“Stop saying he’s crazy. He’s crazy like a fox.” Michael Moore
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So you think there’s no way Trump can be re-elected in 2020. That’s not thinking. That’s hoping.
Here’s what we need to wake up to. He can and will be elected to a second term if things don’t change, and soon. If Joe Biden runs against him, Trump wins. If any of the people currently in the running runs, Trump wins. And I’m afraid that includes Elizabeth Warren, the one card-carrying party-affiliated politician who could have beaten him in 2016. I love Elizabeth Warren. I so wanted her to run in 2016. But she didn’t. Her time has probably come and gone.
And Bernie, you had your chance. You never should have caved to Hillary. All the country wanted was change. You represented change. Trump represented change. You could both claim to be outsiders, you an Independent, and he, a person who’d never run before. Head to head, you would have beaten him. Not now.
So, as Michael Moore says here (skip the ad) the way things are, if your name is not Tom Hanks or Oprah don’t even try for the presidency.
I invite you to watch the video here as Michael tells us why his song has changed from America the Beautiful to a riff on Dylan’s “The Times They Are a-Changing.” There are a couple of other things that will probably jump out at you. One of them is Moore showing our immediate past president’s painfully political stunt in Flint, Michigan. Moore says: “I love Barack Obama. The best President of my lifetime. But I have to tell the truth, even when the truth hurts.”
You might find yourself wondering how it is that Michael Moore, the guy who’s always given us the sobering truth, is so upbeat, even cracking jokes and laughing throughout the interview. How can that be? Here’s how. He’s learned what everyone who’s faced the most painful verities has discovered. Abraham Lincoln, Mohandas K. Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Bobby Kennedy all knew this. Desmond Tutu explains it very clearly. About facing the hardest truths he says: “… we overcome the gnawing guilt and despair that festers under our numbness.” When we finally do that we can think clearly again, breathe freely.
Now (deep breath) I’ve gone back and forth on whether to bring this up. But here goes. There’s a brief section in the film where Moore draws some analogies to what happened in Germany in the 1930’s. We’re reticent to touch that third rail. But touch it I will. At that time, within the German population there was a significant percentage who agreed with Hitler. Well let’s face it. There’s a significant percentage of our population today who agree with Trump. They like what Trump likes. His xenophobia, racism, and religious chauvinism, resonate well with too many Americans.
What it all comes down to is the vote in November of 2020. Ominously, so-called progressives tend to say things like “There’s no way he’ll want to run again,” or “Don’t worry. He’s going to be impeached,” or my favorite, “We’ll get rid of the electoral college.” Really?!
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We religiously watch MSNBC, Morning Joe, Chris Matthews, Rachael Maddow, and others who speak their concerns for our democracy. I can’t imagine the direction our country is headed following “lock steep” with Putin’s goals, while ignoring our long time European allies-
I worry, we can’t afford another 4 years with Trump. But, what do we do differently than last 2015. I’m not sure. Trump’s core supporters, while declining somewhat, seems to still be hanging around 35%. And some of that core group are members of my extended family. It’s a conversation best not had with family–but maybe that needs to change. Would they listen to the interview with Michael Moore? Would they consider his message, or just reject him due to his looks? claiming he’s too radical, too “far left.”
I think supporting the “Get out the Vote” still remains the major key to making changes and winning elections. An immediate problem in certain states is voter suppression–this has to be addressed by those states, and the Supreme Court will have to be involved also.
I think it’s important to raise these issues now.. Also, we do need to think through the reality of what might happen with another four years of Trump. If we assume that the country will “self correct” and our imput is not important or necessary, we’ll be in trouble I’m afraid.
Like many, I didn’t think Trump had any chance of winning this last time—going into this next election, I will be more “hands on.” If nothing else, supporting the efforts of the National Democratic Committee will help–it’s going to take lots of money.