Reasoned dissent is beautiful – resist the urge to become complacent in the age of Trump
I woke up this morning feeling lousy. And yes, it has everything to do with the inauguration of Donald Trump.
The past eight years of Barack Obama haven’t been perfect. Obstruction from Republicans made it nearly impossible for some of his proposals to even get consideration. But the Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare, cleared the path for many to get access to insurance (and to receive health care that they actually paid for). Gains in the LGBT community were also achieved, including the right for gay and lesbian couples to marry the person they love. Obama saved the auto industry, and his stimulus package ensured that America, teetering on the edge of economic collapse when he was inaugurated, would instead recover.
And recover we did. We have had 75 straight months of jobs growth under Obama’s watch, amounting to more than 15.6 million private sector jobs being created during his tenure. The economy still has a way to go to recover in many respects, but Obama’s leadership has helped the nation get back on its footing, and then some.
His departure is sad – and his replacement, even sadder. Donald Trump, in my mind, represents the worst in America. He’s bigoted toward the African-American community. He spreads racist falsehoods about Latino immigrants, and has suggested plans for placing identifiers on followers of Islam. He’s misogynistic, and has bragged about sexually assaulting women. And his policies are a Republican’s dream, on steroids, come true.
I could become complacent. I could say, “This is it – I’m done.” But nothing good ever came from someone giving up on fighting for a just cause. So I’m dedicated to, over the next four years, fight back against the reactionary Trump presidency.
This blog began eight years ago, just after Barack Obama was sworn in as president. As we now enter the Trump presidency, this blog will continue to exist, to point out inaccurate statements and policy positions that the new administration will undoubtedly take, and to promote liberalism as the righteous path, which the nation will hopefully take in 2018 during the midterm elections, and in 2020 after that.
I am happy to be a part of the growing movement to resist Donald Trump. His presidency, his behavior cannot become normalized. And when he’s gone, it’s going to be up to us, “We the People,” to find his replacement, someone who will be able to restore the dignity and stature of the presidency.
Reasoned dissent is a beautiful thing. Don’t ever believe otherwise.
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