The approaching days of Donald Trump’s ascension to the United States presidency is concerning. More concerning than having someone highly unqualified are the seemingly tepid preparation of the media and the resistance — read Progressives — for the catastrophic change, he will unleash on us all.
The President-elect used the media during the primaries and the 2016 national election for over $2 billion of free airtime. The media was not being generous. Trump’s stupor attracted eyeballs, clicks, and income. Look, the media needs income to survive, however, bringing the eyeballs without adding value is tantamount to pilfering the viewers in more ways than one. First, they allowed Trump to masquerade truths without substantive pushback in real-time. And second, instead of educating the new baskets of eyeballs, they only prepared them for the next batch of Trumpisms.
At first, the media never believed Donald Trump could be elected. As it became apparent that he might, many tireless journalists whose investigative work went minimally reported by the major networks started to get covered. By then, it was too late in the states that mattered. Trump had already trained those voters that anything the press reported about him was a lie or biased. He had already taught them to believe the truth came from his Twitter feed or his spokespeople.
Trump now seems to have the media where he wants them. He gives no real press conferences. They report most of his news based on his Twitter feed. And when he speaks to them directly as he is walking around in Trump Tower, he strategically uses them to lie on live TV which gets debunked at a later time when fewer eyeballs are watching. Brilliant.
And then there are the progressives and their responses to the impending policy disaster. Have you looked at your inbox lately? Every single progressive organization is justifiably scaring you about what a Trump administration means. And along with scaring you comes the ask. Many of these organizations or reliable groups that are investing their money in keeping us abreast of what’s going on from a policy standpoint and more. Others claim they are preparing for action.
The question that one must ponder is, what are the best options we should take? First of all, do donate to those progressive organizations where you see actual and useful work getting done. Donate to alternative media organizations with a liberal point of view.
There are many protests scheduled for Trump’s inauguration. That is great. But one or two days of protests are not enough. Maybe I am blind, but I do not yet see a developing and organized form of opposition ready to go on beyond January. But guess what? You can start one in your district and inform the alternative media about it with pictures, videos, blogs, etc. as you get on the front line with your neighbors.
The Republicans are likely to have bills ready for Trump’s signature on January 20th. We need to make Americans aware of these laws. They need to be prepared to take action before the vote occurs. And they need to be ready to personalize the damage these bills will have on the Trump voter early on. Trump wants to be loved as much as he wants to be rich. If he sees a fracture within his supporter base, it may give him pause.
Going forward, we must organize protests in every single congressional district. They must be targeted with specifics, however. They must include options that counter the Republican proposals in a manner that personalizes it for the Trump voter, for all Americans. These protests must be TEA Party like but based on facts in a form that is digestible by those who are not very curious or are not adept at deep thinking.
Trump is a nightmare for both Progressives and the media. As he shuts out an unprepared media, there is a vacuum that is left. Some see this as a danger. I see this as an opportunity. We know that Donald Trump is likely a godsend to a segment of the plutocracy. We are well aware much of the mainstream media are wards of the entire plutocracy. As such, real progressives can play the mainstream media against itself. We create narratives that are just at the tipping point for mainstream media coverage. And we use the alternative media to amplify the story. It is what many bloggers do now, but as a designed modus operandi, we can make a difference.
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