In 2020, we have to do so much. We have to work unbelievably hard while recognizing people are dedicated to undermining that work. We have to remain hopeful but fully aware of the dire consequences.
This coming year is a crossroads.
This coming year is a crossroads.
We have to understand that Trump will do literally anything to retain power. He and the Republicans have made one bargain after another, and they're happy to destroy every law, every institution, strip anyone of their rights and vote. That's what 2020 is.
For Trump and others like him, democracy is a hurdle. They're making fascistic bargains because fascism comes when the vote's no longer there. They'll disenfranchise, they'll steal, they'll work with literally any nation if it advantages them. That's what's we're looking at.
But we also have to retain hope. The biggest weapon in the Republican arsenal is to make us feel helpless, like there's nothing we could possibly do, that our government is beyond our control and totally removed from us. We must reject that notion completely.
Twenty years ago today, Vladimir Putin came to power. He gained his influence by orchestrating politics as a game that reminded the people constantly they had no influence. And you know what? Over time, it takes a toll. We have to be aware that our wearing down isn't an option.
Don't let these criminals get you down. Don't let them convince you there's no way. We could lose the 2020 Election. We could have four more years of Trump. That's a dire possibility. But it doesn't have to be that way. We have agency.
Remember, starting RIGHT NOW, that presidential elections are an event to the media. They profit off uncertainty. They profit off horseraces. They profit off spectacle. It doesn't have to be that way. It can be an actual election, it can be a substantive election, it can be real.
We have to find a better way to run our politics, to participate, to be engaged, to retain hope while maintaining skepticism. Trump's continued success depends on us being worn down and losing hope. On us just turning our heads because it gets so toxic we can't bare to look.
Among your resolutions today, decide that you're going to work toward a better tomorrow while retaining your sense of skepticism. Chew gum and walk at the same time. Put your energy into saving this country while understanding exactly what you're saving it from.
We can get this nation back on the right track, we can cure the disease of Trumpism, we can make a better, more humane, realer future. It all begins with hard work and hope. It all depends on healthy cynicism and preparation. Find that balance, find that energy in 2020.
