And so the resistance begins

"Trump supporters are saying this is a day of reckoning.  

Well, yeah, as in, I reckon we are all f**ked."

- Bill Maher, Jan 20

Donald Trump's inauguration has come and gone.

Trump enters the White House with the lowest favorable rating of any President-elect in at least four decades.  He lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton by 3 million votes.  Attendance at his inauguration, from photographic evidence and Metro fares, was significantly less than that at either of Obama's inaugurations.  (Churlish as ever, Trump and his press secretary spent time on his first full day in office berating the media for "falsely reporting" the attendance.  The Trump Administration's grasp of reality apparently has not improved.)

In what could have been a healing and uniting inaugural speech, he failed miserably.

Trump didn't create our country's racial divide or its xenophobic mistrust, but he stoked their flames and rode those fears to victory.  His "all blood is red" was a paltry concession to the bigotry unleashed by his campaign.

Trump didn't create the bitter partisanship that dominates the political scene, but he lashed out at "all talk and no action politicians" - words similar to those he used to attack civil rights activist and Democratic congressman John Lewis.

When he pledged to end "the American carnage" of the inner cities and the rust-belt, he somehow seemed to lay this at the Democrats' doorstep.

When he spoke of  "forgotten men and women," one wondered if he meant all the American people, those of every color and creed.

When he declared "their victories were not your victories", one wondered whom he was addressing and what victories he was talking about.

Women's March, Washington D.C.
Credit: Slate.com Jan 21

The massive Women's March on Washington followed Trump's inauguration by a day.  More than a million people demonstrated across the country and around the world in solidarity.  Madonna's dropping the F-bomb got a lot of coverage, but it was Latina actress and activist America Ferrera who best expressed the sentiment of the marchers.  Ferrera declared that “our new president is waging a war” on the values that define the country with “a credo of hate, fear, and suspicion of one another....It’s been a heart-rending time to be both a woman and an immigrant,” said Ferrera, whose parents are from Honduras. “Our dignity, our character, our rights have been under attack....But the president is not America,” she said. “We are America.” (Washington Post, Jan 21)

In a more moderate vein, Pope Francis in his congratulatory message to President Trump said, "Under your leadership, may America's stature continue to be measured above all by its concern for the poor, the outcast and those in need who, like Lazarus, stand before our door."  But, as the French news agency AFP noted, in his inauguration speech, Trump gave little indication his thoughts matched the Pope's as he vowed to put only "America first" and to make it rich again.

Aside from his nationalist blathering, much in Trump's inaugural speech was good - if what he was saying was meant to address our nation's inequalities of opportunity and its income disparity.  The speech had a populist ring to it.  As with many of Trump's pronouncements, we need to look at his actions rather than just hear his words.  His generally appalling choices for the Cabinet and his initial orders after taking office do not give us much hope.  Within hours of his inauguration, he issued executive and administrative orders that would pave the way for dismantling the Affordable Care Act and put an end to President Obama's efforts to cut premiums on FHA-insured home loans for low-income home owners.

While many news organizations are touting they will "hold Trump accountable", the rest of us need to resist.  Resist mean-spirited bigotry.  Resist the alt-right's agenda.  Resist the marginalization of the vulnerable and of those different from ourselves.  Resist the assaults on civil and voting rights.  Resist despair and fear and finger-pointing.

And in four years time, take America back to its real, best values.

The Health Care Battle

The opening volleys in the shredding of the social safety net have been fired.  The 2017 Republican attack on the Affordable Care Act is officially underway.

Republicans have been threatening to repeal ACA since it was enacted.  Until now, President Obama's veto has been all that stood in the way.  On Thursday the Senate and on Friday the House adopted budget resolutions that, with simple majority votes, could repeal the Affordable Care Act without replacing it.

Democrats, notably including Senate Minority Leader Schumer, have promised to resist the Republican efforts at repeal unless there is a replacement plan in place.  "Senate Democratic sources familiar with Schumer’s thinking say he will not engage in any negotiations to pass a watered-down version of the landmark healthcare reform law if Republicans unilaterally force its repeal first under special budgetary rules." (The Hill, Jan 15)

On Saturday, president-elect Trump, who favors simultaneous repeal and replacement, entered the fray.  In an interview with the Washington Post, "President-elect Donald Trump said...that he is nearing completion of a plan to replace President Obama’s signature health-care law with the goal of 'insurance for everybody,' while also vowing to force drug companies to negotiate directly with the government on prices in Medicare and Medicaid." (Washington Post, Jan 15)

The Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare") has helped at least 20 million people gain access to health care.  The uninsured rate has almost halved: dropping from 16% to 8.9%. (Bloomberg.com)

One of the most important elements of the Affordable Care Act is the Medicaid expansion.  The following graphic shows the states that would be at risk of losing this coverage.

Repeal of the ACA would have repercussions across the country:

• the number of uninsured would climb by almost 30 million by 2019 [1]
• the health care industry would lose $3 billion in premiums [1]
• the newly uninsured would seek an additional $1.1 trillion in uncompensated care between 2019 and 2028 [1]
• up to 3 million jobs in the health sector and other areas would be lost [2]
• $1.5 trillion reduction in gross state product from 2019 through 2023 [2]
• cost the Federal government $350 billion over the next decade [3]

In addition, repeal would seriously disrupt the health care market.  "The speed of Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act has stunned health industry lobbyists, leaving representatives of insurance companies, hospitals, doctors and pharmaceutical makers in disarray and struggling for a response to a legislative quick strike that would upend much of the American health care system." (Boston Globe/NYTimes News Service, Jan 10)

So, the rallying cry of the Republicans has become "repeal and replace."  Unfortunately, there is no Congressional Republican replacement plan that could pass Congress.  The Affordable Care Act took two years to craft.  To think that Republicans can come up with a suitable replacement in two weeks or even two months is ludicrous.  And that is the point of concern.  Is Republican hatred of Obamacare (and of Obama's legacy) so great that they will throw 20-30 million people off health care insurance, disrupt the market, blow a hole in the Federal budget and wreak havoc with state economies?

The Republicans have painted themselves into a corner.  For seven years, they have screamed about repeal.  It's been red meat to their base, a sure-fire vote getter.

Then, late last year, anecdotes started coming in from the hinterlands about Trump voters who were getting worried.  Concern was particularly high in coal country.  “ I voted for Trump,” Neil Yonts, who was a coal miner in Kentucky for 35 years, told CNN’s Miguel Marquez. But, he added, he felt it “may be a mistake” after being diagnosed with black lung disease and learning about the Obamacare protections, which may soon disappear. “When they eliminate the Obamacare they may just eliminate all the black lung program,” he said. “It may all be gone. Don’t matter how many years you got.”  (deathandtaxes website, Dec 26)

Now some Republican governors whose states benefit from the ACA are raising concerns.  At least "five of the...Republican governors of states that took federal money to expand Medicaid are advocating to keep it or warning GOP leaders of disastrous consequences if the law is repealed without a replacement that keeps millions of people covered."  (Politico, Jan 13)

These mounting concerns of Republicans combined with Democratic opposition to repeal and the as-yet-undisclosed Trump plan may be enough to slow the dismantling of the ACA until a replacement can be in place.  If not, if Republicans somehow successfully push through "partial repeal that keeps in place Obamacare regulations but not the spending to maintain the program,...[Republicans will create] a recipe for a long, drawn-out political catastrophe in which the individual health care marketplace slowly collapses." (Boston Globe, Jan 10)  And the lives of tens of millions will be affected.

[1]  "Implications of Partial Repeal of the ACA through Reconciliation", the Urban Institute 
[2]  CNBC, Jan 5 citing a joint study by the Commonwealth Fund and the Milliken Institute
[3] CNN, Jan 4 citing an analysis by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget

Trump's Attorney General and the Future of American Justice

It doesn’t matter whether Sen. Sessions may smile or how friendly he may be, whether he may speak to you. We need someone who will stand up and speak up and speak out for the people who need help, for people who are being discriminated against. And it doesn’t matter whether they are black or white, Latino, Asian or Native American, whether they are straight or gay, Muslim, Christian or Jews. We all live in the same house, the American house.

- Rep. John Lewis (D-GA)

Senator Sessions has not demonstrated a commitment to a central requisite of the job: to aggressively pursue the congressional mandate of civil rights, equal rights, and justice for all of our citizens.

- Sen. Corey Booker (D-NJ) testifying at Attorney General confirmation hearings

Alabama State Troopers Attacking
Civil Rights Activist John Lewis - Selma, AL 1965

Corey Booker's and John Lewis' moving testimony not withstanding, Jeff Sessions will be confirmed as the Attorney General of the United States. Thanks to a Democratic- supported change in Senate rules several years ago at the height of Republican obstructionism, Democrats cannot filibuster his confirmation.  That no Republican senator will "cross the aisle" to oppose his nomination is a given. The moderate Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine is one of two senators introducing Sessions at the confirmation hearings. It is more likely that Democrats from some red states will break rank and vote to confirm Sessions.

Sessions is Trump's most controversial cabinet nominee, and he is nominated for what is arguably the most important domestic cabinet position.  The AG decides what laws the Federal government will enforce.  He can use that power to enforce voting and civil rights or he can use it to deport undocumented immigrants.  He can enforce environmental laws and labor protections or he can ignore them.  He can continue the criminal justice system reform started in the Obama Administration or he can let it wither.  He can expand the surveillance of the American people or he can dial it back.

So this anti-immigrant, climate change skeptic, defense hawk, right-wing Senator who opposes the Voting Rights Act, will soon be charged with protecting the rights of all of us.  He thinks the Voting Rights Act is "intrusive" but that voter ID laws (aka voter suppression laws) are not a problem. When Sessions was the United States attorney in West Alabama in 1985, he unsuccessfully prosecuted three African-American civil rights activists, accusing them of voter fraud.  This disgraceful episode, which he still defends as a necessary action, should have been more than enough to disqualify him for the post.  But politics and partisanship being what they are, Jeff Sessions will be confirmed.  

Southern Poverty Law Center's Heidi Beirich says that his mere presence in Trump's inner circle is “a tragedy for American politics.”   His attorney-generalship is more than that.  It is an affront to the most distinguishing right in a democracy - the right to vote.  

Our democracy and its freedoms are in danger - not from Russian hacks but from within.  Is this alarmist?  If you think so, take the example of North Carolina, a leader in the Republican gerrymandering and voter suppression efforts. A recent report from the Electoral Integrity Project, based at Harvard University and the University of Sydney, indicates that North Carolina can no longer be considered a functioning democracy.    In fact, the EIP ranked US elections last among all Western democracies.  The highly-acclaimed Varieties of Democracy Project (V-Dem) agrees.  The only democracy with the same general ranking for free and fair elections in V-Dem's study is Lithuania.

With the Federal government about to abrogate its duty to protect civil rights and voting rights and with xenophobia so richly rewarded in the last elections, we will once again, for the first time in many years, need to rely on private organizations such as the ACLU, the Southern Poverty Law Center, the NAACP, and the Immigrant Legal Resource Center.  Let's wish them success.  

Syria, Russian Hackers, and Trump's Tweets

312,000 dead.  11 million displaced persons.  The Syrian Civil War continues.   The death toll is approaching that of the Iraq War (1), and the number of displaced Syrians far exceeds those in Iraq.

The current fighting in and around Aleppo is the latest in this tragedy, which is soon to reach its sixth year.  There is a slight glimmer of hope, though.  The UK Guardian reports that a "new deal has been reached to evacuate thousands of civilians still trapped in rebel-held areas of eastern Aleppo, after the original pact broke down over demands from pro-government forces that two villages besieged by rebels must also be evacuated."

As ISIS, other jihadists, and the so-called moderate rebels backed by Saudi Arabia and the West fight the Assad government backed by Russia and Iran, what does 20/20 hindsight tell us about the conflict?

For one thing, without foreign intervention, the conflict would have ended long ago.  Rather than throwing arms into the conflict, diplomatic solutions might have prevailed.  War never solves the underlying problems.

For another, we need to understand how deep the Saudi (Sunni) - Iranian (Shia) rivalry is and how it is shaping the conflicts in the Middle East.  "As the Syrian regime is Iran’s closest Arab state ally, the Saudis view regime change in Syria as an opportunity to deal a major blow to Iran, its Shia allies in Iraq and Lebanon, and Shia elements in the Kingdom opposed to Wahhabi rule."  (Huffington Post)

Finally, we need to reassess our policy towards Saudi Arabia.  Let's not forget that fifteen of the nineteen 9/11 hijackers were Saudi.  None were from either Iraq or Iran.  I get it.  Saudis have a lot of oil but that is going to become less important in the future.  Their record on human  rights is more or less abysmal and they are one of the few countries still with a death penalty.  The Saudi death penalty is enforced by beheading - "at least" 157 in 2015. When it comes to beheadings, ISIS has nothing over Saudi Arabia.  Do we really want to continue as the primary arms supplier to this country?

One of the few positives about Trump's electoral college victory is that he will perhaps have better relations with Russia.  Well maybe Trump can convince his Russian friends that they should stop supporting Assad and maybe we can stop supporting the "moderate" rebels and maybe Syria can find some peace.

As for Trump's stand against Muslim immigrants: it is totally non-productive. And ridiculous.  About half of Syria's pre-war population has been displaced.  The majority of the (externally displaced) refugees have settled into refugee camps in Turkey and Lebanon with others making their way to Europe.  By contrast, as of April, the United States had "resettled roughly 1,500 Syrian refugees since the start of the conflict in 2011...That amounts to about 0.03% of Syria's 4.1 million refugees."  The US, to its credit, has pledged to take in as many as 10,000 more.  Let's hope we follow through. (CNN)

As Colin Powell once said, "If you break it, you own it."  US Middle East policy, particularly the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, destabilized the Middle East and had a major role in the rise of ISIS.  Fifteen years of American intervention and occupation have resulted in a failed state (Iraq), a world class narco-state (Afghanistan), and an oil-rich caliphate (Islamic State).

We broke it and now we have to face up to owning it.  Slamming the door in the face of Muslim immigrants fleeing a war zone is not the answer.

In view of the Syrian Civil War and the resulting humanitarian crisis, it almost seems pointless to dwell on the US election.  But I'll do so anyway.  The Russian hacking resulted from their distrust of and antagonism towards Hillary Clinton.. In July, Trump publicly called for the Russians to hack Clinton's emails. Now, mere weeks before becoming president, Donald Trump once again is spreading falsehood.  "Dawn had barely broken Thursday when Donald Trump once again broadcast via Twitter a provably false claim: that the Obama administration had not raised an alarm about Russian interference in the presidential election until after Hillary Clinton's defeat."  This tweet along with one criticizing the media of  "working so hard to make my move to the White House, as it pertains to my business, so complex" were the latest in a pattern for Trump. "His communications seem aimed at keeping his supporters on the team, his opponents under fire and the rest of America distracted from larger unanswered questions about the president-elect's plans." (LA Times, Dec 16)

In one month, reality TV star Donald Trump is going to be the leader of what we used to call the "free world."  To fill the role, he must be credible.  He has yet to show that he is.


= = =
(1) The exact number of dead in the Iraq War will never be known.   Estimates of the total number of excess deaths have been as high as 600,000 to 1 million.   The Human Cost of the War in Iraq website developed by the MIT Center for International Studies presents a comprehensive review and analysis of the human costs to the Iraqis.

Image Credits
Evacuation of Aleppo - The Guardian
Syrian refugee map graphic - UNHCR
Edwin Starr "War (What is it Good For?") original 1969 music video is from YouTube

Donald Trump vs. the First Amendment

It started in earnest during his primary campaign.  Perhaps you did not notice, given all the outrageous utterances emanating from the man.  Over the course of the past year, though, Donald Trump has made known his distaste for the First Amendment.  

On October 13, the Committee to Protect Journalists, which usually concentrates on conflict zones where journalists face oppression and violence, found it necessary to issue this statement: "Donald Trump, through his words and actions as a candidate for president of the United States, has consistently betrayed First Amendment values."

Is the president-elect a threat to First Amendment rights?  Or is this merely Donald Trump being Donald Trump - threatening those who oppose him, hoping they will be cowered by his bluster and lawsuit threats?  Here's a timeline of some of his pronouncements.  You be the judge.

November 2015
"...religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof"
Trump declares he would have "no choice" but to close down some mosques: “Nobody wants to say this and nobody wants to shut down religious institutions or anything, but you know, you understand it,” Trump said on Fox News’s 'Hannity' ... “A lot of people understand it. We’re going to have no choice.” (The Hill, Nov 18, 2015)

February 2016

"freedom of speech"

Threatens opponents and donors not supporting his candidacy:

1) Trump team sends a"cease-and-desist" letter to Ted Cruz, a primary opponent, after Cruz aired political ads showing Donald Trump speaking in support of abortion rights. 

2) Trump tweets threat to one of the Republican Party's mega-donor families after it was revealed as the funder behind a super-PAC set up to destroy Trump's candidacy. "I hear the Rickets [sic] family, who own the Chicago Cubs, are secretly spending $'s against me," the billionaire GOP front-runner tweeted on Monday. "They better be careful, they have a lot to hide!"

"freedom...of the press"

Trump declares that he would revisit the libel laws to make it easier to sue news organizations, like the New York Times and the Washington Post.  The Post argues,  "What Trump would like to do is prevent the media from holding him to account - to abridge the freedom of the press."  

March 2016

"...the right of the people to peaceably assemble"

Saying about protesters at a Kansas City campaign rally: "I hope these guys get thrown into a jail. They'll never do it again. It'll destroy their record. They'll have to explain to Mom and Dad why they have a police record and why they can't get a job. And you know what? I'm going to start pressing charges against all of these people. And then we won't have a problem." (NY Daily News, March 13)

Nov 2016

"freedom of speech"

"The 1st Amendment was meant to protect OFFENSIVE speech.  Don’t ever, ever forget that. Polite speech does not need protection."  (Ken Jorgiston, Modern Survival Blog)

Trump's tweet of November 29: "Nobody should be allowed to burn the American flag - if they do, there must be consequences - perhaps loss of citizenship or year in jail!"  I'm not sure anyone but Trump has talked about flag-burning in many, many years.  Trump seems to have missed the fact that objectionable as flag-burning may be, the Supreme Court, on multiple occasions, has deemed it a form of symbolic speech protected by the First Amendment.

In an excellent analysis of this Trump tweet, Jeff Brooks (The Michigan Daily) warns about the slippery slope we could find ourselves on:  "If a U.S. citizen could be arrested or even stripped of their citizenship for an act that is clearly protected under the First Amendment, an all-out war on free speech could begin. Once flag-burning is outlawed, what is to stop the president from punishing U.S. citizens for engaging in other acts of protest?  Could someone be arrested for simply marching in the streets...or arrested for speaking ill of the president in any way?" Brooks agrees treating the tweet with this seriousness would be an overreaction "if it had been made in a vacuum.  Yet we must remember that this decree is coming from the same man who once urged his own supporters to 'knock the crap out of' protesters at his rallies. His actions and statements have continued to build upon one another over the course of the past year, and it is clear that an anti-First Amendment sentiment has emerged from Trump’s corner."

December 2016

"freedom of the press"

"Corey Lewandowski, Donald Trump’s first campaign manager, said ...that New York Times executive editor Dean Baquet 'should be in jail' because the newspaper published parts of the president-elect’s tax returns during the race...Lewandowski, who has been floated for a possible role in the White House or the Republican National Committee, had previously said he hoped Trump would sue the Times 'into oblivion'..." (NYTimes, Dec 2)

Peter Sterne at Politico thinks a bigger threat than libel suits to freedom of the press would be use of the Espionage Act.  He quotes Laura Handman, a partner at Davis Wright Tremaine who specializes in media and First Amendment law:  “What is very true is that an increase in prosecution of leakers and leak investigations has a huge chilling effect on the ability to report important information about what the government is up to.” 

The rights guaranteed by the First Amendment are one of the bedrocks of our American democracy.  Come January 20, Trump will be sworn to uphold the laws of the land.  Until then, whether Trump will (or even can) do anything to weaken the First Amendment will be a matter for debate.  What is not debatable is that presidents have been impeached for less.
===
Image Credits
Bill of Rights is from Modern Survival Blog website.  
Kansas City protest is from New York Daily News.

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.

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

No, Mr. Trump, You Do Not Have a Mandate

Hillary Clinton's lead in the popular vote over Trump now approaches 1.7 million. That's three times Al Gore's popular vote margin over George Bush in 2000 - the last time a presidential candidate with less votes won because of the Electoral College. In 2000, of course, the conservative justices on the Supreme Court added their help in getting Bush to the White House.

Shortly after the 2016 election, Trump's former campaign manager Corey Lewandoski stated “Donald Trump won the election campaign by the largest majority since Ronald Reagan in 1984." This is of course wrong “There have been eight presidential elections since 1984. In popular vote margin, Trump is 8th out of 8. In the Electoral College vote, he's 6th out of 8.” (Mother Jones, Nov 17)

Clinton's loss in the electoral college resulted from her failure to win the swing states. She lost nearly every one, including several that Obama had won twice. There's much rebuilding of Democratic support to be done in those states. Internally, the Democrats will also do much soul-searching, and the debate between the progressive-wing and the centrists will become more heated.

Nevertheless, it remains that had it not been from an outmoded model of representative government from the 1700's, Hillary Clinton would have been our President.

The only feasible proposal for dealing with this electoral college anachronism is the National Popular Vote Bill. Other options - abolishing the electoral college by Constitutional Amendment and the "faithless electors" petitions circulating on the internet - have no realistic chance. The National Popular Vote bill would guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes nationwide (i.e., all 50 states and the District of Columbia). It has been enacted into law in 11 states with 165 electoral votes, and will take effect when enacted by states with 105 more electoral votes. The bill has passed one chamber in 12 additional states with 96 electoral votes.

Most Americans did not vote for Donald Trump. More of those who chose to go to the polls preferred Hillary Clinton. So, no, Mr. Trump, you do not have a mandate.

But, in the end, this does not matter.

Republicans retained majorities in both houses of Congress, thanks in part to the gerrymandering and voter suppression laws they passed in states under Republican control. They will also regain control of the Supreme Court - which has been deadlocked because of Republicans refusal to consider any of President Obama's nominees.

The Republican Congress will do everything in their power to undo the achievements of the Obama Administrations (the Affordable Care Act, Dodd-Franks, the Iran nuclear agreement). President-elect Trump will be in a position to roll back executive orders dealing with the environment and immigration and halt the initial progress in criminal justice reform. The Supreme Court will once again have a 5-4 right-wing majority, just like the one that gutted the Voting Rights Act, declared corporations to have person-hood, and consistently misinterpreted the Second Amendment.

The Senate filibuster and, like it or not, Donald Trump, are the only things standing between the Republicans and the reversal of whatever progress has been made in the past 8 years. I have little faith in Trump and only a little more in the Democratic Senators who recently elected Charles Schumer the minority leader with no opposition. What were they thinking? “Chuck Schumer, the senator from Wall Street. Chuck Schumer, who joins Trump and the right wing leadership of Israel and its American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in opposing President Obama’s Iran nuclear deal.” (The Hill, Nov 16) If Democrats hope to win future elections, they will have to do a lot better than put Charles Schumer in a leadership position. 

Alt-Right's America: Coming Soon to a Neighborhood Near You

Two months until we all find ourselves in Alt-Right's America.  Trump may become President, but, as a political neophyte, he will find it hard to resist his most ardent supporters.  The last time an unprepared President was elected with a minority of the popular vote, he was manipulated by neo-cons into the most disastrous American foreign policy mistake since Vietnam. 

Some of Trump's policies and promises make no sense at all.  Does anyone really think Mexico will pay for a wall across our common border?  Or, for that matter, that we will?  Does anyone really believe Trump's "negotiators" can bring back manufacturing jobs that have fled overseas where wages are a few dollars a day? His threatened protectionism and tariffs will just raise the price on imported goods.

Although we most know Trump from his xenophobic ravings and his leadership of the racist birther movement, he has also railed against hedge fund managers, establishment politics and media, special interest money, and the failed and costly Iraq-Afghanistan war.  He's talked about poverty and proposed a massive infrastructure jobs program. 

Other aspects of his ascension to the Presidency are more troubling.  And some are taking him to task.

The cast of Hamilton ignited an over-reaction from Donald Trump when they appealed to Vice-President-elect Pence, who was in the audience, to work for all Americans.   Trump wants an apology.  Well, I'm not sure for what.  If he really thinks his Administration is going to protect the rights of all Americans, he should rethink some of his nominations:

His chief White House strategist is a white nationalist.  (The Guardian, Nov 15)

His nomination for attorney general is an anti-immigrant Senator once deemed too racist to be a judge.  Jeff Sessions wrongly prosecuted black activists for voter fraud, was blocked from a judgeship because of racist statements, and opposed the Voting Rights Act. (The Nation, Nov 16)

If anything needs an apology, it is these nominations.  Hmm, I wonder if Obama ever demanded an apology from Trump for championing the birther lie.

Protests and resistance to Trump's campaign rhetoric and election and to the Alt-right's agenda are popping up over much of the country.  Here's one you probably didn't see on the evening news:

Anti-fascist protesters descended on Washington to protest the white nationalist conference there on Saturday, November 19th. (mic.com)

Trump may yet come through on some of his populist economic views and that would be a good thing.  I'll keep an open mind.  As for the xenophobia and racism that's fueled some of his support, as Ringo Starr once sang "No, No, No, No, I can't take it no more..."

Link to a YouTube video of the No No Song