Donald Trump is taking the GOP down with him
Political activist Thomas Paine said, “To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead.” We have been administering medicine to Donald Trump and his followers for far too long. No wonder Republicans love Big Pharma. We are the gift that keeps on giving. Saturday Night Live just did a brilliant sketch about Chuck Todd trying to find any scenario wherein Senate Republicans would denounce The Donald. It was an exercise in futility until they were triggered by their racism. Then, not so much.
I fully understand the frustration of discussing facts in the face of spin and disinformation, but we have to keep talking. There may now be no Republicans as there were – and I cannot believe I’m writing this! – in the honorable days of Watergate who are willing to stand by country over party, but we have to keep trying. Thomas Paine also said, “It is the duty of every man, as far as his ability extends, to detect and expose delusion and error.” The eighteenth century wasn’t called the Age of Enlightenment for nothing.
Remember: time and facts are on our side, not Trump’s. The blue wave is working. Gravity can still be counted on. Silence is our most dangerous enemy, not Trump and not the Republicans. Read the newspapers, Google things your don’t understand, inform yourself. Talk to those around you even if it’s uncomfortable at times. Don’t lose your temper.
It’s hard. Our patience is gone. But remind yourself that now isn’t what counts. Our great country is our children’s future, and on this Mother’s Day, we must insist it be saved from authoritarians and kleptocrats. I know first-hand from surviving Katrina, the best way to fight rot and mold is to throw sunshine on the object. Democracy doesn’t just die in darkness, but also with a shrug.
TR Kenneth is the author of the thriller, A ROOM FULL OF NIGHT. You can read all about her at trkenneth.com and on Twitter