On the far right, one behavior is always predictable: They always overreach. Such excess generates reaction. Progressive forces in American society will get the opportunity to rebound from the terrible triumph of Trump.
With that said, we are in for a trashing of the planet and a reactionary regime at home. Trump fashions himself a Caudillo and will try to be boss/dictator. He is out for revenge and will be clumsy about it,
The supporting cast will be both laughable and fearsome. Oligarchs such as Elon Musk will soon learn frustrations of governing. Robert Kennedy Jr. is already boasting of his influence in the nation’s capital.
But there are limits to power. Oligarchs cannot dictate the size and strength of hurricanes. Nor can they turn back wildfire at the U.S.-Canadian border. They cannot stop heat waves or high tides flooding streets near the leader’s Florida estate.
Nor can they block the south-to-north migration, I am currently in the hospital being tended by people from Africa and South America. They tell me life is better wiping butt here than living back home. Nativism rears its ugly head in our country but ultimately we continue as a country of immigrants.
You cannot build walls around America, not with a global economy of interdependence. Just look at Seattle’s export-driven port, or at Eastern Washington farmers leaning on our congressional delegation to open up new markets for their cherries and apples.
There will be damage. Trump tariffs will amount to a tax on households. The cause of women’s rights and equal pay will suffer a serious setback. The LGBTQ community will find itself demonized. The setbacks will be seriously felt in the center of the country. Civil liberties will take a hit, but not so much in coastal states.
All this brings us back to the basic point: America is in for a period of wretched excess, which will generate a colossal reaction. The reaction can be skillfully deployed, as when our state’s Attorney General used an obscure law — the Administrative Procedures Act — to thwart initiatives of the first Trump Administration. Patience is not a Trump attribute.
Nor is hard work. “The Donald,” as wife No. 1 called him, has the attention span of a hummingbird. He will hang out in the executive dining room at the White House, vent his anger in tweets , and spend weekends golfing at Mar a Lago. Taxpayers will foot the bill for travel, and Secret Service agents will be charged rental fees for golf carts.
The strategy for progressives: Wait to pounce. Expect chaos in the corridors of power, conflicts of interest, and rivals leaking to the New York Times and Washington Post. All fodder for a free press, as long as it is free.
As for citizens, raise hell. I recall when Trump took office more than 100,000 people marched through downtown Seattle. Churches offered sanctuary to immigrants. And I remember the line of demonstrators on a bluff outside Langley on Whidbey Island.
We are about to experience state power, government from the top down. We can, however, exploit the chaos and excess. In the words of Western writer Ed Abbey, “Resist much, obey little.”
In the words of Western writer Ed Abbey, “Resist much, obey little.” And – Strap in, it is going to be a bumpy ride.
Thanks again for a great article.
Keep it coming. We need it.
Once again, state governments will play an important role as part of an enhanced system of checks and balances, in the form of “defensive federalism”.
Thank you. I needed your words this morning.
This for me, is the best political writing. To the point, powerful, accurate, energizing. I forward it to everyone.
Thank you Joel Connelly..
Thank you Joel for your insights and inspiration. A terrifying time, especially for those of us who have studied German history and the rapid rise of a malicious and cruel regime there nine decades ago. I appreciate your offering a few glimmers of hope. I’ll be delighted if we have elections in 2026. If I’m still around then.
Yes, here we go, again. But by the time the American people who were once again blinded by money, power, and fear, are awakened to the reality of whom they once again, gave all that power to, the jolt, this time (unlike the last time) is going to be explosive!
I’m finding hope in a reference manual that helped me survive the red cult idol the first time.
Dr. Timothy Snyder’s little book On Tyranny, Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, published in 2017.
These are the three I found most helpful
Lesson 1: Do Not Obey in Advance
Lesson 2: Defend Institutions
…
Lesson 10: Believe in Truth
Foreword quote: “In politics, being deceived is no excuse.”
Leszek Kołakowski, Polish philosopher, (1927-2009).
Thank you.
Some undeniable data points:
Florida 2024
Trump — 56%
Abortion yes — 57%
Marijuana yes — 56%
Montana 2024
Trump — 58%
Abortion yes — 58%
Those numbers are facts.
Abortion and marijuana are traditionally core issues on the liberal side.
Yet look at those votes.
Obviously two issues went to the liberal side in states which resoundingly supported Trump… So it’s a little more complicated than some Democrats and their spokespeople are saying.
If I were doing market research, I would talk to people who voted pro-choice and pro marijuana and also voted for Trump.