Can Trumpism be defeated? Absolutely. Here's how. by Bernie Sanders

[Native]

Subtitle: What we are fighting for is not ‘utopian’ or unachievable. Trumpism can and must be defeated
The Guardian, Wed 19 Feb 2025 07.21 EST

I will be doing town meetings in Omaha, Nebraska, this Friday night and Iowa City, Iowa, on Saturday morning. Further, in the coming weeks and months, I and other progressives will be holding grassroots events from coast to coast.

Trumpism will not be defeated by politicians inside the DC beltway. It will only be defeated by millions of Americans, in every state in this country, coming together in a strong, grassroots movement which says no to oligarchy, no to authoritarianism, no to kleptocracy, no to massive cuts in programs that working people desperately need, no to huge tax breaks for the richest people in our country. And that’s what these events are about.

Further, there are a number of congressional districts where Republicans won by only a small number of votes. With the Republican party in the House having only a three-vote majority we can defeat draconian, anti-working-class legislation if just two Republican members of Congress vote no. And they will vote no if we rally their constituents to demand that they vote no.

Can Trumpism be defeated? Absolutely! But, if we’re going to make that happen, we need to know exactly what we’re up against and how we can best go forward. Here’s just some of what we need to know:

My summary of the rest of the article:

* Trumpism has an unlimited amount of money and control of a large portion of the media
* Trumpism is using the concept of the big lie in a way that has never before been seen (blatant lies & conspiracy theories repeated ad nauseam).
* Trumpism doesn't believe in the rule of law, much less democracy.

BUT....
* 60% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck & millions are earning starvation wages.
* 85 million are under or uninsured.
* Young people can't afford college.
* 1/4 of all seniors live on $15k or less each year.
* There's a major shortage of affordable housing.
* We have a higher childhood poverty rate than almost every other major country on this planet.
* Climate Crisis.
* The wealthy have never had it so good.

His advice:
* Never lose sight of the progressive vision. What we are fighting for can be achieved, already exists in other countries, and polls show it's what we want.
* We must establish that -

Healthcare is a human right and must be available to all regardless of income.

Every worker in America is entitled to earn a decent income. We must raise the minimum wage to a living wage and make it easier for workers to join unions.

We must have the best public educational system in the world, from childcare to vocational training, to graduate school – available to all.

We must address the housing crisis and build the millions of units of low-income and affordable housing that we desperately need.

We must create millions of good paying jobs as we lead the world in combating the existential threat of climate change.

We must abolish all forms of bigotry.

*In the coming weeks, Republicans will put forth their reconciliation bill (the economic essence of Trumpism) giving trillions to the wealthy in tax breaks, making the rich richer and the rest of us poorer. IT MUST BE DEFEATED.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/feb/19/trumpism-bernie-sanders

[PortTack]

1. Their bill won't pass without Dems...let the government shut down!

[CrispyQ]

2. Great commentary!

Grassroots, baby!

I love Bernie!

[GPV]

3. "President Bernie" sure had a good ring to it. :(

[Oberon Vale]

4. Crush Trumpism and Magat Nazi Pukes. No More Playing Nice, No More Losing

Bernie’s right—Trumpism can be beaten, but not by sitting around hoping it falls apart. That’s the biggest mistake Democrats have made—assuming that if Republicans go too far, people will wake up and reject them. That’s not how this works. The GOP isn’t fighting for their vision of America. They’re throwing shit at the wall and hoping some of it sticks. They aren’t warriors, they’re con artists, scam artists, and fascist opportunists looking for weak spots to exploit. They’re not winning because they’re smart or strong—they’re winning because they never stop slinging bullshit, hoping something seeps through the cracks.

Republicans don’t have a grand plan. They aren’t some master strategists playing 4D chess. They’re cowards, cheaters, and liars who know they can’t win a fair fight, so they don’t fight fair. They throw everything at the system—voter suppression, election lies, culture war nonsense, outright corruption—and see what gets through. They keep testing democracy, poking at it, slashing at it, blowing holes in it inch by inch, hoping no one patches them up before the whole thing collapses. That’s not strategy, that’s desperation wrapped in propaganda.

And the worst part? They get away with it because Democrats keep assuming facts will save us. The idea that if you just “prove” how corrupt and evil Republicans are, people will reject them. Wrong. That’s not how propaganda works. That’s not how cults work. People aren’t following Trump and the GOP because they’ve been given good reasons to—they’re doing it because Republicans are masters of making people angry, afraid, and desperate.

So, what do Democrats do? I ain't no Einstein but I say they stop playing defense. Stop acting like there’s a fair debate happening when one side is out here lying, cheating, and burning the rulebook. You don’t debate a con artist. You expose him. You don’t “fact-check” a propagandist—you drown out his bullshit with the truth, louder, angrier, over and over until it sticks. Republicans don’t stop pushing lies just because they get caught. Democrats need to stop backing down just because something is hard. Get in there and fight like a goddamn true blue American soldier.

And this goes beyond just messaging. Democrats need to be relentless. Republicans aren’t out-organizing us, they’re just out-persisting us. They never stop throwing garbage at the system, hoping some of it gets through. Democrats need to stop waiting for the next attack and start preemptively shutting this shit down. Be aggressive. Call out their corruption every single day. Hammer the message home that they are liars, cowards, and frauds. Every time they try to pass some insane tax cut for billionaires or some voter suppression scheme, make it political hell for them.

And for the love of everything, stop ignoring rural America. The GOP has spent decades feeding small towns a steady diet of bullshit, convincing them that Democrats are their enemy. The truth? Republicans are the ones screwing them over. They block wage increases, gut healthcare, give tax breaks to corporations that send jobs overseas—and then blame immigrants or drag queens or whatever nonsense outrage bait Fox News comes up with that day. And people believe it because Democrats don’t show up and tell them otherwise. It’s time to get in there, organize, talk to people, and rip the GOP’s con job apart at the roots.

Young voters should be a Democratic powerhouse, but they need a reason to believe in this fight. They’ve seen broken promises, corporate-friendly half-measures, and a system that feels rigged. If Democrats want them engaged, they need to fight for bold, real change—no excuses, no corporate donors pulling the strings, just actual action. Give people something to believe in, and they’ll show up. Give them half-measures and hesitation, and they’ll check out.

Maga ain't gonna stop. Ever. They are fully committed to slinging bullshit lies, breaking rules, and rigging the fucking system. That means Democrats have to be ten times as fucking mean and hard ass in exposing them, out-organizing them, and making sure every last person who can vote against them actually does. Republicans are betting that if they push hard enough, people will just get tired and give up. Democrats need to make them regret that assumption.

Bernie has been on the right side of this fight from the beginning. He’s been calling this corruption out for decades while others were too afraid to say it. Democrats need more voices like his—fighters, not diplomats. They need to be warriors, not managers. They need to stop assuming the system will save itself and start beating back this right-wing plague with every weapon in the arsenal.

Trumpism and the Nazi ass Maga shit ain't inevitable. It’s a stinking fucking scam. It’s a con game built on filthy lies, fear, and manipulation. And the only way to kill a con is to expose it, attack it, beat the lies into the fucking ground and never let up.

[Scrivener7]

5. I'm not his greatest fan, but he's one of the few who is actually saying, "We can do something

other than sit with our thumbs up our asses."