Trump threat to American foundations best met with civic activism Rachel Maddow makes the case that American citizens who feel that the foundations of American civic life are threatened by the presidency of Donald Trump have a to-do list to protect those foundations through participation in civic groups.
What to expect from a Trump presidency;
The consequences of Trump’s victory are coming into focus
But come next year, the stylistic differences will be an inconsequential afterthought by the time a Trump/Pence administration begins governing alongside a far-right, radicalized Republican majority in the House and Senate. The New Republic’s Brian Beutler had a good piece on this overnight:
At a minimum, Republicans are going to do incredible violence to President Barack Obama’s accomplishments…. Trump will almost certainly abrogate Obama’s international climate agreement and the global powers agreement preventing Iran from creating their own nuclear arsenal. Republicans will send Trump legislation undermining Obama’s legacy everywhere they can find congressional majorities to do so, and Trump will sign those bills. Republicans don’t know how to repeal Obamacare, let alone replace it. But they will try.
The Supreme Court will return to conservative control, and over the next four years, it may very well become far more conservative. Voting rights will be further weakened; the constitutional right to abortion is vulnerable to abolition.
But things could get much, much worse.
There’s a temptation among some to try to look for comfort where available. We collectively hit an iceberg, but maybe we can cling to some floating debris for a while until help arrives. Americans are resilient, and we’ve been through rough times before.
I’d like to offer some kind of assurances along these lines, but I can’t do so with any honesty.
Millions of families are going to lose their health benefits. Efforts to combat the climate crisis will end and move backwards. The tax system will become radically more regressive. Wall Street will be freed from safeguards and recently created layers of accountability, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will be decimated.
Immigrants who consider the United States the only home they’ve ever known will be forced from the country. Minority communities will experience less justice and fewer voting rights. Higher education will be further out of reach for many young people.
The United States will lose the world’s respect. The Supreme Court will move even further to the right, and the clock on reproductive rights will be turned back a half-century.
This is really just a sampling. At no point in modern American history have we seen a political party as radicalized as the contemporary Republican Party, and as a result of the decisions voters made this year, that GOP will dominate federal policymaking for the next several years – making changes that will affect the nation and the world for generations.
And if we look beyond legislative measures, we also see the worst major-party presidential candidate in history who will have access to nuclear codes.
Yes, there are some political structures and institutions in place that may offer us some semblance of protection, but Trump has made no secret of his hostility towards democratic norms, his indifference towards traditions, and his affinity for authoritarian ideals.
I’m looking for a silver lining. I don’t see one.
US transitions of power peaceful but not always smooth Michael Beschloss, NBC News presidential historian, talks with Rachel Maddow about how Hillary Clinton's winning of the popular vote adds to tensions around the election of Donald Trump, and awkwardness in past presidential transitions.
Anti-Trump protests grip cities nationwide Vaughn Hillyard, reporter for NBC News, talks with Rachel Maddow from outside Trump Tower in New York City where thousands have gathered to protest the election of Donald Trump. Similar protests are taking place across the country.
Thousands protest Trump’s victory around U.S. From Seattle to New York City, Americans went out into the streets to protest Donald Trump’s presidential election victory.
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