Do you approve of how Trump is handling the Coronavirus pandemic?
Yes: 60%
To understand why the American people are wrong, and why this opinion will likely change, we need to examine the Democratic party, and exponential growth. Make no mistake, Trump and his administration have been handling this crisis about as poorly as can be imagined, but during times of crisis and stress, people look to their leaders, however flawed, for safety and assurance, they “rally around the flag”. There might be no substance to the administration’s actual response, but Donald Trump running his snake oil salesman routine on overdrive, claiming he’s doing everything right, and what goes wrong is everyone else’s fault. Absent a strong opposition party, with a clearly articulated message explaining Trump’s failures in real time, and their own counter vision, it’s no surprise, people listen to Trump.
The Democrats, tragically are not a strong opposition party, in fact they aren’t even a strong party when in power. Their utter, feckless incompetence at the best of times is infuriating at the best of times, overseeing an inexorable retreat on civil and economic rights in the face of Republicans. Now, however, in a crisis, they’ve shown how truly unfit they are to lead. Joe Biden has been mostly absent during the entire pandemic, and when he has appeared, his performances have been so bad they are cringe worthy. Meanwhile, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer have once again passed a corporate friendly bail-out. The major pro-worker provisions are only present due to the diligent work of Bernie Sanders, whereas Pelosi and Schumer’s technocratic regulations are so weak as to be nearly irrelevant, and the few strong portions, like an independent IG are being ignored by Trump. In fact, one of the only stars in this darkest of hours, has been Bernie Sanders, whose policy ideas have been vindicated, and his fundraising power turned to charity relief. Not only that, but Bernie has been hosting fireside chats, doing interviews, making speeches, holding expert panels passing important legislation in congress, and proposing still more ideas for the executive branch. This real time test in leadership has clearly shown that Bernie is a man up to the task of leadership, and Biden is not. But without the rest of the party supporting him, his voice , though loud, cannot compete in the American people’s minds with Trump and the entire media landscape.
There is an even deeper problem here, however, that even a competent opposition party cannot fix: the difficulty humans have in understanding exponential growth, like that of a bacteria, a pandemic, or interest on one’s bank account. People tend to envision change in a linear, not exponential fashion, and as a result it can be hard for us to properly internalize what growth like this looks like. One of the best examples I’ve heard to help understand the nature of exponential growth asks you to imagine a large jar, full of water and with one single-celled bacteria in it. Every minute the number of bacteria doubles. The time is 11:00 PM, at midnight, the jar will be 100% full of bacteria. At what time will the jar be 99% empty?11:53 PM!That is how quickly an exponential function can grow.
Today, most people look around, and while much of the world has changed, most don’t see the damage in their own lives, but that will, unfortunately, change quickly, and when it does, the
American people will realize just how badly our government has failed. They will want to be able to trust our government organizations to look after the well-being of our people, instead of ignoring and then exploiting crises to take away our liberties and enrich themselves and their to wealthy donors, and they will be angry when they see the truth. The speed with which such funds were mobilized for the least needy among us, puts a lie to the claim that the popular programs advocated for by DSOT and the American people are too expensive, or can't be done! Rather, there is no interest from the political elite to pursue such policy when they, themselves aren't feeling the squeeze.
We must call out this despicable cruelty and apathy for what it is, and bring democratic representation back to America! To do that we will need to put pressure on all our representatives through a broad and enduring movement of people, demanding change. Don’t miss this chance to change our country for the better. Join us every Tuesday, in growing solidarity and power until we take back our democracy from amoral special interests, and greedy politicians: Don't Shop on Tuesdays!
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Let friends and families, let them know about this growing movement, and how they can help us take back our democracy if they Don't Shop on Tuesdays!
Send their email address to boycottforourdemocracy@gmail.com
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