Dems can’t elect change if they don’t go out and vote

If the Democrats want to put a stop to Trump’s plan to recreate America in his own image, people will have to step up big time in a way that they have not done before.

That means getting off one’s rear end and voting. Let’s face it -- half this country doesn’t even vote in our presidential elections and I can guarantee you that a lot of the half that doesn’t vote are Democrats. If you want to know what you can do about this, one thing you might try is adopting a nonvoter who complains about the way things are but doesn’t do anything to change that state of affairs. That means you identify that person, friend, amigo and make sure they get registered and then vote on Primary Day and then again on Election Day.

While that sounds reasonable, it isn’t easy. People are busy and it will take time and effort to reach an intended result.

Another option is to join an extended phone bank. That means figuring out which states are really in contention and which ones were the very places where the last presidential election was won or lost. So, for example, it might make sense to figure out who you know in Pennsylvania or Wisconsin or Michigan (among others) and find out if in fact they were planning to vote for the very person you are trying to beat. I mean, you have no shortage of subjects to raise with them including Trump’s lying or sell- ing out to Vladimir Putin or attempting to destroy NATO or our relationship with the liberal democracies. If appropriate, it makes sense to speak of the end of Social Security as we know it, or the loss of health care which endangers the future of your children, grandchildren or nieces and nephews. But, the most important thing is to stay with it and remind people that only they can make a difference in a democratic form of government. It really won’t be easy but as Pete Seeger used to sing it, “Inch by inch, row by row, gonna’ make this garden grow.”

In order to put a stop to Trump, people will have to vote strategically and with their eyes on the prize. For example, there is a very close race in the 19th Congressional District in which the Republican, John Faso, will face Antonio Delgado, a progressive Democrat. The district might be called “purple” with its mixture of Republicans and Democrats. Many people reading this might prefer Faso, their incumbent representative, to the lesser-known Delgado, who has a brilliant intellectual history (Rhodes Scholar, Harvard Law) and who was a rap artist who once, quite a while back, wrote some pretty hot lyrics that are now being used against him. Faso has been called out by the New York Times for his rhetoric on Delgado’s music.

But here’s the point. The only real thing that will stop Trump is when at least one branch of government comes under Democratic control. That’s when the real investigations into the Trump wrongdoing will happen. That’s where any impeach- ment and conviction attempts will happen. The most likely place for this to happen is in the House of Representatives. Americans don’t vote like other parliamentary democracies. We often say that we vote for the person and NOT for the party. In the case of Faso and the 19th Congressional District, there is no question that when it comes to organizing his House, he will vote with the Republicans. That means whoever the Republicans put up for Speaker will receive John Faso’s vote.

No matter how much Democrats like Faso, they will have to recognize that Faso’s one vote may spell the difference between Republican or Democratic control of the House. When you consider that we are talking about the future of this country, that’s pretty heavy stuff.