Some Notes After a Year in the Zone

Just a little over a year after Trump’s election, there are a few things that are pretty certain to me:

1. Almost every institution that we’ve hoped would be a bulwark against Trump has disappointed or outright failed. Democrats, “principled” or “Never Trump” Republicans, most of TV and print news media, Hollywood, even ESPN and the NFL have all failed in their own ways. None of them have truly addressed their role in the rise of Trump and because of that are unable to oppose him on anything more than aesthetic grounds. They’re a part of the ruling class, and protecting that matters more than opposing Trump.

2. The grassroots are what people should believe in. They’ve been the true opposition and have been the most effective in preventing some of the worst elements of the Trump agenda from advancing. The hope is that they continue to do so and push the most left wave in 2018 as possible.

3. The true test for Democrats isn’t if they can win elections while in the opposition party, but what they’ll do in power when they most likely regain majorities and the Presidency over time. If they don’t push for and pass policies that help the marginalized and tackle the root problems of our society, it’s likely we’ll just be back in the seesaw of which part of the ruling class gets to be in power.

4. None of these institutions are going to learn on their own. They’ll always be more concerned with their own power than how someone like Trump or the Republicans could hurt the marginalized. If we want them to change, and if we want to make a better world, we have to fight for it and that means fighting against people we may have admired or looked up to, or groups we expected to be better. We can’t afford to just return to the pre-Trump status quo.