We're Living in the Trumped States of America

[MineralMan]

It's not going to be for the weak or timid. We may not realize what that means yet, but we will be finding out day-by-day.

We're going to get one more chance to undo the idiotic mistake we made in 2016. One chance, and it will come in November of 2018. We had better take that chance and run with it. If we continue to bicker among ourselves and blow that opportunity, we may never have another one. I hope we do the right thing.

[ck4829]

1. We have chances now, elections tainted by gerrmandering and voter suppression can't be our only hope

http://www.aeinstein.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/FDTD.pdf

[MineralMan]

3. No, actually, we do not.

With the Senate effectively tossing the filibuster, Democrats no longer have any real way to affect much at all. The only solution is to regain a majority in Congress. We will have a chance to do that in 2018. If we fail, the Republicans may well be able to make it almost impossible to do again in the future.

Not only that, we must regain control of additional state legislatures, if we are to prevent a Constitutional Convention that could completely alter our nation's founding document. We're just that close to it happening.

We should have won in 2016, but we failed to do so. The Republicans wiggled their way into the White House and we failed to elect enough Senators to regain a majority in that house of Congress, as well.

With one more appointment of a Justice to the SCOTUS after this one, the Republicans and conservatives will have a lock on control of all three branches of government. That is something we might never overcome, if that Constitutional Convention is held.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

We can correct this path, but we can only do it if we all work together. We cannot repeat the foolishness of 2016. If we do, we will lose in ways we might not recover from.

[bdamomma]

2. if not we will be living in

an annex of Russia, The oligarchs squandered off the people and they keep on getting richer.

[crazycatlady]

4. we have chances before 2018

First one is in Georgia, then Montana. NJ and VA have major elections this year. WA has a chance to flip the state senate.

[MineralMan]

5. Until 2018, we have no opportunity to retake majority control

of either house of Congress. That is the only way we can begin to reverse the direction we are headed. Yes, we might pick up a couple of House seats, but that will not be anywhere near enough.

Yes, we should try to win those seats. We should try to win in state legislatures that hold elections this year. But, that will not do the job. It is 2018 that we MUST win.

[crazycatlady]

6. we have the chance to build the bench this year

That includes state and local offices.

[MineralMan]

7. We should certainly do that, but that bench will not be ready

for the big league right away, frankly. I think we should always be working on electing Democrats, of course, but 2018 is going to be far more consequential, nationally, than the random collection of state and local elections in 2017.