In a recent op-ed in the New York Times, David Brooks gave an answer to a question we are all asking: When will the political chaos in the United States end, and how will that come about?
Some place their hope in the 2026 mid-term elections. By that time however congress itself may be so disempowered and the senate so spineless that a shift in electoral advantage may create few if any real opportunities to change the course of the current administration. Even a campaign to impeach Trump would go nowhere as the administration simply ignores legal judgements at its pleasure. Even if Trump were impeached Vance would step up and little else will change. Some suggest that MAGA splits will create some leverage for change. Truthfully, Trump and his allies are very skilled at manipulating power and switching in an instant to a new place where they can exert their evolving sinister influence and control. He no longer needs his MAGA base; his Rolodex is full of sycophantic potential allies.
So to the question, “what can be done, and how” Brooks suggests a comprehensive national uprising. We continue to see large scale protests, a demonstration of frustration and concern, not yet however a movement with real transformative effect. Is there a tipping point I have missed? I can’t see it right now. Can you?
Found on Facebook here.
[David Brooks]
“Trumpism… is primarily about the acquisition of power — power for its own sake. It is a multifront assault to make the earth a playground for ruthless men, so of course any institutions that might restrain power must be weakened or destroyed. Trumpism is about ego, appetite and acquisitiveness and is driven by a primal aversion to the higher elements of the human spirit — learning, compassion, scientific wonder, the pursuit of justice.
[. . .]
What is happening now is not normal politics. We’re seeing an assault on the fundamental institutions of our civic life, things we should all swear loyalty to — Democrat, independent or Republican.
It’s time for a comprehensive national civic uprising.
It’s time for Americans in universities, law, business, nonprofits and the scientific community, and civil servants and beyond to form one coordinated mass movement. Trump is about power. The only way he’s going to be stopped is if he’s confronted by some movement that possesses rival power.
[. . .]
I’m really not a movement guy. I don’t naturally march in demonstrations or attend rallies that I’m not covering as a journalist. But this is what America needs right now.”
David Brooks has been an Op-Ed columnist at The Times since September 2003. He is the author of “Bobos In Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Got There,” “On Paradise Drive: How We Live Now (And Always Have) in the Future Tense” and, most recently, “The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character and Achievement.”
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Take Note - Reflections on life, music, politics, retirement and more by Ken Gray 
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