Midterms, Midterms, Midterms
It's not too early to start thinking about them.
Assuming we are able to flip both the house and senate we have a pathway to escape this hellscape two years early. One might think we can move to impeach, which we can, but it has to be acted on by the senate, which would require two-thirds majority — something that’s unlikely to happen. Trump has too many sycophants within reach of his tiny orange hands.
What we are able to do to is start removing powers from the president. While it’s ideal that the president has power to do something like create emergency tariffs in times of war or extreme urgency, it’s also ideal that we have a president that doesn’t start an insurrection — we don’t always get what we need. The power to tariff is something the senate controls and have allowed to be delegated to the president.
Tariffs aren’t something the president was always able to enact. The idea was only introduced about 50 years ago. The Trade Act of 1974 was meant to be temporary and to allow the creations of temporary tariffs. It was renewed a few times until the Obama administration re-introduced the power as part of the Trade Act of 2002. Each time it was extended or brought back into fruition there were good reasons to be doing so; funnily enough, it was originally used to open up, not close off trade with foreign entities.
The lord (or the senate) giveth and the lord taketh.
If it wasn’t obvious, that’s all to say we are able to reduce the powers of the executive branch in a few years. The 80 year old Trump at that time won’t have much of a bite when we take away his dentures.
As the tariffs start to harm every day people, they will know who to blame. AOC and Bernie have been touring to make people aware of who’s causing all of this. It has nothing to do with the myth of the “poor economy” Biden left us; it was a recovery that helped America restore normality faster from the pandemic than any other country and it was strong enough to let Trump coast along… if he didn’t put his grubby little fingers on it. Republicans have shut down many of their townhalls, while people like Tim Waltz swoop in and listens to the people who are trying to share their outcries. 50501 has been organizing and joining in on massive protests globally and domestically, so they are doing their part as well (you can join in too!). As long as we keep chanting in the streets and talking to the people affected we stand a chance, since the message will still be live and well.
But two years feels seemingly forever away as Trump and his cronies cause mass disarray, which is exactly why we need to start thinking about the midterms now. No one said it would be easy or that there was a quick fix. People of all ages need the legislative branch to flip; more is on the line than any other time in recent history. It’s not often we find ourselves pressed under the thumb of a dictator, so it’s critical we stay vigilant, united, and heard.