Friends, A brief word today at the end of the fifth horrific week of Trump 2.0, before I post my weekly cartoon. I know how hard it’s been for you. We are watching what we never dreamed possible — the apparent transformation of our democracy into a dictatorship (or, as Trump enjoyed promoting this week, a monarchy). You may be feeling helpless, powerless, and alone. But you are not. Most Americans are as disgusted by this as you are. Trump and his regime want us to feel helpless, powerless, and alone — because that’s Trump’s way of taking over. This week, Trump officially went over to the dark side by aligning himself with Vladimir Putin in the Ukraine war. Trump even said Ukraine started the war, and he called Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “dictator.” By now we all know that when Trump accuses someone of something, he’s projecting himself onto them. Trump is the one who’s becoming a dictator. He’s refusing to follow laws of Congress or obey rulings of the courts — disregarding the two branches that the framers of the Constitution intended to be co-equal checks on a president’s power. Americans have never particularly liked government. Ronald Reagan told us “the government” was the problem. Bill Clinton said “the era of big government is over.” Trump accuses the “deep state” of being an enemy of the people. But we cherish our system of government. We believe in the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the separation of powers, and checks and balances, and we believe no person should be above the law. We prefer democracy to dictatorship. Our system was founded in opposition to monarchy. The genius of our system is that it doesn’t require us to agree on every issue, but only to agree to be bound by decisions that emerge from it. We’re free to take any position on abortion, climate change, immigration, or any other issue, and to vote accordingly — but as participants in a democracy, we accept decisions that emerge from the system even if we dislike them. We can, of course, work to change the politics that prevail in Washington and state capitals. We’re also free to protest, to engage in civil disobedience. We can even work to change the system through constitutional amendment. If Trump were just attacking the government, many Americans would be cheering him on. But he’s now attacking our system of government. He’s moving America from democracy to dictatorship (or monarchy). Although many Americans agree with his policies, most are coming to disagree with his attack on the system. The share of Americans who disapprove of Trump’s presidency has risen to 51% in the latest Reuters poll, compared with 41% right after he took office. As more and more Americans come to understand his attack on our system of government — rather than the government (or his so-called “deep state”) — his support will continue to melt. So glad you can be here today. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber of this community so we can do even more.
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