Trumpocalypse Survival Guide

"Trump won the Presidency by gas light. His rise to power has awakened a force of bigotry by condoning and encouraging hatred, but also by normalizing deception. Civil rights are now on trial, though before we can fight to reassert the march toward equality, we must regain control of the truth."

- Lauren Duca, TeenVogue    

We are just one month or so away from the inauguration of Donald Trump.   As The Atlantic famously noted in a pre-election-day editorial, Trump "might be the most ostentatiously unqualified major-party candidate in the 227-year history of the American presidency,"


So, on January 20, 2017, with right-wing extremists more dominant than ever and an unqualified, politically-inexperienced businessman and reality TV star leading them, the Republicans will be in control of all three branches of the federal government.  Voting rights, Social Security, Medicare, the Affordable Care Act, the Iran Nuclear Agreement, immigration policy, environmental regulations, labor and consumer protections, social welfare programs such as Medicaid, food stamps, housing assistance, and aid to families with dependent children -  these and many other benefits for the common good are now at risk.  Add to this the empowerment and energizing of hate groups by the 2016 campaigns, and it is easy to conclude that we are in for a rough ride for the next four years.

So how does a progressive, rational person survive the next four years and maybe soften the blow?

1. Protest the Alt-Right's agenda.  Here's one example of what I hope to be many in the coming months:  Hundreds of students at Texas A&M protested against white nationalist/alt-right leader Richard Spencer's visit to the campus.  The Alt-Right is feeling triumphant right now.  We need to show them that the majority of Americans disagree with them and their extremist agenda.

2.  Support organizations that fight hate groups.  The Southern Poverty Law Center is an excellent starting point.

3. Stay informed of Republican efforts to weaken America's social safety net.  While their planned attacks on Obamacare and environmental regulations have been well publicized, some, like their plan to weaken Social Security, are not as well known.  "Josh Marshall [of Talking Points Memo] warns, 'Republicans apparently aren't going to be satisfied with phasing out Medicare. They're going to try to pass huge cuts to Social Security this year too. Not Bush-style partial phaseout but just big, big cuts. And you're out of luck even if you're a current beneficiary."  (Mother Jones, Dec 9)

4. Listen to some good, preferably uplifting, music.  Hell, along with protest marches, folk and rock got me through the '60's.  I guess the difference between then and now is that back then you felt things were going to change for the better.  Now, the election of Donald Trump has shown how divided the country still is and how much a role fear and hate play in our politics.  Fifty years on and we still have a long way to go.

5. Pressure Democratic Senators and Representatives to block the Republicans at every turn.  Let your Democratic congressmen know your support for progressives in leadership positions.  Becoming "Republicans-lite" will not work.

6. Regain control of the truth.  Hold news organizations accountable for reporting fallacious statements and tweets as news.  Fact-check organizations such as Politifact and FactCheck.org, can help.

7.  Act locally.  Support initiatives at the local and state level on gun control, the environment, the death penalty, immigrant protection, and criminal justice reform.

8. Volunteer at organizations that help the more vulnerable members of society.  Contribute more to your favorite charities.  If Republicans slash the governmental safety net as they have threatened, private actions will need to compensate.

9.  Enjoy and share the satirical sketches and posts following in the wake of Trump's election.

Seth Meiers on Trump's Lying His Ass Off 

Steven Colbert on Trump's choice for Secretary of Defense: "A secretary of defense with the name ‘Mad Dog’ does not automatically make me feel safer,..You’ve got a president with no experience of foreign policy with his finger on the button, and the other person in the room is a guy named ‘Mad Dog.’ That’s not a secretary of defense, that’s the sidekick on a morning zoo crew.”

10.  Keep your mind open for reasonable pronouncements from the Trump Administration.  Perhaps it won't be as bad as we imagine.

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Spice Girls and Jon Stewart images are from the OccupyDemocrats Facebook page.  Land of Hope  and Dreams video is from YouTube.