On March 4, President Trump stood in the well of the House of Representatives and lied to the American people for one hundred minutes. Trump has damaged the country in just six weeks, and that's evidenced even further by many Democrats bringing fired federal workers with them as their guests to the speech. As many recall from his first term, Trump has repeatedly demonstrated that he is unfit for office by his capricious and unpredictable decisions.
Given Trump’s apparent desire to foster chaos in all areas of the government and the Nation, it is hard to summarize what is going on. Some key points:
· Empowering an unelected billionaire to slash the federal workforce. This mass firing is being done indiscriminately, endangering vital services and sowing uncertainty among veterans, seniors, university researchers, and others who provide vital services to the nation. Then, when Trump’s popularity and legal standing were threatened, he attempted to reign in the “DOGEbros” by assigning cabinet secretaries the responsibility to reduce their workforce. None of these staff reductions are likely to save money; their only impact will be to demoralize the American government and reduce or eliminate services for the American people.
· Threatening, then rescinding, then establishing and rescinding (again) a set of ruinous tariffs. These tariffs directly target the United States’ three largest trading partners, two of whom are neighbors and allies. Each time Trump changes his mind on these tariffs, the less effective they become as a negotiating tool. The affected countries need to be patient; they need to wait until Trump hears from a threatened industry and changes his mind again.
· Donald Trump has broken his campaign promise to lower costs on “Day One.”. He is instead wreaking havoc on the economy as a recession looms and costs are set to skyrocket—from grocery costs to gas prices, electronics, clothes, and more. Of course, his rhetoric of accomplishing major changes on “Day One” indicates that either Trump does not understand how the economy works or he thinks the American people will believe anything he says. This simplistic description of complex issues is an indicator of his lack of respect for Americans.
· Donald Trump has an inconsistent and damaging foreign policy. Donald Trump embraced our enemies by abandoning Ukraine and openly supporting Vladimir Putin. He has also threatened Russia with increased sanctions. Whatever his decision of the moment, Trump is legitimizing an international criminal. At the same time, he is threatening services for American Veterans by cutting the staff of the Department of Veterans Affairs. He is breaking the promise the nation has made to veterans. He is betraying those who swore allegiance to their country and the Constitution. He is betraying those who served honorably to protect American Democracy against the very threats and enemies that Trump has embraced.
We could go on cataloging the farce that is the first six weeks of the Trump presidency, but it is time to consider something positive. Our nation is still a democracy, and there are still opportunities for regular people to make a difference.
You can support the Democratic House candidates running to fill open seats in the 119th Congress. The Democratic Party needs to flip three seats to take control of the House of Representatives and provide a block to Trump’s policies. Consider contributing to, writing postcards for, or making phone calls for:
· Blake Gendebien, New York District 21
· Gay Valimont, Florida District 1
· Joshua Weil, Florida District 6
You can get involved in local politics by:
· Running for office. Run for Something is a grassroots organization committed to developing candidates for local, state, and national office.
· Supporting the Clear Creek County Democratic Party by attending the Thirsty Third Thursday and other events listed in the "Events" page of our website.
· Think about getting involved where you can make a difference by looking at the "Issues and Actions" page of our website.
United We Stand –Clear Creek County Democrats
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