The question has become: How to drown out Trump’s Firehose… with the Politics of Hope & Change
He is at it again. He’s here…he’s there…His lies are everywhere! Everywhere we turn we see his picture. He is still in the news after eight long years Trumpism is still with us. And some of us can hardly believe it.
My new magazine is “Real Politik’ which just goes through stories that pertain to the global news cycle where we need to be discussing world trends and the idea of where the US belongs in the 21st Century scheme of things.
Instead, we discuss trial dates and what new, idiotic thing Trump said on the trail from day to day. So that is an alarming picture for anyone to see. No wonder many of our allies around the world are uneasy with the United States long-term and also big-picture. We are playing ‘small-ball’ while the rest of the world revolves around other things besides Trump.
The big picture looming, of course, is the rise of Autocracy and Authoritarian regimes. And that is why we cannot walk away from what is going on. We cannot stay silent or turn our backs and try to ignore the firehose of falsehoods. Instead, we need to meet the moment and we must learn to fight back with other avenues.
Here are some ways we can combat the rise of Trumpism
· Keep a running score of the items that matter to you most; and then discuss and debate the reality-based issues. How? By working together to fight disinformation on topics such as climate change. And go one step further by lifting up science-based facts and stories that you read. You can keep a running list or a short notebook list of those stories you find most relevant. Those are the ones to discuss with friends. Take note of articles that talk about economic issues and the future of the planet, as well as for those thoughtful pieces about searching for peace in our time.
· Try and maintain a baseline of the number of Trumpist stories that are allowed to filter though in your household and your conversation. Set up a list of questions: Is this relevant to the Election outcome? How can I address this without mentioning Trump & his lies? And…What can I post on social media that is relevant to counter this false messaging? What is an uplifting message of hope that I can lift up to lead off my own conversations and social media?
· Learn to discuss “Civics!” Yes, CIVICS is now one of the ways we combat the firehose of falsehoods. The unsexy topics that make up Civics include the three branches of government, Madisonian Democracy, Constitutional Rule of Law and they can also be summed up in the Four Freedoms Franklin Roosevelt laid out.
What are the Real Theats? In Real Politik, there are several running threads to filter:
A) The Middle East Dilemma; There are daily reminders that Trump/ Kushner & Co have been (reportedly still are) working for their own personal gain using countries to shield their corruption.; The Oligarchs have been spending billions and also disregarding the two-state solution and all the poorest people of region living in Gaza- including The Palestinian dilemma, for years. I’m reminded they fought back in Israel from using the word “Apartheid’ and criticized Netanyahu’s strategies and policies. And as Trump & Co embraced Bibi as friend and ally, they also trashed the Iran Agreement & kept building settlements and funding Hamas through Qatar.
Therefore now, we see that all of the mistakes have come back to haunt all of the players, including the US & our European Allies.
B) Rest of the world & their Foreign Policy with America: ARE we the police force for the rest of the world? Are we the Indispensable Partner? Are we the Beacon of Freedom and defender of Democracy?
Our role should be well-defined. And not really since the end of the Cold War have we shaped a cohesive Global Policy. President Bush was selling the US as the leader of Cowboy Diplomacy; Obama was often criticized as “Leading from behind’ and using “Soft Power’ while Trump used a divisive wedge and his love of Strongmen!?….For Biden and their Administration, this is a pivotal moment. Who are we and how to define our role?
C) Our Post Pandemic World; The Global Strategies now include the Rise of Africa! Is China still a rising threat? Then there is the Indo-Pacific region….how do we shape and define our partnerships with our emerging Global Allies? The Wars that exist-how do we go forward? And how can we use our economic leverage and champion democracy as a way of life against the rise of Authoritarianism Globally…
These are the big threats. And along with the biggest and most obvious continuing global challenge of Climate Change-where the far right is still in denial as the world sees the very obvious visual and concrete evidence and proof of global warming trends…..we need to have a plan.
If we can learn to think strategically and plan some of our conversations and social media by using creativity and critical thinking methods, we will be ahead of the game. And in the end, many of those who are now working hard to set the United States up for future failure will find that come November, they will have to work for a different agenda. We can prevail, no matter how dark and twisted their thinking has become!
Perhaps some of these people will wake up from a long trance and decide to join the rest of us in the light. We can begin today to talk about the shining light on a hill. And keep talking of the politics of hope and change. That hopeful light that beams brightly will still be shining from the remains of a very dark and twisted dystopian world that was the essence of Trumpism.
