Supporting Democrats in 2018 to Counter Trump

My reaction to Trump being elected president was pretty extreme. I was so shocked and horrified, I felt compelled to do something about it, something big.  So, I decided to run for president myself, a Quixotic venture that I put on hold after a few months of exploration. I have since been spending my time observing and studying the nation’s politics. My shock and horror has turned into grave concern. I remain compelled to do something, but to take more reasoned, pragmatic actions.

I believe that one of the biggest problems is our two-party political system. Having only two parties limits choice, polarizes, magnifies money’s influence, facilitates media manipulation, dumbs down debate, and just doesn’t seem to fit our diverse, multicultural country. Breaking the entrenched political duopoly is a monumental challenge. The existing alternative parties represent a small proportion of voters and thus haven’t been viable challengers at a national scale.  Starting a viable new party that would attract a broad swath of mainstream voters is a daunting prospect, but something I see worth exploring for the long term. For now, the only practical action I can see taking against the two-party system is to support independent candidates. I’ll write more about that in another post.

My objection to our corrupt, two-party, money-driven system has kept me away, on principle, from actively participating in Democrat vs. Republican politics. Until now. Our president is clearly not fit to govern, is destroying our civility and has weakened us internationally. The Republican majority in Congress has largely aided and abetted Trump’s destructive leadership, while proposing and passing legislation that can at best can be called hurriedly deceptive and at worst, negligent and cruel.

There is a viable opportunity to achieve Democrat majorities in the House and Senate after the mid-term elections this year. Unlike some, I don’t see removing Trump from office as the goal of winning these majorities, unless new facts are uncovered. It’s likely that one third of the country will see such an action as a coup d’état, proof of one or more conspiracy theories and disenfranchising. A better and more practical goal is for Democratic legislative majorities to provide the check and balance we need on a chaotic, mercurial, incompetent president who will otherwise continue to do great harm to our nation.

So, I’ve started to educate myself on the upcoming congressional elections in November to figure out how a Democratic majority could be achieved. Which incumbent Democrats will face contested elections? Where can a Democrat successfully challenge a Republican incumbent?

A good starting point are the 2018 Senate and House interactive maps at 270towin.com. The Democrats need to pick up a net 16 seats to take control of the House and the House map currently shows they have six seats at risk, 20 races considered “toss-ups”, and 21 opportunities to win seats currently held by Republicans. In the Senate, the Democrats only have to pick up two net seats and the Senate map currently shows 11 seats at risk, five toss-up races and two opportunities to unseat Republicans. That seems like a favorable battlefield to me.

So, for the specific goal of checking President Trump’s power, I’m temporarily compromising on my political independence and non-partisanship and supporting Democratic candidates in these contested elections.  It’s not that I’m for Democrats and against Republicans, or for liberals and against conservatives. I’m simply choosing to support Democratic candidates in the mid-term election because I believe that if they hold a majority in Congress, the country will be better off while Trump is president. It would result in a political stalemate until the next election in 2020. Democrat’s attempts at any significant legislation over the next two years would be blocked by presidential veto. Serious problems will continue to go unsolved and polarization will likely get worse, but I believe less harm will be done. The threat of impeachment might also tone down Mr. Trump’s wildest bad behavior a bit, too.

This will be my first foray into congressional elections beyond my home state of California, although there are 10 races currently considered contested here that will certainly get my attention.  I’ll be researching the contested races, figuring out which ones to focus on and then on what I can do for the candidates I chose to support. And, yes, that will include making and helping to raise campaign contributions, another temporary compromise of principle in my fight against a clear and present danger.

I’ll return to my non-partisanship and opposition to money politics after the mid-term elections. I am hopeful that by 2020 voters will be tired of the Trump drama and support Republican, Democratic and independent candidates that seek to unify the country, work purposefully towards thoughtful, solid solutions to our biggest problems, and restore America’s power and image on the world stage.