Autumn

 

The American tree has shed its democratic leaves.

With the election of Donald Trump, the republic has taken a step towards fascism. As a charismatic demagogue prepares to place himself at the locus of power, only one question remains: What do we do now?

Though the prospect of a Trump presidency is utterly terrifying, we cannot be paralyzed by fear. If we wish to curtail Trump’s power, the demos must organize themselves and act as American democracy’s bulwark against Donald Trump.

There is no time to wait—the destruction of America is imminent. With Trump’s transition in full swing, the time to resist is now. As Donald Trump continues to fill the West Wing with white supremacists, it is imperative that we coalesce into a robust social movement capable of stopping the inevitable excesses of Trump’s tenure as POTUS. Without a strong counterbalance to Trump’s fascist tendencies, there will be no check on his power, leaving him free to enact his brutal policies with little pushback.

In fighting against Trump, the body politic cannot rely on beltway pundits or Democratic party operatives to do the tough work of fighting Donald Trump. It cannot expect the feckless GOP to stand up to their grotesque leader. Only a popular movement can muster up a strong resistance to Trump’s despotic rule.

Dan O’ Sullivan emphasized the importance of organization and mobilization in his most recent masterpiece, “Vengeance Is Mine”

There can be no dealing with this man. Bernie has lain down a gauntlet Trump cannot meet. Now, every day, and in every way, it is time to say “go fuck yourself” to Trump and his ilk, until the weapons capable of destroying him can be perfected. Trump is, for all his monstrosity, just a symptom; as daunting as the challenge of frustrating Trump and the GOP’s agenda at every turn will be, of even graver importance will be constructing an alternative vision capable of contending with the crisis of American life. The protests that have rocked America in the wake of the election — right out the gate, no quarter given — are a promising and heartening start…It is time to organize and prepare a politics that matters. It is time to confront and defeat Trump and those like him, not pay him soft homage. No more ceding the ground of what’s important to these snakes; we can’t anyway, our very lives depend upon it. Besides, we have a better way.

O’Sullivan’s call to action not only defines the challenge we face, but also lays out a plan to overcome that challenge. Indeed, simply removing an orange-skinned dictator from the Oval Office is not a sufficient response to the election of Donald Trump. Any movement that wishes to stop Trump must also destroy the vile racist program the Right has developed over the past half-century. When National Review writes an editorial supporting the nomination of Jeff Sesssions, an unabashed racist, as Attorney General, the bigotry of conservative America becomes abundantly clear.

And, to O’Sullivan and I, that’s why mass mobilization is the only answer to the white nationalism of Trump and the GOP.

No single politician or activist can do it on their own. Neither Elizabeth Warren nor Bernie Sanders has the ability to take down a whole ideological movement. Only a strong resistance from the masses offers any hope of stopping America’s precipitous fall into fascism.