*thanks Guns and Roses
The Longest Week
Last week seemed like it lasted at least twenty days. We felt the excitement of the Iowa caucuses, democracy at the neighborhood level, and then the frustration of the tabulation. There was the sheer anger of the State of the Union Address: anger coming from the President and the Republicans, anger at the cheapening of our institutions, and anger at the inevitability of Wednesday’s impeachment vote.
And there were moments of pure courage. Alabama Senator Doug Jones recognized that duty to his nation and the truth was greater than his desire to get re-elected. And Mitt Romney, clearly acting in faith, laid the Republican dilemma out in the open for all to see. Vote your conscience, and find that your President, Party, and friends will turn on you as if you were a monster. It takes courage to face the ostracism, the loss of collegiality. Courage, by the way, that Senators Susan Collins, Lamar Alexander, and the other Republican Senators failed to find.
We heard the last words of the House Managers, knowing that the decision was already done, speaking for history. And we watched the flushed face of Mitch McConnell, the taste of victory soured in his mouth from the Romney defection. Yes, Donald Trump remains the President of the United States. Not even a majority of the Senate chose to convict him. But he is stained with impeachment, the last in a very short list of three.
Trump Vengeance Tour
Thursday saw the beginning of the Trump Vengeance Tour. It began, appropriately, at the National Prayer Breakfast, where Trump defiled the podium. “Revenge is mine,” sayeth the President, and he began his campaign of retribution. From condemning the faith of Democrats in the House of Representatives, to praising his toady allies in a White House victory rally, Trump made it clear no one would “move on” from impeachment until he had “cancelled” all his debts.
Friday the “bodies” were falling: Colonel Vindman and his brother, fired for being related, I suppose. Sondland recalled from the European Union. Romney condemned: Don Junior called for his ouster from the Republican Party. The message from the President was clear: speak the truth against me, and I will “strike you down”. If it sounds Biblical, it’s probably closer to Mafioso, with “Don” Trump starring as the “Godfather”.
Another World
And Friday night, as if in an alternate universe, most of the Democratic candidates for President debated in New Hampshire. It was a raucous and enlightening exchange, with Amy Klobuchar finally having her moment on stage. Biden sounded stronger, Buttigieg hit a snag, Sanders and Warren repeated their stories, and surprisingly, Tom Steyer stood on the side and called his compatriots to the common goal: defeat Trump. It was two and a half hours of discussion and dissection, and for perhaps the first time, it sounded like a real debate, rather than an eleven-person audition.
The commentators, and Mike Bloomberg, want Democrats to PANIC. “We can’t count votes in Iowa, we are going to nominate a Socialist, Joe Biden is too old, black people don’t like Pete”. Clinton political “brain” James Carville came back from, well he looks like he’s dead, to warn of a Bernie candidacy. PANIC – and take Bloomberg and his billions, like the stranger in a car who says he’ll buy you ice cream. PANIC – we will never get it together, we will never unite. Bernie’s “bros” will refuse to join, or a Socialist will inevitably fail. PANIC – MSNBC’s Chris Matthews warns of Cuba and Venezuela, of firing squads in the park, while studiously avoiding Danish and Swedish comparisons.
Speaking of returning from the dead, Trump mentor Steve Bannon is back, trying to plant seeds of disaffection, claiming that the Iowa debacle was intentional to deny Bernie a victory. Perhaps Bannon was more than just a commentator, part of the Iowa confusion was phone lines jammed by Trump supporters calling into the Democratic counting center.
Time to Choose
It’s February of 2020. Democrats: we are in for two months of determining, of highs and lows, victories and failures. By the end of March, twenty-six states will have voted or caucused, and we will have a much better idea who the nominee will be. We don’t need to decide today, or the Wednesday after New Hampshire. We will have lots of information, and lots of votes by the end of next month. Then we should know, or at least have a couple of clear choices.
For two months it is time to choose. As embattled Democratic Chairman Tom Perez said what seems like ages ago, let a candidate win your heart, and support them. Then we will find a candidate to nominate, and use our heads to elect them. Vote with your heart in the primary, and your head in the general.
Don’t Panic
There’s no need to PANIC. Anyone on the debate stage in New Hampshire Friday, any of the candidates who failed to make the stage, Bloomberg, Bennet and Patrick; ANY OF THEM will make a better President than “Don” Trump. Sure Bernie’s socialism will push away the “hold your nose Trump voter,” but it might bring a whole raft of young voters to the polls. Sure, Biden is old, but he might be the middle that can appeal to that odd Obama/Trump voter. And sure, Pete is the smartest kid in class, but he might be the new face of “big ‘D’” Democracy. Or maybe our fellow Democrats will decide it’s the year of the woman, and chose Warren instead of Bernie, or Klobuchar instead of Biden.
And Mike Bloomberg, Republican-lite, backed by sixty billion? He certainly would make a stark choice against Trump: your billionaire or ours. But even his hand on the “tiller” of our government would be reassuring compared to what we have now.
Take a breath, support your choice, and let events and elections play out. As the civil rights movement often said, “keep your eyes on the prize”. Democrats will be ready for the existential fight against Trump soon enough. It’s just going to take a little patience.
