A key part of the Russo-Republican strategy is to convince us that we are powerless and get us to

[StarfishSaver]

give up.

Unfortunately, it seems to be working on some people here.

If you're wringing your hands and insisting all is lost, they're going to steal 2020, we're DOOMED DOOMED, you are falling right into their trap. They want you to give up because they know that if you stay engaged and fight back, they can't win. They know the only way they can win is if we default.

You can whine and give up if you want, but I'm not and neither, I think, are most Democrats.

But if you're not going to help, it would be nice if you stopped trying to discourage us and harping about how hopeless you think it all is. You're not helping. You're really just getting in the way and we'll go a lot farther and faster without dragging dead weight on our own side.

[True Blue American]

1. 100+

I am of the firm belief that this too shall pass. We watched the Nixon gang use the same tactics.

It took 2 long years for Republicans to act on Nixon. People forget, or are not old enough to remember the past.

Never give up, never give in! Get the b******* out of office. We made a start last year.

[Hoyt]

2. As shown in 2008, 2012, 2018, when we get out the vote, WE WIN (well, assuming Dems vote for Dems).

[NewJeffCT]

5. 2006 as well

Dems picked up 30 seats in the House and Pelosi was named Speaker for the first time.

(One difference was when Pelosi became Speaker, Bush actually seemed genuinely honored to be the first president to be able to say "Madam Speaker" - Bush was terrible, too, but he was better with diversity than Trump)

[uponit7771]

3. On the other hand if we're not pressuring our representatives to: 1. protect our voting systems ...

... and raise awareness of the threat team Trump / Russia pose to the 2020 elections.

2. Protect America's voting processes,
3. Do ALL THEY CAN RIGHT NOW to fight republican stonewalling and stop proffering false political reasons not to impeach

... then we're whistling past the grave yard and ignoring the obvious.

[StarfishSaver]

6. Who said anything about not pressuring our representatives

But, as I said in another post, whining and complaining doesn't put pressure on anyone. It's just defeatist and annoying.

What are YOU actually DOING to "put pressure" on your leaders (besides repeatedly telling other Democrats on an onlne discussion board how reprehensible Republicans are and how screwed the rest of us are)?

[Wounded Bear]

4. It can be hard to keep the faith, but we have to...

[lunatica]

7. Throwing up your hands in despair never won a single war.

And only fighting when it’s a foregone conclusion to win is a surefire way of losing. There are no guarantees of an outcome. You have to step up and fight or just let the other side have the victory.

Welcome to DU!

[Karadeniz]

8. He just makes us fighting mad! So keep it up, stupid!!!

[yerop]

9. I confess I had started to give up. BUT then I watched the AOC film on Netflix.

It's about AOC and other women who ran that year. It gave me hope again.
Part of me still feels the country is on an inevitable slide downhill, but there are so many good people like AOC out there, so I won't give up.

[Firestorm49]

10. I agree with you, but it's a crying shame that we see ourselves in this situation.

Since the absurd has marched into our lives in the form of Donald Trump, we have endured an abnormally high amount of soul searching and mind-sorting. Quite frankly, I’d rather be discussing a robust exchange about climate control and fair taxation, rather than contemplating an autocracy on our doorsteps. The Goofball In Chief has driven us off the beaten path, and consequently, confusion, anger, disgust, distrust, worry, and fighting options are consuming our time.

Those talking about doom and gloom are only viewing this mess from another perspective. I don’t fault them, as we have been forced against our will to look at life in America in very different terms. This is uncharted territory. I also believe that this is part of the Republican long term plan.

So yes, by all means, despite the horrendous scenes we see before our very eyes, we do need to remain focused, positive, and dedicated to our cause. I also think we need to fight harder and more aggressively than we have thus far. Republicans have become fierce in their quest for autocracy and we need to come together en masse to fight for our country. It’s just that we’ve never experienced such a corrupt regime, so there will be many thoughts on the subject, good and bad.

[StarfishSaver]

11. We definitely have to fight hard and aggressively

Our challenge as Democrats (and decent people) is how to do that without turning into them. A lot of folks urge us to follow the Republican playbook and break the rules to achieve our ends, just as they do. But if we turn into them, become what we despise and condemn, what's the point?

That makes our jobs and the jobs of our leaders much more difficult and delicate. They have to constantly callibrate and navigate between toughness (even ruthlessness) and brutishness and illegality. It's not easy to fight to maintain the rule of law against people who don't respect the law or play by any rules.

But we have to figure out how to do it while remaining true to ourselves and our ideals and not fall into the trap of assuming the ends justify the means.

[Baltimike]

12. knr

[TwilightZone]

13. Fortunately, most Democrats aren't doing that. CNN's poll showed a record percentage...

of the electorate is enthusiastic about voting in 2020. I don't really expect that to change. DU isn't representative of the voting public, at large. It's always been a bit of a niche.

As for the frustration, I understand it, though I don't understand the people who insist that no one is trying to do anything about it. The House is still running multiple investigations, and there are more than a dozen others in other jurisdictions. There's no magic wand anyone can wave to finish those overnight.

If anything, Trump should make people *more* motivated to vote, help get out the vote, and volunteer for state and local candidates. The most realistic way to get rid of Trump all along has been to vote him out in 2020.

[Collimator]

14. Thank you for writing this.

There are times when I read things here that bewilder me. Someone makes one point or other, and another poster indicates things are bad. Another poster agrees that, yeah, things are rough, and then tries to pull out a thread of brightness, resiliency or hope. Then the poster who thinks that things are bad doubles down with responses that basically suggest Things are terrible and anyone who doesn't agree with me wholeheartedly is either a fool or doesn't respect diverse opinions.

Dude, we get it. There are major problems going on around us. There are also heroic, determined people who are willing to stand up to those problems and they need our support. As I said on another thread, if you need to vent a little, okay. But if someone has the audacity to suggest that there is still good in the world and that we can look to those good things and keep moving forward, why do you insist on stomping your foot on the ground and saying, No! Things are bad and you can't convince me otherwise!

Nobody is trying to say that things aren't bad for a lot of people right now. What we are saying is that they can get better and they will if we do something about it.

As per Alice Walker:

The most common way people give up their power is by thinking that they don't have any.


To be perfectly honest, I feel crappy today. I don't have a lot of hope that my own silly life is going to work out very well and I am really scared Trump is going to continue tapping into the darkest, ugliest, stupid impulses of many people in our nation.

That being said, I am not going to give in to my own darkness. If I have to look up pictures of puppies and kittens to give myself a brief respite from my fears, I will do that. If I have to watch a silly TV show and laugh at the same joke for the tenth time, I'll do that. And if I have to gather my courage and make a call to Pelosi and Nadler tomorrow even though I don't feel like a poised political powerhouse, I will do that.

Now, if you will excuse me, I am off to watch John Oliver. He makes me laugh, which is good. And he helps me to get the tiniest grasp on some complicated subjects, which is also good. Sometimes, I turn off his show more sobered than I intended. If that happens tonight, I will find a GOD DAMN ADORABLE PUPPY PICTURE TO LOOK AT ONLINE AND I WILL USE IT ON ANYONE WHO TRIES TO MAKE ME FEEL WORST THAN I ALREADY DO!

:ahem: Sorry, I got carried away there. Pray continue.

[StarfishSaver]

15. This is such an awesome and the inspiring post!

Thank you for taking the time to write and share this. I'm honored you decided to write it in response to my OP.

[Collimator]

16. That's nice of you to say.

I did make good on my "threat". I just called and left messages for Pelosi and Nadler. I rambled on about remembering my American history from childhood and mentioned checks and balances. I stressed that Trump is in violation of the oath that he took to defend the Constitution.

I sounded sincere, but not very brilliant, I imagine. Something about Pelosi stirs my "mommy issues".

For anyone reading, I would just like to point out that I am basically a "get-along-go-along" person and I hate confrontation. If someone like me is able to make a phone call and state my case then anyone out there with a phone should be able to do the same thing.

In closing, I will share a funny story. I read about a survey in which people were called and asked how many phones that they had in their households. The designers of the survey were purported to be surprised in learning that not one single household reported zero phones. Apparently, this went against the statistical model they were working with.

[lagomorph777]

18. I have some "GOD DAMN ADORABLE PUPPIES" at home; they are saving my life.

They give me a reason to keep fighting.

[lagomorph777]

17. +100 I'm tired of the hue and cry for despair.

We can, and we must, and we will lance the Russiapublican Pustule.