The path forward

That photo above was taken from my back porch, the sky a brilliant contrast between the deepening blue of the evening sky and the brilliant orange of the setting sun reflecting from the underside of clouds. The complimentary colors and contrast were so brilliant it almost hurt to look at. It was serene, timeless, sublime, and disturbing. The brilliant orange color was caused by the smoke of a 90,000 acre wildfire tearing through the Carrizo Plain a hundred miles north. From my back porch in the quiet Ojai Valley, the beauty of the sky was the only indication of the horror in the north. Wildfires can be unpredictable, fast-moving, and horribly destructive. And with climate change they're growing worse. The Palisades and Altadena fires last earlier this year destroyed entire communities, likely requiring decades to recover from. And “recover” is a relative term, as they’ll never be the same, what was once will never quite be again.

So too our nation faces an unpredictable future. Many liken those with their hands on the levers of U.S. power as self-indulgent and unqualified for office, grifting their way through a scorched-earth dismantling of the American Experiment, as they enrich themselves with money and power and tell all others to eat their cake.

As some mis/dis-informed still cheer them on, believing this is somehow good for our nation, many of the rest of us stand aghast, wondering how we can be witnessing the same thing but seeing something completely different.

What we’re up against

We need a clear understanding of what is actually happening, who the players/influencers are, and what their agenda is.

Trump is easy. But many experts have noted how he’s also a symptom of a deeper issue, an expected manifestation of distrust in the federal government that’s been underway for some time, aided by the Republican Party whose policies have been increasingly unpopular with most voters. Other key influencers have a hand in this though, many little known or understood by most people. The tech-broligarchy, with their billion$ and prodding from Curtis Yarvin and championing by Peter Theil are significant, as they seem to be riding the Trump train toward a future where the U.S. is no longer a democracy but run as a corporation by a CEO/monarch with absolute power. It almost seems the stuff of conspiracy theory, until it’s not.

We need clarity on what we’re up against, what those in power/opposition are after, in order to understand how to regain control and put the U.S. back on a track of a govt serving the people, not a handful of billionaires.

We need leaders

Recently Obama appeared in an interview, telling a crowd they are the ones that need to make this happen. Kamala Harris is hawking her new book on the tee vee circuit, declining to be involving in the “broken” system of government we now have. This isn’t leadership. Obama and Harris have enormous influence. They are smart and articulate, are both in positions to help. I was aghast at their deflection to do much of anything, but tell people they’re on their own, and try and sell a book. 

We need a handful of articulate, smart, experienced leaders that convey the truth of what’s happening, together with the plan to correct it. Pete Buttigieg stands out, together with Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. But this needs to be a coalition, one that represents a diverse group of Americans, and should include conservative leaders who are committed to returning power to the people through a functioning democracy. Americans need to see this leadership as understanding the needs of ALL Americans, and working to restore power back to the people—all the people. 

We need a plan

How will power be restored back to the people, and democracy be restored? Who needs to do what? And how will it be done? This plan, based on a sound strategy, needs to be able to be shared clearly, in simple, compelling terms, to all Americans.

We have clues, experts have mentioned aspects of a plan. 

• Grassroots community organization.
• Holding elected representatives accountable through contacting them, frequently, on specific issues.
• Resist, don’t cooperate
• Protest
• Address the needs of the disenfranchised, not just those of the elite
• Convey key ideas succinctly, clearly, repeatedly, memorably

But these are snippets, mentioned here and there, some conflicting, others obscured. They are ideas, but none of it, at least so far, is an actionable plan. 

We know the Democratic Party is badly broken, disorganized and ineffective. This perhaps is our greatest obstacle. We need to regain power over the party and implement a strategy that can restore power to The People through a democratic republic. 

We need to ensure the D’s no longer ignore the disenfranchised, and instead champion their cause, meet their needs, represent them well. The irony of so many disenfranchised voting red is that the R’s implement policies that most hurt those disenfranchised. The D’s need to highlight and show how they will help, not hurt those same people.

We need clarity of the right’s plan and tactics—legitimate or illegitimate—and meet them item-for-item. The right is clear about using any tactic, fair or unfair, lying or cheating, to retain power. Too often, the left is brining a knife to the right’s gunfight, and losing badly. This must change. 

One effective aspect of Trump’s instinct in his quest for power (and avoiding accountability as a twice-impeached felon and rapist) is the effectiveness of reducing complex ideas to short, simple, memorable, “red meat” phrases. It was reductive, childish, absurd, but very effective in motivating his base, and a few disenfranchised people in the middle. He masterfully manipulated the media to his favor. He never intended to actually help anyone but himself and his rich friends, but he effectively used authoritarian tactics to gain power. 

While we cannot and should not mimic his infantile tactics, we DO need a strategy that conveys key ideas in brief sound bites that resonate with The People.

Money has corrupted American politics, with the 2010 Citizens United ruling causing devastating effect of undermining our democracy. It put extraordinary power in the hands of the ultra wealthy who can now buy American elections. Overturning this ruling seems impossible, with a 6-3 conservative Supreme Court that increasingly supports far right partisan ideology and Trump, specifically. This needs to be part of our narrative though, called out for the way it disenfranchises The People.