The Summer of Our Discontent
The importance of words, and of actions.
Republicans are good at winning elections; they’re terrible at governing. (They don’t actually want to govern, they want to rule. It’s important that we all understand the difference.)
We’re heading for a cliff. The question is whether we can correct course before a plunge is inevitable. Or will we furiously pump the air, like Wile E. Coyote, hoping to return to the precipice? The regime is now actively trying to invade one of our largest cities; there are threats of violence against anyone who dares to protest the North Korea-style birthday parade on Saturday, apparently in any city, because “these are people who hate America and our country.” No, sir, we love our country. We despise you. And there are 1800 such protests planned for, so good luck with that.
The last week — protests, but no rioting, in LA — has been a stark reminder that one of the biggest issues of the 2024 election was immigration. Needlessly so, because Congress was on the verge of passing a significant reform bill. What happened? The Republican nominee instructed his compatriots in Congress to kill it, because he wanted the issue. Not a solution, the complaint.
Government exists, in the best case, to serve the people: it derives its just powers from the consent of the governed. (Best case, sure; seldom actually achieved.) But that’s what our Constitution, our most fundamental law, promises. Government must serve the people, not the other way around. It must actively seek solutions to the problems we face: not just a messy immigration system, but also things like Social Security, air traffic control, perhaps even ensuring that everyone is adequately clothed and fed and at least minimally educated; and, oh yes, basic health care.
We are saddled now with a government that serves itself, not its people: it serves to enrich those in the administration, and those wealthiest private citizens who enabled it. The White House is filled, for the moment, with people who would rather make unhinged speeches and run questionable memecoin schemes than conduct the people’s business — that is, look for and implement actual solutions to the real problems of real Americans. Government is not the venue for cosplay, but here we are.
The moment must be met, and by each and all of us. The Democrats in Congress have not risen to the occasion; they ask for money for elections, but there is no fight there — and the historical moment demands fight. It demands principled stands, and it demands action.
You can do your part by being at one of Saturday’s peaceful protests. (More information here.) If we don’t show up we are giving up. Even Wile E. Coyote doesn't do that.