SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Engage in non-violent civil disobedience. Fight lies with truth. Join the resistance. (Photo: David Geitgey Sierralupe/flickr/cc)
What We Must Do Now
First and most importantly, do not give up
Jul 03, 2018
My friends, this is a dark hour. Intolerance, cruelty, racism, misogyny, xenophobia, and environmental destruction have been let loose across the land.
Trump controls the Republican Party, the Republican Party controls the House and Senate, and Trump may soon control the Supreme Court.
But here's the thing. Only 27 percent of Americans are Republican, according to the Gallop Poll.
Moreover, the vast majority of Americans disapprove of Trump. He lost the popular vote in 2016 by 2.8 million. Since then, his approval ratings haven't exceeded 45 percent.
The GOP itself is no longer a political party, anyway. It is now little more than Donald Trump, Fox News, a handful of billionaire funders, and rightwing Christians who oppose a woman's right to choose, gay marriage, and the Constitution's separation of church and state.
Yet Trump is about to make the second Supreme Court nomination of his presidency. And that second nominee - like Trump's first, Neil Gorsuch - is likely to be young enough to remain on the Court for the next 40 years.
If confirmed, Trump's new justice would join four other Republican-appointed justices to form a majority that will interpret the U.S. Constitution and laws in ways inimical to the values of a majority of Americans.
For example, Trump's new justice is all but certain to join the four other Republican-appointed justices in overturning Roe v. Wade, a 1973 compromise on abortion that still has the support of two-thirds of Americans.
Trump's new justice is likely to do the same in revoking same-sex marriage, also now supported by about two-thirds of Americans.
I don't have to remind you that this comes after Republicans essentially stole a Supreme Court seat by refusing to consider President Barack Obama's nominee, Merrick Garland.
In addition to everything I've noted above, Republicans also now control both chambers in 32 states (33 if you count Nebraska) and 33 governorships.
In many of these states they are entrenching their power by gerrymandering and arranging to suppress votes.
Enough. The question is what are we - the vast majority - to going to do about this?
I have six modest suggestions.
First and most importantly, do not give up. That's what they would like us to do. Then they'd have no opposition at all. Powerlessness is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Please do not succumb to it.
Second, in the short term, contact your senators and urge them to oppose Trump's nominee to the Supreme Court.
If your state has a Republican senator, you might mobilize and organize your friends and neighbors to do whatever they can to get that senator to reject Trump's Supreme Court nominee. Or, at the least, postpone consideration of that nominee until after the midterm elections, so there's a chance to change the composition of the Senate.
Third, make a ruckus. Demonstrate. Engage in non-violent civil disobedience. Fight lies with truth. Join the resistance.
Many grass-roots organizations are doing great work, and could use your help. Among them are: @IndivisibleTeam, @swingleft, @UpRiseDotOrg, @MoveOn. @Sister_District, and @flippable_org. I'm sure I've left out many others. Check with your friends, and check online.
Fourth, don't engage in divisive incrimination over "who lost" the 2016 election. There's no point in Hillary loyalists, Bernie supporters, Jill Stein voters, and others turning on one another again, and blaming each other for the outcome. We must be united.
Fifth, vote this November 6 for people who will stand up to the Trump Republican's rampage. Mobilize and organize others to do so, too. If you live in a "blue" state, contact friends and relations in "red" states and urge them to do the same.
Sixth, help lay the groundwork for the 2020 presidential election, so that even if Trump survives Robert Mueller's investigation and a possible impeachment proceeding, he will not be reelected.
Finally, know that this fight will be long and hard. It will require our patience, our courage, and our resolve.
The stakes could not be higher. We're talking about the future of our democracy, and the wellbeing of our children and their children's children.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.
Robert Reich
Robert Reich is professor emeritus of public policy at Berkeley and former US secretary of labor. His latest book is the No. 1 New York Times best-seller, "Coming Up Short."
My friends, this is a dark hour. Intolerance, cruelty, racism, misogyny, xenophobia, and environmental destruction have been let loose across the land.
Trump controls the Republican Party, the Republican Party controls the House and Senate, and Trump may soon control the Supreme Court.
But here's the thing. Only 27 percent of Americans are Republican, according to the Gallop Poll.
Moreover, the vast majority of Americans disapprove of Trump. He lost the popular vote in 2016 by 2.8 million. Since then, his approval ratings haven't exceeded 45 percent.
The GOP itself is no longer a political party, anyway. It is now little more than Donald Trump, Fox News, a handful of billionaire funders, and rightwing Christians who oppose a woman's right to choose, gay marriage, and the Constitution's separation of church and state.
Yet Trump is about to make the second Supreme Court nomination of his presidency. And that second nominee - like Trump's first, Neil Gorsuch - is likely to be young enough to remain on the Court for the next 40 years.
If confirmed, Trump's new justice would join four other Republican-appointed justices to form a majority that will interpret the U.S. Constitution and laws in ways inimical to the values of a majority of Americans.
For example, Trump's new justice is all but certain to join the four other Republican-appointed justices in overturning Roe v. Wade, a 1973 compromise on abortion that still has the support of two-thirds of Americans.
Trump's new justice is likely to do the same in revoking same-sex marriage, also now supported by about two-thirds of Americans.
I don't have to remind you that this comes after Republicans essentially stole a Supreme Court seat by refusing to consider President Barack Obama's nominee, Merrick Garland.
In addition to everything I've noted above, Republicans also now control both chambers in 32 states (33 if you count Nebraska) and 33 governorships.
In many of these states they are entrenching their power by gerrymandering and arranging to suppress votes.
Enough. The question is what are we - the vast majority - to going to do about this?
I have six modest suggestions.
First and most importantly, do not give up. That's what they would like us to do. Then they'd have no opposition at all. Powerlessness is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Please do not succumb to it.
Second, in the short term, contact your senators and urge them to oppose Trump's nominee to the Supreme Court.
If your state has a Republican senator, you might mobilize and organize your friends and neighbors to do whatever they can to get that senator to reject Trump's Supreme Court nominee. Or, at the least, postpone consideration of that nominee until after the midterm elections, so there's a chance to change the composition of the Senate.
Third, make a ruckus. Demonstrate. Engage in non-violent civil disobedience. Fight lies with truth. Join the resistance.
Many grass-roots organizations are doing great work, and could use your help. Among them are: @IndivisibleTeam, @swingleft, @UpRiseDotOrg, @MoveOn. @Sister_District, and @flippable_org. I'm sure I've left out many others. Check with your friends, and check online.
Fourth, don't engage in divisive incrimination over "who lost" the 2016 election. There's no point in Hillary loyalists, Bernie supporters, Jill Stein voters, and others turning on one another again, and blaming each other for the outcome. We must be united.
Fifth, vote this November 6 for people who will stand up to the Trump Republican's rampage. Mobilize and organize others to do so, too. If you live in a "blue" state, contact friends and relations in "red" states and urge them to do the same.
Sixth, help lay the groundwork for the 2020 presidential election, so that even if Trump survives Robert Mueller's investigation and a possible impeachment proceeding, he will not be reelected.
Finally, know that this fight will be long and hard. It will require our patience, our courage, and our resolve.
The stakes could not be higher. We're talking about the future of our democracy, and the wellbeing of our children and their children's children.
Robert Reich
Robert Reich is professor emeritus of public policy at Berkeley and former US secretary of labor. His latest book is the No. 1 New York Times best-seller, "Coming Up Short."
My friends, this is a dark hour. Intolerance, cruelty, racism, misogyny, xenophobia, and environmental destruction have been let loose across the land.
Trump controls the Republican Party, the Republican Party controls the House and Senate, and Trump may soon control the Supreme Court.
But here's the thing. Only 27 percent of Americans are Republican, according to the Gallop Poll.
Moreover, the vast majority of Americans disapprove of Trump. He lost the popular vote in 2016 by 2.8 million. Since then, his approval ratings haven't exceeded 45 percent.
The GOP itself is no longer a political party, anyway. It is now little more than Donald Trump, Fox News, a handful of billionaire funders, and rightwing Christians who oppose a woman's right to choose, gay marriage, and the Constitution's separation of church and state.
Yet Trump is about to make the second Supreme Court nomination of his presidency. And that second nominee - like Trump's first, Neil Gorsuch - is likely to be young enough to remain on the Court for the next 40 years.
If confirmed, Trump's new justice would join four other Republican-appointed justices to form a majority that will interpret the U.S. Constitution and laws in ways inimical to the values of a majority of Americans.
For example, Trump's new justice is all but certain to join the four other Republican-appointed justices in overturning Roe v. Wade, a 1973 compromise on abortion that still has the support of two-thirds of Americans.
Trump's new justice is likely to do the same in revoking same-sex marriage, also now supported by about two-thirds of Americans.
I don't have to remind you that this comes after Republicans essentially stole a Supreme Court seat by refusing to consider President Barack Obama's nominee, Merrick Garland.
In addition to everything I've noted above, Republicans also now control both chambers in 32 states (33 if you count Nebraska) and 33 governorships.
In many of these states they are entrenching their power by gerrymandering and arranging to suppress votes.
Enough. The question is what are we - the vast majority - to going to do about this?
I have six modest suggestions.
First and most importantly, do not give up. That's what they would like us to do. Then they'd have no opposition at all. Powerlessness is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Please do not succumb to it.
Second, in the short term, contact your senators and urge them to oppose Trump's nominee to the Supreme Court.
If your state has a Republican senator, you might mobilize and organize your friends and neighbors to do whatever they can to get that senator to reject Trump's Supreme Court nominee. Or, at the least, postpone consideration of that nominee until after the midterm elections, so there's a chance to change the composition of the Senate.
Third, make a ruckus. Demonstrate. Engage in non-violent civil disobedience. Fight lies with truth. Join the resistance.
Many grass-roots organizations are doing great work, and could use your help. Among them are: @IndivisibleTeam, @swingleft, @UpRiseDotOrg, @MoveOn. @Sister_District, and @flippable_org. I'm sure I've left out many others. Check with your friends, and check online.
Fourth, don't engage in divisive incrimination over "who lost" the 2016 election. There's no point in Hillary loyalists, Bernie supporters, Jill Stein voters, and others turning on one another again, and blaming each other for the outcome. We must be united.
Fifth, vote this November 6 for people who will stand up to the Trump Republican's rampage. Mobilize and organize others to do so, too. If you live in a "blue" state, contact friends and relations in "red" states and urge them to do the same.
Sixth, help lay the groundwork for the 2020 presidential election, so that even if Trump survives Robert Mueller's investigation and a possible impeachment proceeding, he will not be reelected.
Finally, know that this fight will be long and hard. It will require our patience, our courage, and our resolve.
The stakes could not be higher. We're talking about the future of our democracy, and the wellbeing of our children and their children's children.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.