Strategy Reading: Pence the lesser of two evils

[tassosss]

via siderea  by way of dewline 
reposted with permission


This article by Jonathan Crowe, Opposition in the Age of Gish Gallops proposes a strategy for the Medium Game. In summary, he observes:

• Yes, actually, from a world-annihilation standpoint, Pence as president is a superior choice to Trump.

• There is no way to get rid of Trump procedurally without the Republicans in Congress helping.

• It's going to suck to be a Republican in Congress under Trump, for reasons he explains.

• Republicans in Congress will stick with Trump not out of loyalty but fear of reprisal.

• If the Republicans in Congress lose their fear of Trump's reprisal, or fear something else more, they will gladly throw Trump under the bus in a heartbeat.

• Trump will no doubt be eminently impeachable, should they ever be minded to do so.

• Therefore it should be the Left's focus to foment strife between Trump and the Republican Congress.
I'm not doing his argument justice. Go check it out. Strongly recommended.

Comments

[lightbird]

Thank you so much for linking this. Really thoughtful and helpful article (and the post by Abi Sutherland that Crowe linked to was helpful as well).

[lynnenne]

I agree. Pence' views and social policies are reprehensible - but Trump is a threat to American democracy in particular and life on this planet in general.

[sathari]

This is FANTASTIC--- it dovetails nicely with that issue several of us have been talking about regarding activism fatigue, that whole issue of "a thousand terrible things" (/Qui-gon Jinn) coming at us. So maybe we need a discussion post around which issues we think are most base-breakable, and with which Senators?

In my heart of hearts, I want to take aim at Sessions' stance on asset forfeiture, since a) that is actually a comparatively big scary stick Trump can use (or have the AG's office use) on anyone who stands up to him, in exactly the way he's using Twitter and Breitbart et al now and b) it's one that's likely to be disturbing to those very one-percenter types who are the establishment GOP's base--- now Trump doesn't have to make a deal, he can just find a way to accuse you of a crime and then have Sessions and Co. take your stuff. (Also, per the Politico article about the browbeating, I might just have to send Mark Sanford an email thanking him for his comments about free speech... and reminding him that the majority of Americans who didn't vote for this mess will be watching for Republican leadership with courage.)

That said, I think the ACA might be another, better place for pushing? Edit: After reading the Jeet Heer tweets, Medicare cuts might be even better, or rather the two together! Again, discussion time!

[novel_machinist]

I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with the idea that Pence is going to be better than Trump. Pence makes his goals of a Theocracy sound reasonable when he speaks. Make no mistake that his goal is to create an isolationist Theocracy and then move to take over as much as he can in the "name of god".

Indiana has an aids epidemic right now, one that Pence's refusal to join a needle exchange directly caused. He's pro conversion therapy, anti public education. Measures have gone into making school buses privatized. Considering the number of rural poor in the state, it could leave many students without access to an education.

I'm not just upset that Republicans are in power. I'm worried that my marriage is going to be criminalized. I worry that's what the Republicans actually WANT. I worry that Pence is going to do irreparable damage from the inside, not the outside.

Furthermore, I don't think Trump is BRAVE enough to start a full scale war with anyone. I also don't think that any country is going to let itself be offended into starting one with that blowhard either.

Pence is far more dangerous because he's insidious, intelligent, and above all else, believes that he is the righteous tool of his god that will purge this country of evil and become a bastion of his narrow definition of godly and just.