didn't make many headlines on national news.  Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth was part of the protest, I saw and heard some from Eric Swalwell, who I expected to be out in front, and Jamie Raskin.  Of course, Bernie and AOC, who were really the catalyst to get all of this started, had prominent roles and high visibility.  Former Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke is an activist organizer now, in Texas.  Most comments from Democrats are favorable.  But they're still not out in front on this, because where it is going seems to be into areas with a lot higher level of political risk than most of them want to take. 

So, while it is difficult to imagine the Democratic party as part, but not the whole, of a Trump opposition movement, that's exactly where we are.  And in order to defeat Trump, getting him out of the White House by whatever non-violent, constitutional means is possible, even forceful public opinion that convinces enough Republicans to force his resignation, it's probably going to take more than the Democratic party leadership is actually willing to do, in the long run, to bring this about.  Democrats didn't use the tools they had available to them when they had the power in their hands, not to stop Trump, not even to save their holy grail, Roe v. Wade.  Now that they don't have the tools, they've turned to fundraising appeals using this as a backdrop.  

This is a grassroots movement.  It's the evidence of a landslide election the Democratic party could have won if it had stuck to, and clearly communicated its message.  It's the sign of a political shift that is coming, one that may eventually be identified as the Democratic party, but with a new set of leaders.  Attempts to let the focus get distracted off into side issues won't be allowed by this movement.  The Democrats can't advance their complicated policy platform now, anyway, so the focus must remain on the most effective course of action, and that is stopping Trump from completely demolishing the country.  

There's progress, and movement in the right direction.  But it has to come quicker and form faster if it is to be effective in stopping Trump.

If this is the beginning of a new politically progressive movement, slightly to the left, that will appeal to a lot of constituencies both parties have been unable to reach, then it's a good thing.  

 

 

 

What was Accomplished by Saturday's Protests?

Millions Stood Up April 5, A Day of Action

Here's a quote from the article I linked above, which is a narrative of the speech given at the "Hands Off!" rally in San Francisco on Saturday, April 5 by activist Rebecca Solnit.  The entire speech can be found in the link above.

"I am not saying we will do this.  For that, we'd have to be patiently passionate and passionately patient.  We'd have to stick to our principles, keep showing up and keep standing up even when it looks bleak.  We have to do the right things even when the consequences of our actions might not be immediately obvious.  We have to persevere even if it is scary, and by that we, I mean those of us least at risk on behalf of those of us most at risk.  We can do this.  

Will we do it?  Are you in? For the long haul?" 

In It For the Long Haul 

The turnout for Saturday's "Hands Off!" rallies and marches around the country clearly exceeded the expectations of the organizers.  This was a kind of testing of the waters, a check on the political temper of the United States after just 76 days of the second Trump Presidency.  I've been reading the media pundit reactions, the politician reactions, the statements from organizers, and the public reaction that we are getting from the media is predictable.  I'm going to ignore a lot of the predictability in evaluating the effect of what transpired.  

And I have to say this here before I go on.  Colleges and universities who operate programs that train journalists, particularly the news writers, copy editors, and the editorial commentators, are absolutely embarrassing themselves with the product they are graduating, and with the poor quality of the work being done by those to whom they are handing degrees.  That should be an item in the top five of any list of things that have gone wrong in this country and are responsible for this political disaster we are now facing.  The lack of discernment, of content knowledge of the American Constitution and the government which operates under its principles and rules, the ability to discern truth from a lie, and the lack of conviction evident in repeated failure to call out lies, especially among younger journalists, is appalling. 

It'll be a while before the full impact of Saturday's events will be felt.  The horror of seeing crowds ten times larger than even the most optimistic predictions in deep red states like Utah, Montana, Idaho, West Virginia, and Texas has Republicans in a real panic.  Even what we've seen in some of the understated and carefully guarded words, mostly pre-fab stuff, over the weekend, that is one of the more visible reactions.  From that side of the aisle, I don't expect a lot of words to be said.  What I expect is a change of plans that will be noticeable soon enough.  

But even in the big, deep blue cities, the turnout exceeded expectations.  Some of the venues, like Daley Plaza in downtown Chicago, just weren't big enough to hold the turnout, so it spilled over into the surrounding streets.  

And here's an obvious fact.  If a Presidential administration has motivated protests of this size and scope, in virtually every nook and cranny of this country in just 76 days in office, it is in an unmeasurable and disastrous world of trouble, and it does not have a future.  

It will take a while for this to sink in.  The GOP is being held together by fear of retribution, not exactly a value of American politics that has ever had much success in the past.  The margins are showing up in polling data that has become even more dismal for Trump than it was in his first term.  Already.  Saturday's rallies affirmed the feelings that are showing up in those polls, as did the special election results last week, so now, the party operating out of a fear of opposition and defeat that is manifesting itself in a deathly fear of holding public, town hall meetings, is scared spitless. That, more than any words of a Fox News commentator, says just how scared Republicans are about their future with Trump in the White House.  

So being committed to being in for the long haul is a strategy that will work.  

The Opposition Has Come Together, and is Inviting Democrats to Get On Board

We have come from a point of uncertainty, confusion and paralysis following the 2020 election, that continued all through the last days of the Biden Presidency, up to and since the inauguration, to a point where the realization of the true consequences of electing this incompetent, demented, emotionally and intellectually crippled, dysfunctional demagogue are setting in quickly.   For decades in this country, we have fought apathy among various groups of people in our country who somehow got disconnected from their responsibility and role as "we, the people," and buried themselves in something else, refusing to participate in the very activities that were meant for their own benefit, even during those times when their own perspective didn't prevail.  

It was even worse, during this last election cycle, as truthful information got buried in sensationalism, competition for ratings that equal profits for media company owners, ignorance and lack of discernment resulted in the media becoming a propaganda outlet for Trump.  We had four years of the guy in the White House, and there isn't any way to be honest, and evaluate that Presidency as anything more than one of the worst failed Presidencies in our almost 250 years of Constitutional history.  And we've had some real bad, totally incompetent, inept failures who led the country into disasters we didn't have to experience, like the Civil War.  

This President is worse than any of those, and the fact that in an age of electronic media, and instant communication, that fact can be distorted, manipulated, and made to convince seemingly educated and intelligent people otherwise is a huge problem that must be corrected at every level where it exists, from television news to church pulpits, everywhere the lies are promoted.  The truth is getting out there and Saturday's turnout is evidence of that.  

This is a true grassroots movement, in the real political sense of that term.  While its organizers are, for the most part, members of the Democratic party, the party and its leadership is pretty much along for the ride.  Other than Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, there hasn't really been anyone who has done anything meaningful or effective as far as opposition to this administration's incompetence is concerned, except make a few angry speeches and used it to help set up fundraising operations for their own upcoming re-election campaigns.  We picked up Cory Booker last week, after his remarkable speech acknowledged mistakes Democrats have made in the past, and realistically assessed the future.  

I'd be in favor of Schumer stepping down, and handing the mantle of Senate leadership to Senator Booker.  Tomorrow couldn't be soon enough.  If Schumer wants to retire and get out of the way, I'd be OK with that too.  Democrats are the natural choice to lead this movement, and the fact that the momentum appears to be well past where most of them are still hanging out is a sign that we need a change in leadership.  That may well be something that results from the effects of yesterday's rallies and marches. 

It will be a long haul.  As Booker alluded to in his speech, the Democrats have made mistakes and squandered chances to prevent what's happening now from materializing.  But there's too much self-focused, self-protection going on that prevented the kind of bold risk-taking that would have produced what the justice system in this country was designed to produce, and that is an honest government held accountable to the people.  There is no excuse for Trump not being brought to trial for his crimes long before any thought of the 2024 election rolled around, and there is no excuse for action not being taken, when it seemed that the blockades, especially from the Supreme Court, were going to prevent it.  

Democrats had the power for two years during the Biden Administration, and could have used it if not for the restraints they put on themselves by sticking to their political traditions, not realizing their opponents had abandoned those rules and there was no way to win by following them anymore.  It doesn't seem like that lesson has sunk in yet, and that's why this movement is ahead of the party leadership, not really following it. It seems to be choosing its own leaders. 

What I Would Like to Happen vs What Needs to Happen

Public pressure can do a lot of things, including causing a failing, corrupt, ineffective demagogue to resign the Presidency.  We saw this happen in 1974, when public pressure from revelations coming out of the Watergate scandal pushed enough members of the Republican membership of Congress to commit to impeachment and removal of Richard Nixon, letting him know before a trial actually started that his Presidency wouldn't survive the outcome.  

The result of a Presidential resignation now would be to put an even more incompetent, and far worse individual in the White House.  And even if they both stepped down, we'd get Mike Johnson, a sniveling, spineless coward with no moral or ethical convictions.  The question is how much influence the Heritage Foundation has over those in line for the Presidency, and how much support would be left among Republicans in Congress to keep pushing that agenda in the face of public pressure.  But clearly, while the options are the lesser of two evils, getting Trump out of the White House is the best option.

Musk, very likely, is gone.  That word came down after Tuesday, when he more or less took a major beating in Wisconsin, an election won by a Democrat who very likely benefitted from people who turned out because he got involved.  I don't think Trump has the mental capacity, or the emotional ability or ego strength to push him out the door and shut down DOGE, but I think those who are his handlers realize what might happen if that doesn't happen.  Something has to give in the Signal scandal, too, and it can't be a low level sacrifice.  It must be either Waltz or Hegseth.  My guess is the latter, since having an incompetent in the Pentagon is a worry for some GOP Senators, too.    

As I watched video of the crowd that materialized in Washington, DC on Saturday, probably ten times larger, or more, than the January 6th mob of traitors and insurrectionists, I thought, "what a contrast."  A peaceful demonstration, showing respect for the democracy that gives it the freedom to march and to protest, as opposed to the violent attempted overthrow of a legitimate election.  These were true American patriots, exercising their rights and sending a clear message of opposition to a President who is failing to do his job.  

We Have a Movement

So it will be a long haul, but we have a movement.  The size and scope of this particular protest was impressive, but beyond that, it is a sign that the message is getting out, and awareness of the truth, and let me underline that, the truth, is getting out.  I don't think we have a figure of just how many people turned out on Saturday, but what we do have is evidence that change is being demanded, and is coming.  Combined with Tuesday's shocking special election results, even in Florida, where anti-Trump voters boosted turnout and doubled the election percentages of Democratic candidates in just five short months of discontent, there's been a political earthquake. 

A lot of damage has been done, and will continue to be done as long as Trump is in the White House.  But what we know about him is that his ego can't persist against opposition.  I expect that this was not a weekend very many people on the White House staff or in his secret service detail wanted to spend in his presence.  But the pressure needs to keep coming.  We will do well to focus our political contributions on the places where it does the most good, on Senator Sanders' and Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez' movement and organization, and on the organizations which have formed, and are putting this together, like Indivisible,  which was responsible for a lot of Saturday's turnout.  

"Will we do it?"  Yes, we will. "Are you in?"  Yes, I am.  I have problems standing for a long time, can't walk for long distances because of diabetic foot problems but you'll see me with my lawn chair at rallies and gatherings.  "For the long haul?"  Yes, for as long as it takes.   

Undermining and Opposing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Transforms Conservative Christianity Into Something Else

My loved ones, I warn you: do not trust every spirit.  Instead, examine them carefully to determine if they come from God, because the corrupt world is filled with the voices of many false prophets.  How do you test the spirits?  If a spirit affirms the truth that Jesus, the Liberating King, has come in human flesh, then that spirit is from God.  If a spirit does not affirm the true nature of Jesus, then that spirit does not come from God and is, in fact, an agent of the antiChrist.  You have heard about his coming, whose spirit is already active in this world.  I John 4:1-3, The Voice

The Ideals of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Were Introduced and Established as Core Principles of the Christian Gospel by Jesus

Don't be deceived into believing that the Heritage Foundation, the originators of Project 2025, which is a Christian nationalist blueprint to destroy American constitutional democracy and turn the country into their idea of a "Christian nation," has anything to do with orthodox, Biblical Christianity.  To identify it as anything but a deviant, dangerous, evil, anti-Christian cult would be a mistake that could cost us all our freedoms.  

Christianity distinguishes itself by the values it claims are produced by spiritual transformation of the human soul.  It is based on the theology and doctrine taught and preached by Jesus.  The core doctrine of the faith is belief that Jesus was divine, the Son of God, through whom God's nature was fully revealed to humanity, and also through him, humans can be reconciled to God, in whose image we are created.  With the things Jesus taught being the defining theology and doctrine known as the Christian gospel, the central principles, which he identified as being the "greatest commandment" are "to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your mind."  And with that, he equated the second greatest commandment to the first, "Love your neighbor as yourself."  

Both Matthew and Luke include references to this in their record of Jesus' teaching, in Matthew it is an exchange with a lawyer who asked the question "What is the greatest commandment?"  Jesus follows that up with the statement that "On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."  

This is one of those moments when Jesus resets the existing faith practice of those to whom he was speaking.  His status as the Christ, or Messiah, is the authority from which he draws the ability to reinterpret commonly held, but mistaken doctrine and faith practice which turns a religion that required intellectual assent to a long list of doctrines and practice of repetitive rituals into an expression of faith that was identified by the life enhancing and uplifting values motivated by this internal, spiritual transformation of the human soul.  It was a move away from pagan beliefs that human existence was subject to the whims of spiritual entities that took pleasure in controlling lesser beings for their own amusement to one that recognized human existence as God's highest creation, and human life as a reflection of the very image of God himself.  

Diversity, equity and inclusion are higher values that are, in Christian theology, evidence that human beings are indeed a reflection of the divine image of God.  Regardless of one's own personal theology and belief system, human intellect is capable of understanding, and exhibiting values that are uplifting and life enhancing, and that sustaining these values elevates all of humanity around us to a higher level of life with an unselfish purpose. 

The Parable of the Good Samaritan, in Luke 10:25-37, is an Early Example of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Practice 

Jesus introduced the concept of human equality and the sanctity of human life following his comment on the greatest commandment question with an illustration we know as the parable of the Good Samaritan.  In this parable, found in Luke's gospel, chapter 10:25-37, a man who is travelling from Jerusalem to Jericho is beaten, robbed and left for dead.  A priest and a Levite, both representing the highest religious order and value, pass by the man because their "religion," a set of rituals representing intellectual assent to a set of doctrine, tells them they would be made ritually unclean by touching his wounded, bleeding body.  

Jesus deliberately makes the one person who actually stops and does what any moral person who understands the value of human life should do, a Samaritan.  Samaritans were among the ethnicities that were most hated by the Jewish population of the region.  Their ancestry included remnants of the ten Jewish tribes of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, left behind when the Assyrian Empire conquered it, and the pagan ethnicities who were moved into the land by the Assyrians.  The intermarriage of these people produced the "Samaritan" ethnicity, named after the former capital city of the Northern Kingdom, Samaria.  The land they inhabited, formerly belonging to the Jewish tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, which separated Jewish populations in Judea and Galilee, and they had developed an idolatrous religion, leading to their being despised by the Jewish population of the region.  

But this Samaritan man in the parable, already traveling in a place where people would have been hostile to him, knowing that he is considered an enemy, and being of a religion considered to be pagan idolatry, is the one who does the right thing, while the practitioners of the "right religion" left the man to die.  Not only does the Samaritan man provide care for the man's wounds, but pays for his stay in an inn, until his recovery is complete.  

Wow, there are so many points that can be made out of that.  But it is a clear indication that Jesus, whose teaching is the criteria by which the Christian gospel is defined, intentionally introduced values into the faith that included respect for the sanctity of all human life, and the breaking down of ethnic, racial and religious barriers which open the door for diversity, equity and inclusion to be Christian values.  

Jesus Takes His Disciples Through Samaria on an Evangelistic Crusade 

In John's gospel, chapter 4:1-14, there is a narrative describing one of the trips Jesus took from Galilee, where he lived, to Jerusalem.  These were not autonomous Jewish territories, but the predominant Jewish population of the time lived in either Galilee, which had been part of the Northern Kingdom of Israel prior to the conquest by Assyria, and Judea, the area of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, in the southern part of Palestine. 

The most direct route from Judea, to the region around the Sea of Galilee would take travelers through the territory of Samaria.  But because of the prejudice and bigotry toward Samaritans that existed among Jews, and the fact that a trip which would take several days would require them having to do business with Samaritans, including human essential activity like eating and sleeping, which would, according to the ritual obedience, make them unclean, requiring a lengthy period of cleansing and isolation, they would take a long detour, crossing the Jordan River near Jericho, and traveling up the east side, entering Galilee just below where the river flows out of the Sea of Galilee, to avoid Samaria. 

But Jesus did not do this.  Verse 4 says, "But he had to go through Samaria."  What this means was that he refused to take the long route, and deliberately chose to take the road through Samaria.  While waiting on his disciples to enter a nearby town, Sychar, he sat on the side of a well.  While he was there, a woman came out of the town to get water, and he carried on a conversation with her, eventually telling her who he was, and bringing her to what amounted to a conversion experience.  This story, which isn't a parable, but an account of a life event, makes several points illustrating the intentions of Jesus regarding the values of diversity, equity and inclusion.  

First of all, he chose to go through Samaria, and wouldn't consider the alternative.  Second, he engaged in a conversation with a woman, also an indication of abandoning ritual practices that were humiliating and demeaning.  He explained to her who he was, after convincing her he was some kind of prophet because of what he had revealed to her, and he trusted her to be the messenger, or evangelist, of the gospel that he had preached to her, and which she had accepted.  This would make her the first gentile convert to the Christian faith, and the Samaritans in her village, who came out to hear him preach, and among whom he and his disciples ministered for several days, the first non-Jewish people to respond by converting to Christianity. 

His disciples learned a valuable lesson about human dignity and equality, and in spite of their own prejudices, were welcomed and included by the Samaritans of the town of Sychar.  

Peter's Vision and His Visit to Cornelius, Acts 10:1-23

In this narrative from the days of the early church, Peter is led to an encounter with Cornelius, a Roman Centurion stationed in Caesarea, a Roman city which Jews normally did not enter, again because of the ceremonial uncleanliness the rituals of religion imposed.  There is about to be an intentional crossing over of the Christian gospel into gentile, Roman territory, and at this early point in the church's history, it is an intentional effort to create a Christian church that is racially and ethnically diverse.  There were already Samaritans that were Christian.  In this narrative, it crosses over to the Roman citizenry.  

Peter is prepared for his encounter with Cornelius through a vision in which a sheet containing images of animals considered both clean and unclean by Jewish ritual is shown to Peter, with the instructions to "kill and eat."  Twice, he refuses, citing his faith in the ritual practice.  The third time, a voice, purporting to the that of God, tells Peter, "Do not call anything impure that God has made."  

Once again, diversity, equity and inclusion is underlined and emphasized as a value of the Christian gospel.  Throughout the book of Acts, which mostly traces Paul's travels and evangelistic outreach, these values would cross the boundaries into the Greek culture of the Eastern Mediterranean, as well as into the Latin and North African ethnic groups.  

Political Implications of the Trump Attacks on Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Policy 

Ironic, isn't it, that the most supportive political faction Trump has among the electorate, remains silent when its values are challenged by virtually everything he does?  When are they going to stop excusing the incompetence, the demented ranting, and most of all, the directly anti-Christian behavior and attacks on core Christian values, and realize that Trump and Christian are an oxymoron?  

Frankly, I don't see this happening, because his conservative Evangelical supporters have been more than willing to abandon the values of the Christian gospel in favor of a worldly power and influence that they have experienced as being more effective in enacting their own agenda than waiting on the Holy Spirit to answer their prayers and help them take over the world and make money in the process.  The Heritage Foundation, Project 2025, Christian Nationalism and all of the conservative, Evangelical leaders who are endorsing this and going along with it are pseudo-Christian.  By biblical definition, [see 1 John 4:1-3 and Jude, v. 4], they are anti-Christ, deniers of everything Jesus taught and every example he set.  

Those who remain committed to a true Christianity, for whom that is a priority, not for the personal gain it can bring their way, but for the way it makes life in this world a better experience for everyone, are allies with all human beings who are opposed to what can only be described as a fascist tyranny.  We need to find ways to neutralize the effects of the disaster that is being perpetrated on this country now, while we organize and try to get back the momentum for winning an election that is still a long way off.  We've seen enough damage.  

This is primarily being written to those who claim to be Christian, but are buried in denial over the fact that Trump, and virtually everyone around him in the GOP leadership in Washington, including Mike Johnson, Vice President Vance, and the entire Trump cabinet are completely incompetent, blinded to reality and unable to effectively lead anything.  The fact that these people have control over the nuclear codes is horrifying.  These people exhibit absolutely no values or virtues that tell the rest of us that their faith is anything more than a political influence they plan to use for their own enrichment and benefit.  

The values of diversity, equity and inclusion have broad definitions and are found at the core of the Christian gospel.  The fact that they are also found in American idealism, and have been included as core values of our Constitutional democracy are an indication of their influence.  It is difficult to understand how Christians who claim to believe that the Bible is the inerrant, infallible written word of God can miss these points so easily, or be so easily led to interpret them in a way as to miss the fact that they are core values of the United States of America, and of Christianity.  

Values are characteristics which identify the true theology, doctrine and practice of the religion that values them.  So the rejection of these values by Trump means that those conservative Evangelicals who think he's the guy picked by God to lead this country would mean that Trump, and the sycophants he owns, are clearly not Christian.  It is not possible to reject core values of Christian faith and practice and also lay claim to Christian redemption.  Whatever religion it is that leads people to reject core Christian values, it is certainly not Christian,   

Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and brackish water?  [James 3:11] 

Democratic Party Momentum Moving in the Right Direction

It's difficult to determine which news from yesterday is the best news for Democrats since the beginning of the year.  I will continue to insist that speeches in Congress are not going to be enough, but Cory Booker's marathon speech in the Senate yesterday will go down in history for more than just its record length.  He accomplished something for those resisting what is going on with Trump and Musk, boosting momentum and laying things out in a way that got some media attention.  So much for Democrats not being able to stay on message, huh?  

The combination of the overall size of the turnout, the movement of voters in every single county to the left of where they were in 2024, and the 10 point margin by which Susan Crawford won her election to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, added to the fact that Trump and Musk were heavily invested in the Republican candidate, sent a very, very strong message that I believe can be interpreted as, "Get Musk out of Washington now, and dial back the executive orders and the Project 2025 nonsense, or you're going to become completely irrelevant after the 2026 mid-term elections."  

Trump is simply not capable of sustaining support, at least, not beyond the limits of his base, which make up maybe 30% of the electorate, give or take a point or two.  The media makes a big deal, he's on television all the time, people forget how decrepit he looks, how demented and confused is his speech--a couple of his recent Sunday appearances were downright pathetic--and then he touches something and it blows up.  In a state where the last few Presidential elections have been literally razor thin in their margins, and in which Musk made a judicial seat race into a referendum on his performance with DOGE and on the Trump Presidency, and then tried to buy it by putting in almost $25 million, an unusually high turnout made an 11 point swing back to the left in every county in the state.  

Let's call that exactly what it was.  It was a great victory for Susan Crawford.  And it was a smashing defeat for Musk and Trump, in every possible way.  Combined with the two deep red, gerrymandered Congressional districts in Florida, which shifted about 19 points to the left, it was a bad night for Trump and it was exactly what he will deny it was, a referendum on his Presidency. 

There is a Long, Long Way to Go

This is not all the work of resistance to Trump, or of revulsion and repulsion to himself and Musk.  Crawford had the judicial experience, and the ideology, to be an appealing candidate, especially in a state like Wisconsin.  Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made an appearance in Wisconsin, in Kenosha, when they kicked off their campaign tour.  They got an overflow crowd and a lot of publicity.  Tim Walz made an appearance in Eau Claire, focusing on what's going wrong in Washington.  The two candidates in Florida did an outstanding job of raising money and running a campaign that more doubled the Democratic party vote from the 2024 election.  

And if I'm going to be 100% honest, it will be to say that I don't think the 2024 election is an accurate reflection of the way people feel about Trump.  I know he cheated.  He'd been caterwauling and screaming about it for four years.  Of course he stole this election, right out from underneath us, and one of the mistakes Democrats made was not being prepared for what he was going to do.  Greg Palast has tracked down how he got it done, achieved mainly by running off experienced election workers with the intimidation they laid down last time around, and by discarding a higher than normal number of mail-in ballots.  But that's for another post. 

But this is exactly what we always see with Trump.  The image that he puts forth, or that the media helps him put forth, does not match the gross incompetence, lack of critical thinking ability, total selfishness and greed, and the pathological lying.  All of his assertions about trade deficits and about the United States being on the short end of trade deals were provably wrong.  A sixth grader with a laptop could have found out, before he ever finished his speech, that his numbers did not come close to any representation of reality.  

What should fascinate, or shock us is not the fact that people are rapidly waking up to the fact that President Donald J. Trump is a complete and total phony, and is completely incompetent and absolutely unfit to be President of the United States.  It is the fact that there are still so many people who are totally blind to the reality of this fact.  

Staying on Top of the Message

The political reality we face today is that the greatest threat to the Constitution of the United States, and to American idealism, democracy and guarantees of freedom is its own President.  

The Democratic party must unite with the greater scope of patriotic Americans who understand this threat and know exactly what we are up against.  We have seen some extremely encouraging movement in exactly the right direction, due in part to the fact that there does seem to be some leadership pockets forming and stepping up in the Democratic party, and also to the fact that it is not possible to hide the grossly incompetent, demented, emotionally crippled and senile Trump and the arrogant jackass Elon Musk.  

I have every confidence that the lack of intellect, competence and common sense among the pathetic, rag-tag collection of deplorable human beings--and I use that description deliberately and with complete accuracy--who make up the cabinet of the executive branch, will lead to their complete and total failure to rise to any occasion, and will produce a string of disasters that will have a disastrous political effect on the GOP.  We've already seen the keystone cops kind of fumbling and bumbling they've done in the wake of the Signal war plans scandal, barely two months into office making a mistake that should have resulted in the firing of the Secretary of Defense and Director of National Intelligence, along with a few voluntary resignations, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio.  The mistakes, court defiance and the complete inhumanity involved in putting Venezuelan refugees into an internment prison in El Salvador should have cost Kristi Noem her job.  

These people really are grossly incompetent, and on top of that, they are stupid in a way that can't be fixed.  There are some real disasters coming down the road for them, and for Trump.  My profound hope is that they aren't so bad as to do irreparable damage to our economy, our national security and our very existence, given the nuclear threat involved, but that they will do plenty of damage to Trump and the GOP when Congressional elections roll around again.  

I wonder if anyone on Trump's team is even aware of the Tariff Act of 1890, or the Smoot-Hawley Tariffs, similar to what he has just done, both of which cost the GOP control of Congress that took an excessively long time to get back.  I'm fearful of the economic depression that is rolling like a thunderstorm right toward us, but hopeful that it has the same effect that those prior economic depressions did to the GOP back then, costing them control of Congress for decades.  Or, given the incompetence of Trump, permanently eliminating the GOP from power.  

One can always hope history repeats itself.  

  

The Fact that Trump was Elected is a Sign of Serious Dysfunction in American Culture and Society

Rick Wilson, The Lincoln Project: "What We Lost With Trump" 

The link will take you to an article (I think you can access without being a subscriber) that is an excerpt from Rick Wilson's book, Everything Trump Touches Dies.  I look at reading things from the Lincoln Project as a test of one's understanding of true American idealism.  If I read and watch these things, and find them resonating with my own thoughts, beliefs and values, gathered, incorporated and practiced over a lifetime, then I evaluate myself as being a patriotic, "mainstream, grass roots," American.  I'd give myself a pretty high grade when it comes to my understanding of our identity, our roots, and the manner in which America, not perfect by any means, but still working on it, relates to the world.  

But our political system has taken a very dangerous and wrong turn into a darkness and down into an abyss that is really bent on destroying everything this country has ever been, or aspires to be.  The institutions which supported and undergirded American idealism have failed to protect and preserve the Constitutional democracy they were intended to protect.  The electorate in a democracy must be educated and informed, and able to discern facts from lies.  It must be seasoned with cultural institutions that have moral and ethical values at the core of their mission, purpose and practice.  It must know, and be able to learn from the past mistakes in its own history, and what it knows must have an effect on who it elects to lead a republic.  

But we elected Donald Trump.  

From Rick Wilson: 

Who could have imagined that a man of Donald Trump's spectacular vulgarity, vanity, and gimcrack gold-leaf aesthetic would turn out to be a president without a shred of dignity?  Who would have thought that a man  with a grasp of history derived solely from movies and television would be unable to channel the power of this nation in times of crisis?  

Who would imagine that a serial adulterer with a desperate need to have his manhood validated and who engaged in a string of risible, sleazy affairs would become an international laughingstock? 

Who could have foreseen that the faux billionaire up to his ample ass in debt to God knows who, would look at the White House as a way to nickle-and-dime the taxpayers and the GOP into bumping up his revenue stream at his golf courses and hotels?  

Spoiler:  Everyone, ever. 

Three paragraphs is not enough to describe Donald Trump's antisocial, dysfunctional, morally bankrupt absence of character.  He's a pathological liar, a phony, a fraud, and completely dishonest and untrustworthy, with a lifelong set of examples to illustrate just how bad he is.  We have elected some individuals to office, across the board and including the Presidency, whose ability to hide their true character and be deceitful to survive politically is a known part of history.  But we have never elected an immoral, inhumane monster like Trump. We've come close, Nixon broke the mold as far as honesty and trust was concerned. But with Trump, it is hard to imagine how he could have been born, raised, and lived in this country and never have picked up and practices a single one of its virtues or values. 

The Total Collapse of Conservative Evangelicalism into a Pseudo-Christian, Religious-Political Cult is a Primary Reason For The Dysfunction of Culture Leading to the Election of the Demagogue Trump

America was not founded as a Christian nation, but while that was not the intention of the founders, as far as connecting the government to a state supported church, but the establishment clause, which separated institutional government from institutional Christianity, set the church free to chart its own course, and define, by the collective consciences of its members, its theology, doctrine and practice.  This resulted in the development of multiple branches and denominations and even independent churches, each following, in their own way, some form of Protestant expression.  

Free from restrictions which corrupted its theology, doctrine and most notably its clergy, Protestant Christianity flourished in the United States, enjoying periods of revival and growth almost continuously from the early 1800's, including what is known as the Second Great Awakening, an early 1800's revival that pushed American Protestantism in a much less Calvinist direction, emphasizing free will, personal faith and good works.  Conservative Evangelicalism can trace its beginnings to this movement, as the establishment and growth of new denominations, most notably the Baptists and Methodists, emerged.  

The emphasis on personal "holiness," or the exhibition of virtues and values embedded in the Christian gospel, had an influence on American society and culture, as pervasive as the Enlightenment had.  Protestants were, by far, the largest single religious influence in the United States, and at times, a majority of the adult population of most states and regions of the country were members of Protestant churches.  

This had a profound impact on American democracy and the electorate.  The expression of Christian values did not stop at the door to the voting booth.  Americans elected their fellow Protestant Christians to office in large numbers, and this influence in the culture was a major factor in supporting the election of individuals who exhibited character and values, and though it did not prevent all of those who lacked character and moral values from getting into office, it was a stabilizing influence.  

But all of that has changed.  Evangelical conservativism is a very legalistic approach to Christian faith.  Much of it operates under a theological and doctrinal perspective characterized as "Fundamentalism," a faith practice which requires intellectual adherence to a specific set of doctrinal beliefs, interpreted by a few prominent pastors and church leaders.  Several of these leaders, who gained followers and influence as television evangelists, helped pull conservative Evangelicals into the Republican party, and the combination of both groups desiring to expand their influence using political power and the acquisition of wealth, are responsible for the corruption of much of American Evangelicalism as well as the Republican party.  

Into that toxic mix of politics and religion, comes Trump.  And almost immediately, there is an effort among both the televangelist politicians of the religious right, and the GOP leadership, to turn him into what they need him to be to get him elected.  The way to excuse all of his immorality, which includes criminal behavior like rape, multiple adulterous affairs that Trump himself bragged about having while married, cheating and business fraud, and a whole list of things that would make an Evangelical pastor's hair stand on end, is to attibute to him a "salvation experience," which is an instant cure-all for sin, and instantaneous forgiving and forgetting the sinful character so that they can now, with a clear conscience, vote him into office.  

But unfortunately, Trump's ego cannot admit to being repentant, which is a core requirement for Christian conversion, according to Evangelical doctrine.  He has not only openly denied experiencing any guilt or conviction for his sinful, worldly, immoral lifestyle, he has openly denied that he thinks those things are sinful, and he claims he does not need God's forgiveness for anything he has done.  

The Apostle John, in his first church epistle, addresses that kind of attitude directly, and it is a passage of scripture that Evangelicals use to define their view of Christian conversion, or the "salvation experience" as they call it.  

"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sin, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar, and his truth is not in us." [I John 1:8-10]

I was raised in an Evangelical church, attended a denominationally-owned university, and among my higher education, earned a degree from a Baptist seminary.  I know that there is not an Evangelical pastor or church leader who has not memorized these verses, as I did when I was in Vacation Bible School around 4th or 5th grade.  Trump has openly declared for the record that he has committed no sin which requires God's forgiveness, and he has done nothing wrong.  He's on the record in multiple places having made this statement, including in front of prominent Evangelical supporters.  And that is all that can be found on the subject.  

Evangelicals who have allowed themselves to be sucked into the political merger with Trump's far right wing extremism must excuse their support of Trump, then, by separating their politics entirely from their Christian faith and practice, something they cannot do because of the manner in which politics has become religious dogma for them.  I've heard all kinds of ridiculous excuses which exhibit either a complete ignorance of their own claims to being Christian, or which are bordering on heresy as far as Christian doctrine and theology are concerned.  

"Well, you have to overlook what he does because he is just a "baby Christian," is one of the ridiculous defenses of support.  His alleged "conversion" which included a session with known prosperity gospel prophetess and heretic Paula White, his "spiritual advisor," never took place, according to him.  He isn't Christian at all, his lifestyle, the face that he puts forward publicly, lends itself to calling him "heathen" as far as any religious practice is concerned.  

"I'm not electing a pastor-in-chief, I'm electing a commander-in-chief," is another ridiculous statement defending support for Trump.  No Christian who has had exposure and has been taught the content of the New Testament can make that statement without understanding that it is a complete denial of everything they have been taught, and an abandonment of the Christian gospel.  In Jesus' day, no one in the church had the ability or was in a position to choose their leadership, but it is clear that in making choices about who to follow, Jesus himself declares that choosing those who have character, are virtuous and who are, as he describes, "full of the Spirit of God," is the only option  Knowingly voting for someone who openly denies Jesus as the Christ is support for antichrist, according to John in his first epistle [see I John 4:1-3].  

Trump is no King David, for those who try to make that comparison.  There's a significant difference, from a theological perspective.  David responded with remorse, confessing his sin, grieved over his guilt and followed God's prophets instructions to the letter for his restoration, which was not a simple, easy instant conversion.  It required sacrifice, suffering the consequences of the bad choices, and making amends.  So when you see Trump down on his knees, asking forgiveness, acknowledging the rape and the other crimes he has committed, willing to provide restitution, and especially walking away from his use of the Presidency to get revenge on his political and business enemies, then you may have seen genuine repentance.  But I wouldn't hold my breath.  

This collapse of the entire theology, doctrine and practice of conservative Evangelicalism as turned it into a pseudo-Christian cult, incapable of preserving and protecting the Constitutional democracy.  It has become the opposition, taking on all of the characteristics of fascism as the world has seen and defined it throughout human history.  It is neither a Christian faith that can save, or a political system that is democratic.  

The American Education System Has Collapsed, and is No Longer Capable of Sustaining the Kind of Informed Electorate Necessary to Preserve and Protect Democracy 

There will be those who are critical of any attempt to point out the faults of American public education that have helped contribute to our collapsing democracy.  Before getting out the claws, give some fair and reasonable consideration to the facts, which support the claim that our educational system is no longer able to sustain an informed electorate.  

It was the American education reformer John Dewey, who saw in public education the potential for increasing the information level of the electorate, and the potential for education to bring about social reform.  He was head of the teacher training program at the University of Chicago in the 1920's, and designed a program to train and certify teachers who would then be able to go into school classrooms and be a positive force that encouraged and helped bring about social reform, overcoming many of the prevailing biases and prejudices of what was a very segregated and unequal society.  This included providing an electorate that was educated in civics, and would guarantee the preservation of the Constitutional democracy.  

Dewey, of course, wasn't alone.  It took a while for the teacher training objectives and standards to kick in, but it was a widespread enough movement that it had an effect on American politics.  There are various differing conclusions about what Dewey's reforms achieved, but general agreement that it helped bring about the current political era, a shift from Republican predominance over Congress and the Presidency to Democratic domination, beginning with the election of Franklin Roosevelt in 1932.  Seven of the next ten Presidential terms of the United States would be Democrats, and control of Congress shifted decidedly to the Democratic party.  

Hand in hand with this political change, the academic quality and effectiveness of instruction in the public school system greatly improved, opening the door to larger and larger freshmen classes in colleges and universities, raising the overall education level of the United States.  That's a good thing for a democracy.  And while some people don't want to hear it, teachers were expected to run their classroom effectively, and manage student behavior to avoid disruptions, earning the respect of students desiring to use education as a way of improving their life  

Dewey's reforms, system of teacher training and the use of education as a means to bring about social reform and political change began to erode in the post-war era.  As Republicans crept back into position to influence and control government, they also began undermining the public education system.  There was a lot of reaction, most of it negative, to the attempted integration of public schools for the purpose of achieving racial balance, and as a means of eradicating racism.  The mantra of excessive government spending and tax reform led to budget cuts for schools, which had less political clout than the business community.  The ability of the public schools to function as a means of social reform, and concurrently, as a way of providing an informed electorate to support democracy waned considerably in the late 1960's, and became subject to new reforms initiated in the late 1970's based on "keeping up with the world in science and technology.  

First of all, the push toward more math, science and technology based education has shoved social studies out the door.  In 1975, requirements for graduation from most public high schools in the United States included four credits, of year-long courses, in social studies education.  Students in the 8th grade were mandated to take an Early American History course that included nine weeks of Constitution studies, and had to pass a Constitution exam to graduate from the 8th grade.  One full year of American History was required, along with a year of economic and cultural geography, and a full year of Civics during 12th grade.  The other year included a semester of Economics, and a semester of state government and constitution.    

The university I attended required 12 credit hours in basic social studies courses for graduation with any major, requiring 6 credit hours, or two one-semester courses, in American History.  The most popular choice there, at the time, was the Basic Constitutional Law course, because the professor who taught it did such a great job. 

Now, in 2025, in most states, social studies requirements are half of what they once were, because the school day has been shortened, and the number of courses required for high school graduation reduced.  From my own experience in the classroom, I've noticed that high school students are no longer able to do the kind of reading that I once assigned when I first started teaching in 1979.  The thought of using a textbook in a history class now, like Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States would generate multiple parent complaints, and moans and groans from students who find the reading more complicated than the technical manuals they are now taught to read.  It would be impossible to assign a book like Jill Lepore's These Truths: A History of the United States in some universities now.  

And I think that kind of approach to teaching history is absolutely necessary for the provision of an informed electorate.  

The last time I taught a high school government class, which has been cut to one semester in most schools, it was an AP class, and I was appalled to learn that students in what is supposed to be an advanced honors class that gets extra grade points did not have to read Washington's farewell address, the Federalist Papers, or Madison's The Utility of the Union as a Safeguard Against Domestic Faction and Insurrection, something I think all Americans should have to read before being allowed to vote. 

And for those who want to be critical of any critique of public education, I would encourage you to visit a school in one of the larger cities, which is where the vast majority of students are found and most education is taking place.  You'll find that the maintenance of order, and the ability of the teaching staff to utilize its time in any effective way is severely limited, paralyzed by politicians who think they are experts on how educational institutions should be operated.  Teachers work in fear, knowing that an accusation here or a criticism there could cost them their job, which doesn't pay that much already.  There are no public institutions in the United States that our political system has ruined worse than public education, except maybe public transportation.  And that's a close contest. 

We've Lost Our Free Press

Wilson says, "Setting the Trump campaign's endless torrent of bullshit aside for a moment, the tragedy of a party and a presidency that will argu endlessly and fruitlessly about basic, incontestable facts is a truly terrible sign of the corrosive nature of this man and his machine."  

Well, he has a lot of help.  

Since he came down the escalator in Trump tower in 2015, announcing his run for the White House, he has been the primary subject of media coverage.  And what he gets is a very carefully edited version that cleans up the language, ignores the dementia and the insanity and focuses on the sensational.  Out of office after being defeated by Joe Biden, he got triple the media coverage of the sitting President and I'd bet on that amount before any research showed it.  

Almost every word that comes out of the man's mouth is a lie, an assertion of false claims to support what he wants to do.  Few reporters or commentators bother to fact check, and if they do, his error is never the actual point of the story, though it should be.  Since he got back in office, the list of things the news media is reporting Trump is "planning" to do, including run for a third term, that is illegal or unconstitutional is a long one.  But what most of these reporters don't seem to know, from their own lack of intellect, or from the poor education they received, is that he can't do any of it.  But they treat it like he's somehow going to get it done. And that, of course, increases ratings and makes money.  

And I have to wonder about the personal morality, convictions, educational level and intellectual ability of many of the reporters and commentators who, when discussing Trump on almost a daily basis, leave out the fact that the man is simply a despicable human being, a walking moral and ethical vacuum, incapable of demonstrating humanity.  That never factors into any of the thousands of reports about Trump running constantly all the time every day. 

We seem to ignore the fact that we cannot take American democratic values for granted.  We've had some real creeps, like Rush Limbaugh, who, in their greed-driven quest for a money-making niche, did their dead level best to take out their hatred and contempt for American values and the American people on its government and constitution, undermining the necessary element of trust, in order for it to work the way the founders designed it.  Rush made it easy for people to avoid hearing truth they don't like or that doesn't fit with their own preferences by simply turning the channel to one that will lie to them in exchange for ratings and the money that goes with them. 

How Do We Fix This? 

It will take decades to eliminate the factors that have led the voters of the United States to abandon their democratic republic, if they can even be eliminated at all.  Trump's ability to get elected depends on multiple factors, including more than a third of the eligible electorate not even being registered to vote, and another big percentage of them remaining at home instead of voting.  It also depended, to a large degree the second time, on an awful lot of illegal and underhanded voter suppression and some outright cheating to steal the election, something we have known was coming, because it is all he has ever talked about, for eight years.  

The Donald Trump that his MAGA base follows doesn't exist.  Everything he said or did to convince people to vote for him was a lie, but even if you show them the evidence, their will not to believe the truth overpowers reality.  I see it now in the eyes of people who have been caught up in the MAGA cult as they realize nothing on which they were basing their opinion or their vote was true or real, that it was all a lie and that he would say or do anything to create the impression he wanted based on to whom he was talking.  He claimed he knew nothing about Project 2025, didn't know what it was and certainly would not make any of it part of his agenda.  But he appointed its authors to his cabinet and every executive order he has issued is following its agenda as closely as possible.  I now see a few people who are waking up to this fact, regretting their vote and ashamed of their lack of awareness.  

How does that get fixed?  Ignorance is one of those problems of humanity that leads to disaster.  

Nobody trusts the government.  Why should they?  Trump committed the crime of sedition by inciting an insurrection against the Capitol, and the justice department was stymied by its own rules, unable to bring the criminal to trial for more than four years.  That's a sign of systemic corruption that will take a revolution to eliminate.  

Democrats may never have the chance to fix it.  At the root of the problem is a totally corrupted and bribed Supreme Court.  But old school politics prevented action when Democrats last had a senate majority, and could have broken the filibuster to amend the judiciary act and pack the Supreme Court with judges who would override the corruption and do things like eliminate the Citizens United decision, shutting down PACS and limiting political contributions.  Making justices abide by ethics would be another action on that list.  

In fact, overturning virtually every decision this Roberts court has made would be a good start.  

Unfortunately this will also require making some permanent constitutional changes.  The founders felt the electorate would never allow an immoral, unethical criminal to be elected to public office so they left it up to the electorate, which has done it at least twice now.  There must now be requirements added to the list of qualifications to serve in public office that include not having been adjudicated as a felon for anything, not just crimes committed while in office, in order to be eligible to run.  

There is no fix for a corrupted, apostate church.  It will have to fall in on itself and reorganize who and what it stands for before it can be of value to the culture.  Evangelicals have lost the ability, and the right, to preach to us.  The best thing we can do is leave all that alone and let it collapse in upon itself, and let it happen.  In the long run, their numbers aren't enough to do any damage anyway. 

And it's time for another era of school reform, mandating more time be spent by students in academic studies involving social studies concepts.  In addition to increasing the social studies course requirements for graduation, including at the university level, is a necessity.  There are some specific points students should have to know before they get a diploma or degree.  There is also nothing wrong with using schools as a platform to teach common values to students and to advocate for social reform, things like, oh, I don't know, diversity, equity and inclusion.  That produced the most effective era of politics in American history, and we survived World War 2 as a result of it.  

I do not expect the damage to be repaired during my lifetime.  We are not even close to being on the road to getting rid of the problem, and won't be if we follow constitutional law, and limit our efforts to get Trump out of the White House to having him declared insane, impeached or win the mid-terms, nullify him and let his term expire in defeat.  

 

Buyer Beware: A Disturbing Pattern is Rising Among Those Wanting to be Trump Opposition Leaders

The contest for those aspiring to be leaders of the Democratic party opposition to Trump seems to include using the fact that he is an existential threat to American Democracy as a means to raise large sums of money.  As I was reading and responding to emails I received today, I found no less than five such requests from individual members of Congress, all claiming to be spearheading the effort to oppose the unconstitutional, authoritarian approach of the Trump administration, to being loud voices against what he's doing, and needing money for the effort, of course.  

That's in addition to appeals for money I keep getting from the Harris-Walz campaign, which I supported with a larger monthly contribution than I usually make, due to the shorter nature of the campaign, and to appeals from the Democratic National Committee, claiming to be fighting for American Democracy and against Trump, but not providing any specifics about what they are actually doing or where that money is going.  I'm on a fixed and limited income, so I am careful where I contribute, and right now, the sum total of what I gave to the DNC and to the Harris-Walz campaign each month now goes to Josh Weil and Gay Valimont, the Democrats running for the open Congressional seats in Florida, and until this week, to Blake Gendebien in New York, running to replace Elise Stefanik, who is staying in place for the time being. 

I'm disturbed by the number of individuals collecting money by claiming to be the voice of opposition to Trump among Democrats, who all seem to be at cross purposes when it comes to what they're doing.  Making noise in Congress, or loud, angry speeches in the media isn't going to cut it, as far as I'm concerned.  With a 29% approval rating in the polls, a sell-out vote for cloture in the Senate to help Republicans avoid a government shutdown, and no apparent visible progress at all being made by the DNC, anywhere, I'm not inclined to waste my contribution.  

After the special election, it will go to Bernie and AOC, who seem to have a handle on rallying opposition that is growing large enough fast enough to be effective.  And they are looking at this, not from a partisan perspective, but from the perspective that the biggest threat to the United States as the world's leading democracy is its own President.  They are uniting everyone who sees that to be the case, not just carving out a niche of the Democratic party that will, in the long run, have zero effectiveness. 

I think everyone ought to be getting together on this, and joining in those efforts, instead of raising money to run their own show.  But here we are, the Democratic party, which always has trouble with its messaging, caused by the temptation to go in too many directions at once, faced with the greatest threat to our freedom and our Constitutional democracy that we have seen since the Civil War, and World War 2, going in too many directions at once, and using the threat more as an opportunity to fulfill personal ambitions than to actually do something effectively opposing Trump. 

The man with the singularly focused message is 83 year old independent Senator Bernie Sanders. Behind him, with the same, simple message, is Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who was part of the united opposition to the continuing resolution by House Democrats.  Together, they are putting together organized opposition to Trump that is resonating with people, and motivating them to action, which is exactly what is needed now.  Without the ability to use the constitutional tools at our disposal to remove this President from office, the next best way to stop him is to mount enough public opposition to put the fear of God into him, and it's becoming clear that Bernie and AOC are doing exactly that.  

It's getting to some Republican members of Congress, too, who are a little closer to the action.  Ask Arizona Congressman Juan Ciscomani, who just witnessed a rally of 25,000 people in his district, why his tune has become much more moderate and much less MAGA over the past month and a half.

Hear This From a Contributing, Committed, Lifelong Democrat

If the opposition to Trump is diluted by individual political ambitions of Democrats wanting to use this as an opportunity to fundraise for themselves, then we're doomed, and we will never see opposition to Trump amount to anything.  We are also setting ourselves up for a mid-term election defeat that we cannot afford to have happen.  There are many independent voters, and even a few Republicans, who have been awakened and alarmed by what they never believed they would see, and believed the lies that Trump didn't know anything about Project 2025, and that if he were elected, everyone would become prosperous by giving more to the billionaires.  

The MAGA base is unsalvageable from its own stupidity and ignorance, but there are a lot of Trump voters who are now having buyers remorse, and who wish they had been better informed or not so easily duped by his lies who will be singular in their focused opposition to Trump.  I'll say this again, to make the point.  The greatest enemy of the United States of America at this time in its history is its own President.  We will stand beside you as you lead us to rid this country of that enemy threat.  

I'm past hearing angry speeches and listening to sales pitches about the effectiveness of an individual's campaign for a congressional seat in a state where I don't even live.  I'm going with those who are taking the risks and making the bold moves to bolster opposition that will neutralize this existential threat, and I have no interest at all in helping to advance someone's political ambitions.  Those need to be set aside because there is something much more important that should be a priority.  

The things that we value, starting with diversity, equity and inclusion, protecting the rights of all Americans, all of the freedom of conscience issues which we so ardently support, will be just fine as long as we secure American democracy and protect and defend the constitution.  Democrats must be focused on the single issue of saving the country from this constitutional crisis.  Step forward, I'll follow, and if the elected politicians won't lead, we'll find leaders, among the people, who will.  

Democrats Have a Lot to Consider, and Better Do It Quickly

Polling data was released by a couple of the major networks last week which showed that the favorability rating of the Democratic party in Congress had fallen to 29%, down from 47% just before election time.  In one poll, it was as low as 27%.  

Question one is, of course, how accurate are these polls?  You're reading the words of one who no longer trusts the media to be honest, whose confidence in the ability and knowledge of many of those who work as journalists, including editors and pollsters, is quite low, considering the almost complete lack of civics education many of them exhibit publicly.  The conclusion is that they may be a reasonably accurate reflection of those who were polled, though what is actually being asked by the pollsters seems a bit vague and nebulous.  

Question two is, if the data is close to an accurate reflection of public opinion, how did it fall so fast, and, considering what we are facing, what is being done to change that perspective.  

Some Democrats Are Upset With Their Own Party Following the Narrow Loss in the 2024 Election

The manner in which the polls express this "approval" is not a simple mathematical formula, saying that if 29% of those in the poll approve of the Democrats in Congress, then 71% of those in the poll will go out and vote Republican in the next election.  Among the 71% who aren't approving are Democrats who want to see something different than they are seeing in their party's reaction to Trump.  I'd put myself in that category, especially if I'd responded to the poll after the vote was taken on the CR.  But even before then, it seemed that they just couldn't get on message, or respond in a way that looked or sounded like it might be effective.  

Noting that the other party's numbers are similar, and Congress' job approval rating has been in the toilet for a long time still does not relieve the Democratic party leadership, whoever that might be now, of the responsibility they have to their constituents.  We did not put them there to do nothing.  And I think the even more powerful message in this polling data is that we didn't put them there to do what they are doing.  

I think it's pretty simple, really.  

We are for the preservation of American democracy.  We believe in the Constitution and we support the rule of law.  And that means we are opposed to every word, and every deed, of the current President.  We have come to a point in our history where the biggest threat to the existence of the United States as the world's leading democracy is its own President.  This President, the incompetent cronies he has installed in his cabinet, and the members of the Republican party in Congress and in the judiciary who support him, are a real and active threat to the American Republic, its Constitution, and the idealism it has stood up to support over the course of its existence.  They are also a threat to me, personally, to my life and the lives of those I love.  

Those within the Democratic party who are still passively responding to all of this, thinking they can still conduct business as usual and at some point, this will all go away and everything will return to normal, are as much of a threat to all of those things as this President himself.  

Change must come, and action must be right behind, or what we have will be irretrievable.  We can no longer afford interminable court delays by a reticent and incompetent attorney general, dithering over whether the filibuster is worth saving or not, or debating over whether giving the Republicans everything they wanted in a bill they authored without consulting a single Democrat is a better option than letting the government shut down as a consequence of something the other party did, and then fussing over who will get the blame.  

Remove the Words "Work Together" From the Political Vocabulary

It is not possible to achieve ends that benefit the American people by "working together" with the Republican party.  Perhaps, at one time, prior to, oh, let's say, 1980, that was a possibility, and there might have been some rare moments since then when some good, though not the best resolution to the problem, could be achieved.  But that is in the past, as George Washington's warning about the devastation and ruin that political partisanship can cause has come to pass with a vengeance.  The level of greed, selfish ambition and self-interest that has infected this country goes well beyond any protection the founding fathers had the foresight to include in the Constitution.  That requires anyone still interested in preserving the rule of Constitutional law, and democratic idealism to stand firm without compromise to defend it.  

It is not possible to "work together" with criminals who blatantly violated the law, and got away with it.  The Republicans are supporting a man who instigated a seditious insurrection against the United States, who made off with classified documents that he most likely either did sell for money, or intended to do so, and whose own lack of self control led him to commit crimes against other persons, most notably raping of women.  There is absolutely nothing he can say or do, except to resign from office and beg for forgiveness from the American people, on his hands and knees in humiliation, offering restitution, that should be worthy of our attention.  "Working together" with his supporters is to be complicit in their crimes. 

Use Every Constitutional Means to Remove This Criminal From Office

How it is that the President of the United States is a convicted rapist, and has so far managed to evade indictments for sedition and insurrection, and for stealing classified documents?  It's because our justice system has been corrupted.  And there are those who think that because this is so, it will not ever be possible to bring someone like Trump to justice.  

I'm no lawyer, and depend on the same experts most other people depend on to interpret the law, but as a history major in college, one of the courses I took, in American judicial history, was fascinating.  Things that people thought were impossible, looking at "public opinion," transpired through a combination of lawyers and judges with convictions and expertise figuring out how to make justice happen when it appeared there was no justice to be had.  I'm not saying thi, but so what? 

I think we are on the verge of seeing public pressure push Elon Musk out s is completely dependable, but every avenue in this area must be tried.  That'll make some people madof the White House and away from Washington politics.  Having protesters descend on Tesla dealerships and stop potential sales at a time when the stock value is dropping like a stone in a well is starting to cause him some real problems.  I'm not in favor of those who want to vandalize by starting fires or destroying property.  Those who are simply not buying Teslas are having a real effect on his bottom line and I'm betting it won't be long before he tells Trump to get someone else to do his dirty work. 

And there are still the open doors to forcing this President to resign from office, or impeaching and removing him, or having him declared incapacitated.  Speculation is that because of Republicans simply refusing to acknowledge facts, these doors are closed.  But I don't think they are.  They try to look good on the surface, but the stress of this week's gigantic mistake, disclosing war plans to a journalist inadvertently has an awful lot of fingers being pointed at where the incompetence was and where the blame should go.  This bumbling bunch of incompetents that he has picked for these positions can't do the jobs they have, and these kinds of mistakes are going to keep happening, hopefully not in a way that severely disables or damages the country.  

And among this group, that lack of trust is already undermining the Presidency. 

If Democrats Want Political Success, They Need to Get On Board With Us

Look at who's getting the attention of voters, and motivating and giving voice to dissent among Trump's opponents.  It is not the Democratic party establishment.  Its Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Tim Walz, and J. D. Pritzker.  Its Jamie Raskin and Eric Swalwell.  To a lesser extent, its Chris Murphy and Wes Moore.  Three governors, three members of the House and two Senators, none of whom are establishment Democrats. All who were in Congress voted against the Republican-authored Continuing Resolution, and in the Senate, against cloture. 

These Democrats are committed to listening.  

The opportunity to gather enough support to take back control of Congress when the Mid-term elections roll around in 2026 is going to depend on Democrats getting out of their own brand of rigid institutional politics and trying to sell that to people who suddenly seem to have awakened to the fact that Trump is planning to do everything he said he would do, and is implementing Project 2025 almost word for word despite his denial of knowing anything about it.  Democrats must find a message that resonates with those of us who know Trump is a pathological liar, and is incapable of doing anything to protect and defend the Constitution he despises.  

And we need a Democratic party that is committed to taking action when it is warranted and needed, and taking the risks that go along with it, instead of worrying about what they are doing appearing to be "political."  Frankly, that's a label that can't be avoided now.  We need a party that is willing to pay the cost of boldness, understanding that while it may not be fair that a House member loses their seat in a relatively conservative district for taking a stand to do something that's right, it is not a sacrifice made in vain.  

 

Putting a Low Value on Truth, Evangelical Leaders Embracing Trump's "Spiritual Advisor" Deny Their Own Convictions

Paula White-Cain is Trump's appointee to lead whatever he calls his White House religious liaison.  He calls her his "spiritual advisor," rather than his "pastor", but he clearly accords her, and her heretical, pseudo-Christian preaching a high place in his world.  This is just one more humiliating frustration Trump's right wing sycophants among the conservative Evangelical heretics of the United States must accept in order to play by his rules and catch whatever scraps fall off the table for them.  

If it is difficult to figure out why it is that these well known evangelists and pastors are so willing to completely abandon Christian orthodoxy in order to be seen with Trump, well, it's not that hard to figure out, really.  It's money.  

If you were scratching your head, figuring out how it was that Samaritan's Purse showed up at some disaster, pretty close to the front of the line, it's not because they are so spiritual, their desire to help is greater than their fear of danger.  It's that Samaritan's Purse gets a gigantic check in the neighborhood of $80 million from FEMA to provide disaster relief services.  It's pretty simple, really.  There is no way they could provide the scope of the services they do without that assistance, and it was during the Trump administration, back prior to 2020, that they first started using Samaritan's Purse to help out.  

And of course, Samaritan's Purse won't be among those whose federal checks are being slashed to save money to give tax breaks to billionaires.  Franklin Graham has been a loyal Trump sycophant, setting aside his Christian convictions to join the world of denial and apostasy in order to benefit from the support he delivers to Trump.  It's always a quid pro quo with these kinds of "evangelists" who peddle a diluted and distorted form of the Christian gospel for money. 

A Direct Smack in the Face to Conservative Evangelical Pastors Who Support Trump 

One of these days, news headlines will be talking about some overweight Southern Baptist pastor whose head exploded from the frustration and angst he's had to hold back and not speak up in order not to appear critical of Trump.  These guys have given up the entire core foundation of the Christian gospel to give their unqualified support to a man who hates their faith and shows his contempt for it by humiliating preachers, making them keep their convictions to themselves while he demonstrates loud and clear that he has no respect for Christianity and no intention of accepting a genuine, Evangelical conversion experience.  

There are two specific points where Trump's choice of a spiritual advisor, which left out all of the sycophants from conservative Evangelicalism, goes completely against conservative Evangelical convictions.  One is the fact that in conservative Evangelicalism, especially in the United States, women are not permitted in the pastorate.  They cannot be ordained as ministers, and cannot serve in any capacity that even resembles spiritual leadership.  Churches that have women on staff relegate them to pre-school, children's ministry and mission support groups and ladies circles.  They do not teach Sunday school classes with men in them, nor can they lead worship or preach from behind the church's "sacred desk."  

So Trump's choice of an ordained woman, who calls herself a "prophetess," is, by the conservative Evangelical definition, a serious departure from Biblical truth.  This is something that causes denominations to break fellowship with churches who do this, but don't expect any courage like that to come from spineless Evangelical Trumpies.  

The other is that Paula White is, by every conservative, Evangelical definition of the word, a theological and doctrinal heretic.  Her emphasis on the exercise of prophetic, miraculous "spiritual gifts" is, in Evangelical theology, a completely backward approach to the Christian gospel.  Her belief that revelation continues to come from God, via practices such as speaking in tongues, which can supercede biblical revelation is directly in opposition to conservative Evangelican beliefs that the Bible is the sole authority for Christian faith and practice, and is without error and infallible.   While there are those in the Pentecostal branch of conservative Evangelicalism that accept miraculous sign gifts, the idea that revelation is ongoing, and that only a few select "prophets" are qualified to interpret it is heresy.     

She has been labelled a cultist by many of those in the Evangelical churches and denominations, and is considered as a false prophet.  But she was chosen by Trump to be his spiritual advisor, precisely because that's the kind of theology that doesn't require accountability or repentance.  And while I can't name a single Evangelical denomination that would not consider her a heretic and a cultist, I haven't heard any Evangelical leaders fuming or griping about her being chosen, again, to lead the White House faith liaison office, like so many of his right wing religious sycophants want to do.  

Trump clearly has no respect or consideration for the beliefs and convictions of his Evangelical supporters, and he is clueless when it comes to what his Evangelical supporters believe and value. If he had any respect for them at all, other than seeing them as a vote delivering machine, he would have picked someone like Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas, or even Franklin Graham, who has a known name and pedigree among the conservative, Evangelical community.  

But they, are also making a clear choice.  They are demonstrating that their loyalty to Trump runs deeper than their loyalty to Jesus Christ or the Christian gospel.  They are willing to set aside principles and convictions that they have used, in the past, to define who they are and what they claim to believe, in order to stay on the Trump train, and that makes them pseudo-Christian hypocrites.  Most Evangelicals will not recognize or identify churches that call women to the ordained ministry, or that believe in continuous revelation as Christian, and will not fellowship or work with them, believing them to be deluded and influenced by modern culture.  But those who are caught up in Trump's right wing extremism are willing to abandon these core beliefs.  

Confusing Right Wing Politics With Christian Doctrine Creates a Powerful Delusion

The gospel writer Matthew records Jesus saying, "Enter through the narrow gate.  For wide is the road and broad is the gate that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. [Matthew 7:13-14]  Relying on one's own efforts to be "religious," and being self-righteous doesn't cause convictions and beliefs to run deep.  Depending on outward appearances and religious rituals are the result of a Christian expression that is built on intellectual adherence to a set of doctrines and beliefs, rather than dependence on the actual practice of convictions that are produced by genuine conviction and belief.  

There are a lot of people who have found that the loose structure and lack of a system of accountability and responsibility that is afforded by the independent and autonomous nature of most of Evangelicalism is a quick and easy way to make money and use it to enhance personal power and influence.  That kind of power was one of the temptations of Jesus, according to the gospel narrative, symbolic of what is a very common human temptation.  Among conservative Evangelicals, there are a lot of Kings, like Paula White, who are the absolute rulers of their "kingdoms." usually megachurches where their word as pastor is unquestioned.  

Jesus, and the Apostles in the first century, went to great lengths to distinguish the Christian gospel as a lifestyle, with values motivated by conviction, not by intellectual assent to a set of doctrines, or driven by fear and superstition, nor as an instrument or tool of government for political control and civil obedience.  Nor was there ever any intention to repeat or re-establish the old Jewish theocracy, as many of those who lived in Judea and Galilee at the time envisioned, a conquering Messiah who would throw out the Romans and re-establish David's throne.  Jesus made it clear that the "Kingdom" he would establish, as an heir to David's throne himself, would be a spiritual one, not a military empire.

The Apostle Paul said, "They perish because they refuse to love the truth and so be saved.  For this reason, God sends them a powerful delusion, so that they will believe the lie, and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth."  [2  Thessalonians 2:11] 

The Apostle Jude warned church leaders to be on the lookout for intruders whose purpose was to subvert the Christian church.  

"For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you," he writes.  "They are ungodly people who pervert the grace of God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ, our only sovereign and Lord." [Jude v. 4, NIV]  

What White believes and preaches is that riches, wealth and prosperity are signs of God's blessings, a quid pro quo, if you will, that he provides in exchange for righteous behavior.  Connected to that is the idea that America was founded as a Christian nation, and that it is the world's richest and most powerful country as a direct result of God's blessing, provided based on its collective righteousness.  But that collective righteousness is being threatened, in their minds, by liberalism.  Because we have legalized abortion, and allow same-sex marriage, and do not jail and execute transgendered persons God is going to remove our prosperity.  And so, it takes a move toward dependence on government to force the unrighteous to get in line and stop endangering everyone else's ability to get rich.  

But there are no such quid pro quos in the Christian gospel.  Redemption, or salvation, which is the result of Christian conversion, does not result in a guarantee of financial wealth and prosperity.  The list of what it does result in can be found in Matthew 5:3-11.  It's a lifestyle that, if genuinely applied and lived out, is visible by the values it produces.  

Wealth and power are powerful delusions.  It's not so hard to see why Trump prefers this kind of spiritual advisor.