Our next meeting will cover the upcoming impeachment vote and related politics.
---------------------------------- Updated 12/12/19 ----------------------------------------Here are the videos shown at the meeting:
- Dems Bring Two Articles of Impeachment Against Trump
- 'Ridiculous and Stupid' Impeachment Is a 'Waste Of Time'
- They don't have the evidence and they don't have public support
- Trump Deserves the Title of Traitor
- Biden has fiery confrontation with retired farmer
- Yang qualifies for debate, changes politics forever
- Greta Thunberg denounces world leaders
Through a combination of luck and almost preternatural skills at exploiting weakness, Donald Trump has elevated himself to perhaps the most powerful job in the world and may be poised to do it again. There could be just enough supporters in just enough key districts for another electoral college win, and, impeachment or no, Democrats may be helpless to stop him.
ReplyDeleteThe Christian right seems to be securely in his corner. To these supporters, Trump’s sins are against man, while those of the “liberal left” are against God (e.g. abortion, gay marriage, etc.). Just as you are unlikely to reason someone into liking broccoli, you are unlikely to argue these believers into accepting “sins against God.” So when many current Republican politicians either hold these views themselves, or have to appeal to constituents who hold such views, compromise is impossible and polarization is inevitable.
Then there are all of those folks left behind by automation and globalization – regardless of religious beliefs – who look at the unemployment numbers and take hope. Whatever misgivings they may have about Trump’s character are outweighed by the possibility that their lives could be improving and they may not want to change horses in midstream. Added to those are farmers, who in spite of being hurt by his trade policies, are sympathetic with Trump’s strategically constructed worldview and seem, at least for now, placated somewhat by subsidies.
And then there’s Wall Street. Again, investors may have misgivings about his inconsistencies and trade policies, but what’s not to like about tax cuts and continued deregulation? Any problems resulting from such policies are long term, and who cares about that?
Finally, the media on both sides of the political divide (and it always seems to reduce to two sides) appear to be doing quite well under a Trump presidency. Notwithstanding their protestations to the contrary, and regardless of their sincerity, these large media corporations benefit financially from a polarized electorate and may have little financial incentive to see that change.
All the while the President’s actions threaten the very foundations of our political system, so how can they go unchecked? This is the dilemma facing politicians of conscience in both parties. A growing number of Republicans seem to be opting out of the system and looking for some other line of work, while Democrats are left trying to hold it together in the face of these somewhat disparate forces aligned against them. There is probably some way out of this mess, but it strikes me that we rarely try to grasp the big picture. And unless we do, the chances for success are diminished. Any thoughts?