The sky is not falling
When unidentified Trump regime henchmen kidnapped peaceful protesters in Portland this week and took them away in unmarked cars, it rightly set off all the alarms. It represents one of the most blatant, criminal, and authoritarian moves by the Trump regime to date. It also prompted a number of pundits and observers to predict the absolute worst, and to declare that it means Donald Trump has defeated us.
I would urge you to look at recent history to see why this is unlikely to be the case. Back when the Trump regime tear gassed peaceful protesters outside the White House last month, it too set off all the alarms. Pundits predicted that it would become the new normal, and that it meant Trump was getting away with anything he wanted. But in reality, the massive pushback against the tear gassing ended up prompting the Trump regime to pull back – and it hasn’t happened since.
Considering the amount of pushback against the Trump regime over the Portland incident, from widespread public condemnation, to legal action on the part of the Oregon Attorney General and the U.S. Attorney for Oregon, it seems highly likely that Trump will follow his usual pattern of backing down. Whenever the Trump regime tries to flex its muscles and there’s major pushback, the regime tends to be reminded that it has no such muscles, and that it’s feebly on its last legs.
Really, this all comes down to whether we’re collectively willing to push back against this latest Trump outrage, or whether we’re going to simply yell “the sky is falling” and give up. Whenever we’ve all pushed back against Trump, we’ve won the day more often than not. Vigilance is how we win the day – not alarmist fatalism.
Bill Palmer is the publisher of the political news outlet Palmer Report