‘You say you want a revolution’ – where’s the coalition against the relentless tyranny of this minority?

Except for Democratic Socialists, what grassroots group is pushing systemic reform, let alone law, order and Constitutionism? Federal amendments are impossible, impeachment daunting, and new civil war highly improbable. Thus, incremental reforms, like it or not, are what must stop cold the coup in process.

Leftist demands for major reforms are greater than four or eight years, but incendiary rumblings of serious revolution are not easy to find. What I don’t see, despite both spotlighted broken systems and enduring inertia against the perfect MAGA storm, are angry uprisings on par with the Progressive Era, even 1960’s activism. You can’t have structural reforms and legitimate leaders, if not less brutality and militarism without mass protests, focused boycotts, and decisive general strikes. Electing dozens of enlightened candidates is a necessary first start, but only ceaseless progressive pressure will reverse a decade of MAGA neo-fascism.

Trumpism, despite bad faith, instinct over reason, gross incompetence, and misguided loyalty to pernicious storylines, still holds the power reigns – crippled of late only by its own self-destruction. If not now, with an outrageously unfit president, a comatose Congress, the worst Supreme imaginable and rampaging libertarian billionaires, then when? If not the most shamelessly corrupt and abusive deceivers don’t instigate “something new,” what spurs Americans to long-term, courageous defiance? Another depression? World War III? As enlightened 20 C. gains are whittled away, the tiny, elitist super-rich amass national wealth as never before, buy elections, enjoy not just immunity but unconscionable government collusion.

Dynamics of historic changes

Atop the economic pyramid, America remains in part immune from worst cases, but we are fast coursing towards calamity. Without the polarization of slavery and radically different economic systems, 2026 is arguably worse than 1860 because then at least two identifiable forces squared off openly, defining the battle. The Civil War separated two different cultures fighting for its vision of America. What’s evident today is class-driven, not geography-driven, not one region against another but the super haves vs. the cornered have nots, especially women, dissenters, minorities and newcomers. A southern slave plantation had to worry about Union strength, not insurrection by oppressed workers or poor whites. What coalition, with resources and leverage, defies the rightwing concentration of power – not Wall St., not big corporations (either intimidated or in bed with Trump), not a co-ordinated assembly of religious, social and community groups, as with Vietnam years ago?

Except for the Democratic Party, hardly loaded with progressives, what movement with clout confronts the worst of MAGA Trump and insists on narratives that offset wholly deceptive, imperial fables? Yet, even if every democratic socialist triumphed, that’s a struggling minority against limitless big money, government-approved cruelty that abuses its own citizens, and entrenched well enough to hold power by every means necessary. If the dire (MAGA) message today is that cruel entertainments reinforce racist, anti-democratic narratives, the left must compete with better, more relevant, more humane storylines, even restorative ideals about what American redemption could mean.

Item, reality: ferocious campaign payola, rightwing conquest of major media/network outlets, international barrages against democratic values, and unsavory partnerships between government and big business define a unified threat. By any measure, the oligarchic minority is more powerful than ever, proven by rampaging, under-regulated AI plant development with life-style downsides for millions. Frankly, except for Biden advances, partial (reduced) gains in health care, civil rights (women and minority CEOs), a few environmental and endangered species wins, glimmers of consciousness raising, and sparse judicial advances, what major systemic changes occurred this generation? The reversals are immense. 

In fact, most recent shifts favor either libertarian values (government investment/corporate ownership, license for shadow PACs to organize with campaigns, and anti-government, inhumane DOGE devastations) or outright authoritarianism – imperial presidency, white supremacist nationalism, immigrant abuse, ruining legitimate agencies and top non-partisan professionals, ICE, extreme weaponization of the DOJ, warring against NATO and allies, crypto/meme bait and switch, murdering innocent fishermen, the Iranian disaster, backing Russia and Israel and alignment with dictators. If revolution depends on life-asserting responses to intolerable oppression, we’ve got the oppression today but not yet the co-ordinated critical mass of protests. Talking up big change fantasies gets the blood flowing, but real, political infusions depend on who, how many, when and where to organize effective resistance equal to the foe’s hegemony. 

In this context, I note how few Dem Senate candidates focus on fixing the Electoral College, create a national commission to control rampant, campaign spending, gerrymandering madness, and/or violations of voting rights, restore abortion options, reverse deregulated, fossil fuel subsidies, up the unjust Supreme Court by 3-5 members, even push 12 year terms? Who other than Sanders, AOC and the like, are even confronting the specifics and patterned context by which the corrupt oligarchy keeps wages low (despite soaring, self-serving inflation) and covers up cuts to food stamps, health care, and research, plus unhealthy air, water and soil. I get why impeachment talk focuses on cabinet members, more doable than with Trump, but that’s removing man-eating alligators without draining the swamp. Rightwing divisiveness has successfully blocked opposition coalition building and confidence in elections, even government itself as positive force, but that task is front and center, especially amidst moronic Rethug campaign nonsense.

It’s only money and bad times

Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall recently claimed that voters shouldn’t worry about high prices, a stark reversal this year when conceding gas prices are paramount. So much for “it’s the economy, stupid” when Marshall gaslights, “There are things more important than money to Kansans.” Like what – demolishing immigration? Losing to Iran? Bullying Canada? Backing Putin? The folly of Trump arches or ruined reflecting pools? Center stage is rightly financial corruption but what drives American politics IS money, front, back, and middle. Though Dems will regain power in two weeks, it’s not (yet) about a plan to restore human rights via structural reforms. 

We need to make the big bankruptcy picture argument, that even a once robust American prosperity cannot afford the widespread Trump bludgeoning and mounting blunders.  Re-electing Trump was the sure way to impoverish Americans and topple our fast-diminishing role as world leader. Why did so many 2024 voters willfully ignore hard evidence that could not have been clearer? Why are more of them not more outraged? 

When else in a marginal democracy have so few done so much damage to so many in such a short time – without being run out of town, tarred and feathered? If indefensible bad examples show the way to inspire meaningful, lasting reform, here is the corrupt, incompetent Payola Presidency chief doing his part – the battering of America by a titanic loser blind to his own inexcusable blunders, yet forever skimming off his take. Revolution is mandated when elections are reduced to maximum power and rank, get rich schemes for failed business tycoons. Adding insult to injury when asked what limits his (scorned Constitutional) authority, Trump replied: “Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me.” Not when elections still rule and changes still loom.