Dems and others opposed to Trump must start strategizing now for what their game-plan will be to save the republic if Dems fail to take control of Congress in the midterms, under the suspicious circumstances of a full-blown Russian influence campaign and voting irregularities.
The prospect for being able to save democracy and the constitutional framework without a midterm victory is, frankly, dismal. If the GOP manage to retain control of Congress, no impeachment or check on executive power will be possible at least until 2020.
And given Trump's authoritarian proclivities, the likelihood that he will either cancel or postpone the next general elections, back a covert GOP led campaign to manipulate the results, or merely outsource the electoral manipulation to the Russians, is very high to certain.
And we know that left with an indefinite capacity to wield executive power, Trump will almost certainly bankrupt (morally, economically and militarily) the republic given he has bankrupted every corporate entity he has led to date.
If Rs retain control in the midterms, the only chance for removing Trump before he initiates an even more catastrophic sequence of events than he has thus far (which could utterly destroy international peace) will be an overwhelming popular movement akin to a revolt or revolution
The destructiveness of a full-blown revolution are well known, as it can easily lead to either civil war, or give birth to an uncontrollable force which ravages all before it (like the Terror) which in turn can bring a dictatorship more frightening than anything preceding it.
But even so, forced to choose between an indefinite Trump presidency and a revolution, the rational choice of democrats and patriots can only be the latter, no matter how destructive the consequences could be.
All of these alternative futures which might follow an R victory in the midterms are deeply problematic, almost to the point of being unthinkable. Which is why the best possible (because least destructive) strategy is to end the Trump presidency as soon as is politically feasible
We stand at a critical juncture, probably one of the last best moments to shift our world into a relatively benign path which avoids an R midterm victory and the utter chaos that follows. But success in this endeavor is predicated on what I see to be a three-pronged approach.
Firstly, we face a chicken and egg problem with the midterms. The midterms are a prerequisite for restoring electoral integrity and security against foreign interference, but the elections themselves are threatened by significant interference from Russia and probably also the GOP
Which is why Dems cannot merely assume that mobilizing Americans to vote in the midterms will be enough. They must also--as some seem to be starting to realize--simultaneously wage a pitched campaign to strengthen election security & put obstacles in the way of malevolent actors.
The press conference yesterday on the need for heightened security (and funding for such measures) from House Intelligence Committee Dems was a good start. We need much much more of this, and we need an intense effort to shame R's into accepting Dem demands in this respect.
What will unfortunately probably be necessary, is for Dems to threaten to completely walk out of all Congressional proceedings if such demands are not met, which would remove the fig-leaf of democratic legitimacy from the Trump administration and GOP majority.
The stakes are simply so high that Dems cannot afford to lose this battle for heightened election security, as their very electoral survival (as well as that of the republic itself) depends on it. Dems cannot shirk their responsibility to fight for their own self-preservation.
But the good news is that demands for heightened electoral security & integrity are a strong issue for Dems, as it will be almost impossible for the GOP and Trump admin to refuse to accede to demands for heightened electoral security without betraying their own malign intentions.
Dems must fight for election security and integrity with everything they've got. And if the GOP and/or Trump admin refuse to implement common sense measures to heighten election security and integrity, they must be skewered for this betrayal day in and day out by Dem messaging.
The GOP & Trump MUST NOT BE GIVEN A PASS if they refuse to implement common sense measures to heighten election security, and this betrayal itself can become a winning issue for the Dems in the election, thus turning a chicken or egg dilemma into a virtuous self-reinforcing cycle
The second part of the three pronged approach is obviously for Dems to build the best strategy to win the election itself, alongside campaigning tooth and nail for electoral security and integrity.
Though some might disagree, I believe that pummeling Trump's unfitness and GOP betrayal of American national interests can be a winning strategy for Dems, especially as it converges with what should be their intense campaign for heightened electoral security.
No doubt there is need for some sophistication here. Economic issues shouldn't be neglected, (including healthcare), especially for heartland blue districts. But fighting the midterms primarily on economic issues could easily become a losing strategy for Dems.
This is because the economy is currently the only issue that Trump can conceivably boast about, though even this (to the extent that economic strength is real which is itself doubtful) is largely due to the residual effects of Obama's policies.
DEMS MUST FIGHT IN THE THEATRE THAT IS WEAKEST FOR TRUMP AND THE GOP. And after the debacle of Helsinki, the primary weakness is national security and the profound and unforgivable betrayal of American interests and values that it represented.
The big advantage of this strategy, though difficult for Dems to successfully pull off (given they've traditionally been seen as weak on national security) is that it could land a mortal blow to the GOP on the issue that's been seen as their primary strength.
But these debates about best midterm strategy will be heated, as they should be, though we must realize that time is short & the need to unite around the strongest strategy is incredibly urgent.
A repeat of Bernie holding Dems hostage for concessions on the platform (post Hillary's primary victory) is unacceptable. If the Bernie faction threaten such tactics again, they must be given an ultimatum to declare their first allegiance is to protecting our democracy & values.
The fight to save our democracy & the constitution is prior to the fight against neoliberalism, at least in this emergency period of the Trump presidency when everything is under threat. Bernie supporters must be forced to accept this, or shamed for their unwillingness to do so.
But the final point about midterm strategy, is that Dems must abandon the careful triangulation and doublespeak of normal political times. WE ARE NOT IN NORMAL POLITICAL TIMES AND IN TIMES OF CRISIS AS WE ARE IN VOTERS WANT COURAGE AND CONVICTION as @peterdaou has correctly said.
The final prong of the measures I believe necessary to move our world into a relatively benign end to the Trump disaster, is for Dems, Bernie supporters & never-Trump Rs to lend their full support to the protest movement against Trump's betrayal of American interests and values.
The protest movement must be overwhelming in size, be replicated in as many cities and towns as possible across the country, and be sustained over weeks and if necessary, months.
Though the declared aim of the protest movement should be to call for Trump to be impeached, the real aim of the protests should be to peel off one or two moderate Rs in the Senate by shaming them and making very clear that protecting Trump is tantamount to political suicide.
If one or two Rs in the senate can be utterly shamed by overwhelming protests into caucusing w/ Dems to provide real checks on the most disastrous of Trump's policies & also supporting measures for heightened electoral security, then the goal of the protests will be accomplished.
We desperately need better strategic thinking & more strategic coordination between the different parties and factions--all of whom oppose or are horrified by Trump in one way or another--as the opposition to Trump is currently crippled by a lack of coordination and cooperation.
If unified action in the current wave of protests can forge closer strategic ties between leaders of all major parties and factions opposed to Trump, this would be another crucial positive outcome from the protests.
In politics (as in war) momentum plays a crucial role. There is currently blood in the water due to Trump's decisive mistake of going overboard with his fealty to Putin and his clear betrayal of America. Trump and the GOP are still flailing and struggling to regain composure.
Those of us horrified by Trump & GOP's protection of a president clearly unfit and disloyal to his country must not let status quo forces regain composure, but we must pummel them continually while they're still dazed & confused and ride this momentum all the way to the midterms.
The time for action is now. There is no time to waste.
