The most important political issue in America at this moment is finding a way to neutralize Trump's political power and for Congress to be made up of enough patriotic Americans to shut down his agenda and remove his political power and influence. The possibility of getting enough Democrats elected to the Senate to follow through by removing him from office following an impeachment is a remote one, not impossible, but not likely either. But a Congress in which both houses are controlled by Democrats would be able to effectively end the madness and significantly limit his power.
And that is the most important thing I believe the new Congress in 2027 will have on their agenda. Democrats have said repeatedly that Trump is the greatest threat to American Democracy since World War 2, and I agree. Now I'm going to expect them to live up to their statements. I want to see visible results of Democrats leading the effor to do all that is constitutionally possible, with a majority in both houses, to end MAGA Trumpism and bring the man to justice.
I've supported the more progressive wing of the Democratic party since George H. W. Bush was President. I've listened to the lengthy political agenda that Democrats claim is important to the safety, welfare and prosperity of the United States. I've been disappointed when that agenda wasn't enacted when Democrats had the power to do so, or when it was put on the back burner by Republicans. The time is coming when the votes of those who are all united on the side against Trump need to start counting for more than just temporary shifts in who controls Congress.
They need to start achieving the goals they set out for the benefit of the average, working class, paycheck to paycheck American, the people on whose back the prosperity and security of this country now rests.
Agenda Item No. 1: Repudiation of MAGA Trumpism and Restoration of Justice
Restoring the trust that was once part of what made the American Republic work will require more than just defeating Trump and then putting a different agenda in place. Our values have been challenged, opposed and trashed. Justice has been mocked and ridiculed, abused and distorted. Repairing the damage from eight years of MAGA Trumpism will require repudiation of it, not merely winning over it at the polls.
Trump committed crimes against the American people for which he must be brought to justice, he and everyone who enabled him. There must be consequences for threatening our democracy and damaging the public trust in government. In order to put up a defense against this kind of abberation ever happening again, and to discourage anyone who thinks they can try and get away with it because Trump did, justice needs to make sure that Trump gets away with nothing.
This is an absolutely necessary step in restoring this country and repairing the damage. Trump incited a seditious insurrection against the United States government and that must not be overlooked, and he must be brought to justice. Evidence needs to be laid out which shows Trump has been lying through his teeth about election fraud. This is a completely made up lie and whatever it takes to communicate this to the American people, like another highly publicized Congressional investigation, needs to take place. People make up their own minds, but flooding the media with factual information about these crimes committed against the American people goes on the record, and consequences need to follow.
Constitutional free speech protects even the most anti-American ideology, but committing crimes to remain in power is a much different matter, and the American people need to see the difference, and they need to see that a nation of laws doesn't tolerate lawlessness. The rest of the world needs to see this as well. Every constitutional violation needs to be brought to justice, and if that means the Supreme Court needs to be packed with justices who will rule according to the law, then the list of qualified jurists who know, understand and respect the Constitution and who can overturn the injustices of the current court needs to be compiled.
The Democratic Party Needs to Become the Party of Working Class Americans Again
Where do we start with getting this done, noting that these are long term progressive goals, not necessarily what we will be able to accomplish over the next two years with a lame duck Republican still in the White House, and a highly corrupt and partisan Supreme Court. Ultimately, taking back the White House and then neutralizing the massive corruption on the court are two long term goals.
The first thing will be to get corporate money out of elections. Getting the Citizens United decision overturned in the Supreme Court will be a very tough proposition, but that needs to be the focus, and that means that the filibuster must be done away with in order to give a Democratic senate majority the ability to amend the judiciary act to add seats to the Supreme Court. Then, the Democratic President who is elected in 2028 can make getting this done his or her priority.
Using wealth to influence politics needs to be turned into a criminal act and enforced. These are long term goals, since as long as there is a Republican in the White House, there will be limits on what can be done.
In the meantime, on top of the mid-term victory that Democrats seem to be headed for in 2026, popular opinion has already made affordability the top issue for the next two years. And there are a lot of things that Democrats can do to improve the current situation for middle class Americans, starting with ending the Iran War, and restoring the nuclear deal that was in place under President Obama.
It's time for a Franklin D. Roosevelt kind of New Deal.
Democrats need to be seen as actively pursuing the kind of reform that will benefit the working class. There is a lot that can be achieved by simply blocking everything that Trump wants to do, and that's going to be how the next two years will go, unless the Democratic senate majority gets to the 60 vote margin, or Democrats decide to blow up the filibuster. But the eighties are over, and so is the age of compromise and negotiation with the Republicans. They have refused to cooperate, and so it is long past time for Democrats to adopt the same kick ass, take no prisoners kind of approach to their politics.
Socialized Health Care
This is a big one.
We've been talking about this for decades, but the fact of the matter is the current corporate dominated system of health care cartels and insurance monopolies in the practice of American medicine must be completely dismantled and rebuilt into a single payer, Medicare-for-all kind of system. I don't think that private ownership or involvement in either health care provision or insurance must be completely eliminated, but it must be heavily regulated in order to prevent the massive overcharging and profiteering that costs Americans more than any other country in the world.
There are multiple sources and studies which show that half of every dollar Americans spend on health insurance or health care goes to profit, and not to the actual services they receive. The amount that would be required to make Medicare for all work would be a far smaller payroll deduction than current monthly insurance premiums, and it would benefit everyone involved by providing more resources for health care professionals and institutions, top to bottom, while saving patients money. The only ones who wouldn't benefit are the one percenters who provide no services but only collect dividends.
Think about it. Instead of an individual or their employer paying a $595 a month insurance premium, the monthly payment for Medicare for all would be about $280, a savings of $315 a month, $3780 a year instead of over $7,000. As far as medical services to be received, nothing would change. There would be a $500 annual deductible, and co-pays for some services, under the current Medicare configuration, with an additional amount for prescription drug coverage and perhaps, for what is currently referred to as "medigap." And these are just general figures, drawn from various proposals. There's a lot more that could be done with some creative thinking.
If Democrats could succeed in doing this, and there is absolutely no reason for this not to work, considering the multiple models for socialized medicine that exist in Europe, Canada, and other parts of the world, it might bring about an era of political success that would open the door to decades of political dominance and economic prosperity.
In the Words of Senator Bernie Sanders, "Corporations and Billionaires Need to Pay Their Fair Share of Taxes
The tax burden on the middle class is unacceptable.
Closing loopholes and favor granting needs to end. I've read various proposals for what would be fair, and of course, I have my own idea. "Fair" is that corporations and billionaires pay a percentage of the tax burden proportionate to the overall benefit that they receive. All of what government has provided for them to make it possible to earn a profit costs something. Transportation infrastructure, military protection and security, especially for those who operate internationally, local police and fire protection, all of that is paid for by tax dollars. And in most cases, the lion's share of the expense is borne by the working class, the paycheck to paycheck people who are also, in many cases, underpaid and lack acceptable benefits.
The difficulty here is that Democrats have had tax proposals on the floor before, and couldn't get them passed. That's because not everyone is on board with this, and they haven't felt the pressure to get it done. Senator Sanders has been talking about this ever since he ran for the Democratic nomination in 2016. It hasn't been done yet. It's a political win for Democrats, because this is something that, if it is done right, will be immediately felt and appreciated by the working class.
That's Not All
The recognition of organized labor as a political force and as agents of change needs to be legislated back to effectiveness. American business is among the most profitable and prosperous in the world, and those benefits need to do more than trickle down to the employees who make it possible for executives to become billionaires off of their labor. This is one of the keys to Democrats becoming the party of the working class again.
The question is, will the support exist among the party members who find their way into Congress after the mid-terms, and beyond, to get this done? Among everything that was accomplished during the Biden administration, and during the two years when we had control of both houses and the White House, the party didn't really move in this direction. But the primaries, especially this election season, have changed the narrative quite a bit. Will those who return catch that message, and stop the bickering and infighting to bring Democrats back to their roots?
I certainly hope so.
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