There's a bigger threat to democracy than Donald Trump

[Bucky]

It's Trumpism

Once Trump is gone, the way he's twisted and perverted the minds of millions of Americans will continue. They'll just linger around, waiting for another con man to come along and sucker them into believing again that hatred is an adequate alternative to policy.

Also, there's the Project 2025 people. They're ready for the next Trumpist to come along and make the next power grab fatal to American democracy.

[calimary]

1. So we must NEVER drop our guard.

Never EVER.

As Mad-Eye Moody warned Harry Potter: “CONSTANT VIGILANCE!!!”

[duhneece]

8. I've been told I spend too much time looking for 'danger'

I think I spend a lot of time looking AT danger.

We’ve had Moms For Liberty speak at our little County Republican meeting. Without acknowledging it, school board candidates are running with their message.

We had/have Couy ‘only good Democrat is a dead Democrat’ Griffin. And TFG retweeted it.

We have white supremacy, white nationalism (ok, they’re the same), Republicans who WANT a dictator ( of their choice)…

[mahina]

2. In Hawaiian we have a word for this. This is our kuleana.

The media isn’t going to do it and ad buys
are not going to do it.


Our kuleana at this time is to have those conversations with people in our lives ine by one, repeatedly, with love. No cavalry is coming. It’s up to us. The ad buys, the campaigns will be pulling as hard as they can but we have to pull too. Donating yes, but also one on one, granular, retail persuasion back to goodness.

Kuleana is a bigger word than responsibility alone. In this time, in this context, this is our souls’ responsibility… thats been my informal understanding.

From wehewehe.org:

kule.ana
nvt. Right, privilege, concern, responsibility, title, business, property, estate, portion, jurisdiction, authority, liability, interest, claim, ownership, tenure, affair, province; reason, cause, function, justification; small piece of property, as within an ahupuaʻa; blood relative through whom a relationship to less close relatives is traced, as to in-laws. Cf. ʻākuleana. Kuleana lako, supplies, equipment. Kuleana pule, necessary prayers, prayer responsibilities. Ke kuleuna o ke kanaka, man's rights and privileges, human rights. Kuleana wai, water rights. Ka hoʻolimalima kuleana kūʻai, rental with the right to buy. Kō haʻi kuleana, other persons' affairs or business. Kuleana ala hele e hiki aku ai, right of way of access. Make wale nō lākou me ka hewa ʻole, a me ke kuleana ʻole no ka make (Kep. 147), they were killed without having done wrong, and without justification for death. ʻO Hina kō mākou kuleana, ʻaʻole ʻo ke kāne, we are related through Hina, not through the husband. Kuleana hapakolu o ka wahine kāne make, dower right of widow to a third of an estate. Kuleana o ke kāne male, estate by courtesy, of a husband's right in the estate of his wife. ʻElua loʻi ʻai, ua kuleana ʻia e aʻu, two taro patches claimed as kuleana by me [will]. hoʻo.kule.ana To entitle, give right to possess; to give a responsibility. Palapala hoʻokuleana, patent, copyright.

[lucca18]

4. This! "Kuleana"

We are all in this together.
We cannot sit back and let someone else do the work.
Our responsibility.
All of us.
❤️

[wnylib]

6. A good concept. Sounds to me like it is a restoration of a sense of community

when and where it is lacking.

[calimary]

10. Good stuff, mahina. Thanks!

Really informative and thought-provoking.

And it IS up to us. No cavalry is coming. That “cavalry” has to be us.

[mahina]

14. It's a kākou thing. (All of us)

🤙🏼

[calimary]

17. That's one thing I love about this place. Learn something new every day!

[Rhiannon12866]

3. How this offensive and ignorant blowhard has been able to spread corruption is totally beyond me

Back during the 2016 campaign I couldn't wait for the election to be over so we'd never have to see or hear from him again.

[mahina]

15. Same here

Maybe this time !

[JHB]

18. Because he was a vehicle for it, not the guy behind it

Movement Conservatives and billionaire-funded organizations were founded decades ago. The Federalist Society, The Heritage Foundation, ALEC, and dozens more have been out to overturn every constraint on the wealthy and every policy where the government helps the general population. They want a 19th century government (with a superpower military -- they like that part).

Wealthy ideologues let you put a lot of people to work over a very long period of time to carry this out. Look at the courts: the effort to stuff the federal courts with conservative operatives has been going on since Bork.

For a very long time these people wanted a president who was little more than a hand to sign the papers put in front of him. Trump was their guy, because he didn't want to work anyway. So they backed him, and he appointed judges from lists they handed him, pushed policies where they'd gone over the nitty-gritty stuff, puffing and preening while he did it.

[KS Toronado]

5. With Rs always claiming the moral high ground being the religious right

believing they are better than Liberals because Jesus loves them more than us, they sure forget
Thou shall not kill and love your neighbor as yourself.

[no_hypocrisy]

7. I hate to suggest this, but . . . .

it may get down to Democrats having to donate and/or campaign for moderate Republicans in primaries. Knock on doors. Show up for debates. Just to ensure that MAGAts don't make it to general elections.

[Arthur_Frain]

9. Yeah there is

It’s called the Republican Party.

[Persondem]

11. I thought the threat to democracy might be gerrymandering but this is pretty bad as well. nt

[Polybius]

12. I am torn on if this is true or not

Once Trump is gone, they have no next in line. Where else would they go? Sure, 90% will probably vote for whoever the Republican nominee is, but many wouldn't be motivated. Trump is good at only one thing, firing up a crowd and turning them into mindless zombies. I don't see anyone else capable of that.

OTOH, maybe they don't need someone like Trump. Perhaps they will all flock to DeSantis, even though he is lacking charisma.

[D23MIURG23]

13. Its the GOP since Nixon.

The disease is a rogue party that operates in bad faith, and an electorate that doesn't trust the government and can't diagnose what is wrong with it.

I think Trump is too damaged at this point to destroy the republic, but I'm not sure how the GOP or it's base get reformed. If they keep trying to install a caesar, they'll probably succeed eventually.

[Mr.Bill]

16. What's disturbing me right now

is the rules the Senate and House have set for them to operate under. Rules that allow one Senator to hold up hundreds of military promotions. Rules that have rendered the House currently non-funtional with a lot of critical things that need their action now. Hell, there even rules that make it almost impossible to change the rules.

The whole thing needs an overhaul.