Grassroots Pushback Against Trump And His Congressional Enablers

Early yesterday morning, the Wall Street Journal ran a piece by Reid Epstein, GOP’s Tough Task in House Races: Reach Beyond Trump’s Base, pointing out that endangered Republicans must find supporters who will vote for them even though they disapprove of Señor Trumpanzee. "One of the biggest questions facing House Republicans seeking re-election in November is this: How popular is President Trump in their district? In every competitive congressional special election since Mr Trump was inaugurated, the Republican candidate won or lost by a margin that mirrored the gap between the president's approval and disapproval ratings in the district or state at the time. DCCC chairman Ben Ray Luján was happy to remind them that "If you look at our battlefield, 55 districts, the president is underwater in every one of those 55 districts across America."

No normal Americans think he's doing a good job-- only he and his brainwashed imbecilic supporters-- about a third of the voting population-- do. The Republican operatives charged with keeping midterm losses to a minimum are already getting desperate. No one has ever seen such ugly, vicious campaign ads this early in the cycle. Paul Ryan's slimy corporately-funded SuperPAC is running TV and radio ads that are so negative and so filled with distortions and invective that it is obvious that they're made to just turn people, primarily independent voters, off from voting. In Iowa, for example, they hope to save the seats of 3 endangered Trump rubber-stamps-- Rod Blum, David Young and Steve King-- by ruthlessly exploiting the tragic murder of Mollie Tibbetts.

Yesterday, Rod Tibbetts turned the tables on them and burned their asses with an OpEd in the Des Moines Register: Don't distort her death to advance racist views. Republican racists ignored his requests to stop using his daughter's death to promote the vile, divisive, hate-filled agenda. He wrote that they have "chosen to callously distort and corrupt Mollie’s tragic death to advance a cause she vehemently opposed. I encourage the debate on immigration; there is great merit in its reasonable outcome. But do not appropriate Mollie’s soul in advancing views she believed were profoundly racist."

Please leave us out of your debate. Allow us to grieve in privacy and with dignity. At long last, show some decency. On behalf of my family and Mollie’s memory, I’m imploring you to stop.

Throughout this ordeal I’ve asked myself, “What would Mollie do?” As I write this, I am watching Sen. John McCain lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda and know that evil will succeed only if good people do nothing. Both Mollie and Senator McCain were good people. I know that both would stand up now and do something.

The person who is accused of taking Mollie’s life is no more a reflection of the Hispanic community as white supremacists are of all white people. To suggest otherwise is a lie. Justice in my America is blind. This person will receive a fair trial, as it should be. If convicted, he will face the consequences society has set. Beyond that, he deserves no more attention.

To the Hispanic community, my family stands with you and offers its heartfelt apology. That you’ve been beset by the circumstances of Mollie’s death is wrong. We treasure the contribution you bring to the American tapestry in all its color and melody. And yes, we love your food.

My stepdaughter, whom Mollie loved so dearly, is Latina. Her sons-- Mollie’s cherished nephews and my grandchildren-- are Latino. That means I am Hispanic. I am African. I am Asian. I am European. My blood runs from every corner of the Earth because I am American. As an American, I have one tenet: to respect every citizen of the world and actively engage in the ongoing pursuit to form a more perfect union.

Given that, to knowingly foment discord among races is a disgrace to our flag. It incites fear in innocent communities and lends legitimacy to the darkest, most hate-filled corners of the American soul. It is the opposite of leadership. It is the opposite of humanity. It is heartless. It is despicable. It is shameful.

We have the opportunity now to take heed of the lessons that Mollie, John McCain and Aretha Franklin taught-- humanity, fairness and courage. For most of the summer, the search for Mollie brought this nation together like no other pursuit. There was a common national will that did transcend opinion, race, gender and geography. Let’s not lose sight of that miracle. Let’s not lose sight of Mollie.

Instead, let’s turn against racism in all its ugly manifestations both subtle and overt. Let’s turn toward each other with all the compassion we gave Mollie. Let’s listen, not shout. Let’s build bridges, not walls. Let’s celebrate our diversity rather than argue over our differences. I can tell you, when you’ve lost your best friend, differences are petty and meaningless.

My family remains eternally grateful to all those who adopted Mollie so completely and showered us with so much care, compassion and generosity. Please accept our desire to remain private as we share our loss. We love Mollie with all our hearts and miss her terribly. We need time.

This is the inevitable outgrowth of hateful shallow misanthropes electing one of their own-- with help from America's arch-enemy-- to the presidency. We have to fight back. I'm not thrilled, for example, with 2 of the 3 Democrats running for those Iowa seats. The only one I feel is truly worth voting for is J.D. Scholten, Steve King's opponent. But the hell with purism in 2018. Trump is too much of an existential threat to our nation, our democracy, our families to worry about Democrats not quite good enough. We need to elect Abby Finkenauer and Cindy Axne as much as we have to elect J.D. Scholten. Trump and his enablers are going to destroy what Americans have been fighting for since the Boston Teas Party in 1773 and the battles at Lexington and Concord in 1775.

It was very gratifying yesterday to see at Axios that David Hogg, one of the leaders of the students responding to the Parkland massacre, has a tangible plan to make a real difference. What he's doing should be a model for grassroots action across the country. He's using Trump's truthful and sensible tweet against Ted Cruz in the Texas Senate election, by putting it on billboards all over the state.

David Hogg, a Parkland school shooting survivor and founder of the activist group Never Again MSD, has helped to raise close to $10,000 through GoFundMe to pin a 2016 tweet from President Trump attacking Sen. Ted Cruz on a billboard in Texas.

The big picture: The joint venture between Hogg and the liberal Mad Dog PAC highlights GoFundMe as one of the moment's hottest political fundraising tools. And it's a perfect example of Hogg's social media savvy, which he and other Parkland survivors have utilized to amplify their political message ahead of this fall's midterm elections.

Beto has his own campaign to win the Texas Senate seat, absolutely blowing up, money pouring in from all over Texas and all over the country. He and Cruz have each raised $23 million so far-- Beto's completely from individuals, primarily in small contributions. Most of Cruz's money comes from the very wealthy and from corporate support. His biggest contributor is Woodforest Financial Group, with loads of cash flowing his way from extreme right PACs and corporate entities like Lockheed Martin, Goldman Sachs, Quantum Energy Partners and the Wilks brothers (two religionist maniacs who only have one position: intense homophobia). As of the June 30 FEC reporting deadline Cruz had $9,299,365 on hand-- and Beto had $13,961,358. That's why Trump is rushing to Texas for one of his neo-Nazi rallies to raise him some money. You can contribute directly to Beto's campaign by clicking on the thermometer on the right.

Meanwhile, one of the many banes of Trump's increasingly miserable existence is planning a counter-rally in whichever city Trump holds his pro-Ted Cruz rally. Michael Avenatti isn't fooling around and playing nice with the would-be dictator and his rubber-stamps: "When they go low, I say, we hit harder."