I have had a small army of people ask that question, in one form or another, ever since the election. I've left them unanswered thus far because I really didn't know, either. There's no precedent for this, no historical guide we can follow. No President in HISTORY has ever been as underqualified as Trump, no President in history has ever been so defined by negativity as Trump, and no President in History has ever been as unPresidential as Trump.
It seems like every day we get new news of Trump's shocking behavior, and then, for those who read between the lines, we see the shocking behavior of Republicans in Congress whom I can only assume are using Trump's antics as a smokescreen. It is disheartening to say the least.
But as President Obama says Goodbye, it's time to move past the stages of grief, and into action, and here is what we do.
1- Ignore Trump. The greatest threats that Donald Trump poses are beyond our ability to control until the next election. This is NOT to say that he is harmless, far from it, but the biggest threat that Donald Trump poses is his amazing ability to command media time in one theater when our attention really should be in another. Trump is a Zaphod Beeblebrox... his job is not to hold power, but rather to distract attention from it.
2- Call your local politicians. Ask for statements. QUOTE those statements. Trump is untouchable to the average voter for four years, but congressmen and some Senators only for two. Let them know that we aren't watching the orange idiot, but rather them, and that when he is behaving like a child, we expect them to act like professionals, or they will be replaced.
3- Find Allies. I KNOW it seems like we're alone, but we're not. We're actually a majority, and more and more Republicans who voted for Trump for reasons beyond thinking he would make a good President are starting to regret those decisions. When you find a sympathetic ear from the other side of the aisle, try not to castigate them, but instead find the common ground (we are all in a terrible, terrible mess,) after all, and try to get them to join their voices to ours. They won't agree with you on many things, or even most things, but if we can agree that we have a calamity of a President and that Congress is behaving poorly behind him, that is enough to start with.
4- Don't waste your energy. We've all been in internet matches with people who wear blinders and sling angry memes rather than engage the conversation. Don't be one of them, and don't allow them to distract you. We can't browbeat people into being allies, and feeding the Trolls just gives them the jollies while wasting our time.
5- If/When the time comes, stand. I've said before that the worst part about Donald Trump, even more than his own crimes and the way he shields other politicians from scrutiny, is his effect on other people. The deplorables who use his election as an excuse to bully, or to sling hate at those they fear. When you see it happening, stand up to it. Defy it. Even if it is done with the flag of our government, defy it.
I hope it never comes to that. I hope the voices of Sanity in the GOP will join the Democrats in protecting Americans regardless of race, creed, or ideology. We just spent eight years under a President who was dedicated to justice, and it was nice. But the executive branch is now, at best, worthless to us.
So if it happens, we will have to stand ourselves.
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