BORN IN THE USA

There’s an article in the Observer (link below) carrying the byline of Tim Sommer in small print. It’s called “A Letter of Apology from Bruce Springsteen for Letting Trump Win.” I don’t know how much, if anything, Springsteen had to do with the article, but whoever wrote it made two points that really resonated with me.

The first point is that I share some of the blame for how the election turned out. Of course I voted for Clinton, and beyond that, I put a lot of effort into writing long Facebook posts about why it was important to keep Trump out of the White House. That was more than I’d ever done before, and it wasn’t enough.

I’ve voted in every election since I turned 21 in 1968, but voting was about the extent of my involvement in the electoral process. I never volunteered on behalf of a party or candidate, or did much more than put up yard signs. In other words, I put in the minimum effort at citizenship. I’ve backed more losers (8) than winners (5) in presidential elections, and was pretty disappointed about many of those losses. But I always took for granted that my side would have a meaningful opportunity to try again in four years. Now I’m starting worry.

There were telltale signs last summer, beginning with unapologetic vote suppression in key battleground states, sometimes in defiance of court orders. Then at the Republican National Convention in July, Rudy Giuliani screamed, “There is no next election.” At the time I thought it was just more Republican hysteria. Three weeks into Donald Trump’s presidency, it’s beginning to look like Giuliani blurted out Trump’s post-election strategy.

There is a strong fascist strain in Trumpism, and the Republican Party has already been co-opted into it. Oh, a few of them will express “concerns.” Big whoop. Dangle the prospect of tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires in front of those “concerned” Republicans, and they’ll set fire to the Constitution in a heartbeat.

The “Springsteen” article also reinforces the point is that the 2018 mid-term elections are going to be critical. And it’s important to remember that state legislative and gubernatorial elections are really important as well. If you’re looking for something new to worry about, try this on for size,

A cabal of ultra-conservatives known as “Convention of States” is in the process of trying to radically revise the U.S. Constitution via a provision in Article V, which allows for a Constitutional Convention if two thirds of the states call for it. Maybe you’re thinking that’s pretty far-fetched. But guess what? They have 28 states already, and they’re making a push in Kentucky right now, trying to bring the number up to 29.

The original impetus behind the Convention of States came from people who wanted to insert a balanced budget amendment into the Constitution. But along the way, they’ve gathered adherents with a grab bag of right wing agendas. If they pick up a half dozen more states, they can rewrite the Constitution in whatever ways they choose. And this time, the framers of the Constitution won’t be Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. They’ll be the screwballs and cranks in your state legislature who introduce those loony bills that smart people make fun of. Except that it won’t be funny anymore.

You can bet that proposals will include gutting the First Amendment to allow, or maybe require, prayer in public schools (assuming there are any public schools left, after Betsy DeVos gets through with them). There is bound to be some sort of anti-LGBT amendment, plus new restrictions on voting rights; an amendment outlawing abortion under any circumstances and limiting access to birth control; an English-only amendment; a flag burning amendment; and the abolition of income tax.

Right now, the courts are the only thing standing between Donald Trump and dictatorship. Turn a bunch of Tea Party types loose on the Constitution and there's no telling what it would look like when they got through with it. That’s why the Convention of States movement is dangerous.

Democrats need to feel a sense of urgency about making inroads at the state legislative and gubernatorial levels in 2018 to build a firewall against this threat. Long story short, I’ve decided it’s time for me to step up. Right now, I don’t know what that will look like, but I’m going to find ways to do more than write long Facebook posts. Not that I plan to stop writing long Facebook posts.

http://observer.com/2017/02/an-apology-from-bruce-springsteen-for-letting-trump-win/