What’s Worse Than No Change? No Hope.
With yesterday’s news that Donald Trump Jr voluntarily leaked his own intentions to collude with Russia to dig up dirt against Hillary Clinton during the 2016 Election Campaign, democrats are left pondering a multitude of feelings and questions. Namely:
1- Is this obvious evidence of collusion enough to finally get Trump impeached?
2- If it isn’t is there any hope for common sense left in this country?
3- If Trump actually gets the boot, is Jesus McGee actually better than Trump in the first place?
4- How in the world can we change the narrative to ensure big wins in 2018 and 2020?
Let’s attack each empty question individually to see if there actually is any hope at the end of the road, or if we’re just setting ourselves up for more disappointment by actually getting excited about how stupid DJT Jr actually is.
1- Is this obvious evidence of collusion enough to finally get Trump impeached?
This is obviously evidence of collusion, and common sense would dictate that working with a foreign agent to dig up dirt on a rival, essentially putting your own campaign’s needs over those of America and American security, is a treasonous act by any measure. However, it will be extremely difficult to prove that DJT the Senior, aka the Biggest Douche of them all, directed his son to be in this meeting. Even though it was attended by his campaign manager, his son, and his top adviser, which makes it seem inconceivable that Trump wouldn’t have known about it and sanctioned it, there still seems to be a smoking gun lacking evidence that Trump ordered collusion with a foreign government. This is a shame, because it makes us feel even more dejected because common sense will lose out to quality lawyering, which is something all Americans can relate to.
2- If it isn’t is there any hope for common sense left in this country?
This is where things get extremely depressing for the left. Anyone with a brain could see that the Trump team aimed to commit treason at worst, and collude with the enemy at best, and that should be enough to drain all credibility from the Trump team. However, things are never that simple and no matter what, Trump will still have an army of supporters who swear by his every word. In the same way that Governor Christie still has an approval rating of 15% after shutting down NJ beaches on the 4th of July, sometimes people will never change their views no matter what. If 15% of New Jerseyans actually still think Christie is doing a good job after such an obvious show of disregard for anyone but himself and happily showcasing his lack of self-awareness by using the beach, the psychos on the right who were duped by Trump in the first place surely will have no problem sticking with their man. Much like rooting for a sports team that never rights the ship (hello New York Mets), some people will stick to their side no matter how dumb it may seem to outsiders, and that reality is especially damaging to the psyche of today’s progressives.
3- If Trump actually gets the boot, is Jesus McGee actually better than Trump in the first place?
During the campaign, Trump made it clear when appealing to Republicans that it doesn’t even matter if they like Trump or didn’t, but that if they cared about Supreme Court nominees, they should go with him because he would go all the way to the right. With Anthony Kennedy, Notorious RBG, and Stephen Breyer all either firmly in or entering octogenarian status, there could be as many as 3 openings over the next few years. With Pence at the helm, this could be absolutely devastating to marriage equality, climate change, rights for low-wage workers, and really any other ideology that the left supports. While Trump is a nutjob who is completely unstable, Pence is an ideological Jesus Freak who thinks the bible is more important than the Constitution, proudly referring to himself as “A Christian, a conservative, and a Republican, in that order.” While we don’t know what Trump will do next, we know exactly what Pence will do next, and whether that is a good or bad thing is something that has been on the backburner of every democrat’s mind since the day Trump took office.
4- How in the world can we change the narrative to ensure big wins in 2018 and 2020?
Here is where ideology and hope have to make way for action and a concise plan. if Trump gets impeached and subsequently removed from office, surely he will cry about it and rally up his base to say that he was treated unfairly. In return, Democrats will need to figure out how to control their own media narrative. Do they hammer down the point that this is a man who lied time and time again about fake news, only for his son to leak his own damning evidence and show that the entire Trump doctrine is a farce? Do they appeal to the middle/middle right with a unified message of universal healthcare and a scandal-free Obama administration and a return to normalcy under Democratic leadership? Surely, in 2018 they must lampoon any Republicans who came out in favor of taking away healthcare for 23 million Americans. After that, whatever message they decide to hammer home, they must do it with the same zeal that Republicans use. Pick 3 talking points and don’t even allow the narrative to go beyond that. Universal healthcare. Restoring trust in the presidency. Restoring normalcy in government.
So should Democrats feel hopeless? That is a question that can only be answered by each individual. Until DJT Jr gets indicted though, it will be impossible for democrats to think that the game isn’t rigged against them, and that we can ever get out of this hole. Until then, just like Mike Pence would want us to do, let’s just pray for a miracle.
