You Voted For This

It is vital to remember a few things going forward.

For right now, we still have free and fair elections (location and who you are may vary).

For right now, we still have the Bill of Rights and the Constitution.

Most importantly from a political perspective, we still have many Democrats established throughout the state and local levels ready to go to war, although some Democratic leaders and trifectas are in a better position than others to fight.

Trump is first and foremost an opportunist who is only interested in what will help him line his pockets and stay in power. He has no loyalty to anyone except to himself. I would argue that his two main policy objectives for his presidency will be mass deportations and tariffs.

Based on his first choice, former Republican Representative Matt Gaetz, for attorney general not even making it to the Senate for confirmation, I am expecting that he will continue to botch his most important policy objectives.

From what I can tell, this happened because Matt Gaetz is hated by almost everyone in Congress on both sides of the aisle.

A few Trump voters may react with horror at mass deportations because they did not think about what deporting people entails, especially at scale. So when some people who did not vote for Vice President Harris lament the fate of legal immigrants and/or American citizens caught up in ICE raids, remind them of this fact.

You voted for this.

The overwhelming majority of voters will be either indifferent to or actively cheer on the horrors of mass deportations. But when the price of goods everywhere starts to skyrocket because a huge portion of the workforce in many vital sectors is gone (if there are any goods on the shelves at all), just remind the relevant group of voters of this fact.

You voted for this.

The other policy I am convinced that Trump will pursue with vigor is tariffs.

Businesses all across America are starting to stockpile supplies in anticipation of tariffs. Walmart, of all corporations, is saying that tariffs will increase the cost of goods for its customers.

One of the biggest weaknesses of the American economy is that a minor disruption in any part of the supply chain can damage entire sectors of the economy.

Does anyone remember COVID-19?

It doesn’t take an economist to figure out what causing the price of overseas raw materials and goods to go through the roof will do to inflation.

So when goods from clothing to video game consoles drastically increase in cost, remind the right set of voters of this fact.

You voted for this.

Trump is going to select his cabinet based on loyalty and vengeance. On a good day, the White House will just be a cesspool of intrigue and infighting.

Trump will target institutions like the United States military, America’s intelligence apparatus, and the legal system either to support his administration or destroy them out of spite.

I don’t honestly know how well the US military will hold up against a commander in chief hell-bent on vengeance.

Some of the Joint Chiefs of Staff did disobey unlawful orders last time, but I don’t know if they will again. Same for agencies like the CIA and FBI.

The Supreme Court is already compromised beyond repair, at least for my lifetime.

I anticipate that the Supreme Court will continue to tear apart the system of checks and balances, both out of malice and to further a far-right agenda.

The scariest part of that is I don’t know what evil Supreme Court decision will be the breaking point.

For context, the Dred Scott decision was supposed to solve the question of slavery and of Black Americans more generally. That monstrous decision was designed to put the question of slavery to bed.

It did the exact opposite and contributed to the outbreak of the American Civil War.

So expect much of the legal system to be an ally for Trumpism, at least for the foreseeable future.

Even if Trump is only opportunistically pro-life, most of his administration will be fervently anti-abortion, and they don’t care about the collateral damage.

If any Trump voter is mourning a woman who died from either pregnancy-related complications or in childbirth, remember to say this to them.

You voted for this.

Just make sure to consider your setting before pointing out this inconvenient truth.

Best Weapons

Remember, marching and making a lot of noise accomplished next to nothing last time.

The best assets the resistance had were Democratic AGs and governors. This time will be no different.

The people in these offices did the dirty work of actually fighting Trump in courtrooms, state capitals, and governors’ mansions all over the country. From these seats, did Democrats not only keep some of Trump’s worst policies in check, they also were the springboard to defeat him in 2020.

Let’s remember which states did the heavy lifting to combat COVID-19.

These state capitals, city halls, and courthouses are where we will wage another war on Trumpism and where Trumpism will be defeated—if it can be done in these times.

Not the streets.

California Governor Gavin Newsom is already preparing his state for war with the Trump administration. As are other blue state governors across the country.

But our greatest strengths are going to be Democratic attorneys general.

These individuals and their offices are going to fight Trump’s vile decisions in court and possibly bog him down.

Remember that these AGs have the time, resources, and personnel to fight in court all day. That is part of their job description.

Although Democratic governors, mayors, and legislatures can fight, keep in mind that they have other more pressing responsibilities. They can’t be fighting all day.

Your job as voters and citizens is to make sure that the right people are elected to the right offices.

For municipal races, it is vital that you ask the following questions:

How do you plan to build more housing as fast as possible?

How do you plan to get more local projects done on time and on budget?

What is your proposal to tackle the relevant challenges to public safety?

What is the state of the city’s budget, and how do you plan to improve it?

Add or modify questions as you need to, but if people are serious about taking in red state refugees, blue America needs to build more housing.

Ask the following questions to candidates running for judicial offices like county attorney, attorney general, or a judge’s seat:

How do you plan to wage war on Trump when required?

How will you protect the rights of everyday Americans?

What is your proposal to wage a war against sexual violence and violence against women in general?

What do you consider the most urgent public safety crisis, and what is your plan to tackle it?

Add or modify questions as you need to.

Make sure to vet candidates carefully for elected office on these criteria.

Most importantly, don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Pick the best candidate even if said candidate is deeply flawed.

For example, I am not exactly thrilled with who is running for governor in New Jersey or for mayor of New York City, but I will still make recommendations.

For me, the top criteria are who can do the job the best and who will fight Trump at any given responsible opportunity.

But no matter what happens.

When things start to go bad at every level, remember these words.

You voted for this.