Even a 4 year old knows when " the big people" are bluffing and when they'd better behave or face

[Atticus]

immediate punishment. When little Johnny hears "If you don't stop pouring grape juice on Aunt Betty's sofa, YOU'RE GONNA BE SORRY!", but he's heard that warning many times and no one has ever "made him sorry", Aunt Betty's going to have a purple sofa.

It is written somewhere in "Parenting 101" that rules that are not enforced are useless. None of the above is news to anyone, so what's my point?

It is just that we have witnessed Trump violate the laws, defy court rulings and ignore long-accepted customs of civility and ethical behavior.

We have heard McConnell and numerous other Republican senators boast about their plans to openly violate their oath to be impartial in the impeachment trial.

We have struggled to endure the cognitive dissonance we experience when we hear Republicans denying what we heard them say just hours before.

What punishment has been meted out to any of these people? Are we to merely sit in embarrassed silence while they run amok like self-centered brats---"rules be damned"? Are we really "the adults in the room" or not?

[leftieNanner]

1. We are, indeed, the adults in the room

Unfortunately, we are only one parent, and the Orange Brat keeps running to the other parent (Moscow Mitch et al) to get our judgements overruled. I'm afraid there isn't anything else we can do besides the Impeachment right now. Calling our Republican Senators (mine are both Dems) and pounding on them to DO SOMETHING with this trial. The ones who are up for election this year are particularly vulnerable.

Last night I attended a Neighborhood Leaders meeting (a part of our local Indivisible effort). We are each taking our own neighborhoods and given a list of Democratic registered voters (Independents as well) and we will be knocking on doors when we get closer to the Primaries and then the General to get our Blue voters to actually vote! One ballot at a time, baby!

If we do not prevail with both the Senate and the White House, then we are in deep trouble.

[llmart]

2. I really hope I don't sound snarky here but...

just who is supposed to administer this punishment and how are "we" supposed to do that?

[Atticus]

3. "We" could be filling the National Mall in protest of just about everything this regime is about.

"We" could be shutting down business as usual until this aberrant evil clown is removed from office.

"We" could be PUBLICLY---to friends, neighbors and family---be calling Trump what he is: an evil, lying, maniac who is for sale to the highest bidder and open to blackmail for everything from sexual perversion to money laundering.

"We" could be going door to door to register voters and then get them to the polls on election day.

I do not consider your post as snark. You asked a question and I have suggested some answers. If we are not doing EVERYTHING possible to stop this slide toward authoritarianism, we are "letting it happen".

[llmart]

4. Well, personally I think I'm doing as much as I possibly can.

I have written so many letters to my rep who is GOP and announced he wasn't running again. I do denounce trump and the GOP to every one I know, but then the people/family/friends I am in constant contact with are all anti-trump. I have not gone door to door to register voters, but at almost 71 years old, my door to door days are over, especially in winter. I spread the word in my senior community that they should all make sure they are on our township's permanent absentee ballot list. Some of them are still stuck in "old school" mode where they feel they have to go to the polls personally. If it's a day they're not feeling well, then they may not go, and I know which ones whose health is iffy at best which is why I tactfully tell them I can help help them sign up for the permanent list online if they'd like. Many of them are not computer literate.

As far as shutting down business as usual, I'm not sure what that entails.

I think there are a lot of DU'ers who are trying to do what they can. My son goes door to door in Florida to canvas for Dems (now that I wrote that it's occurred to me that these days that could be dangerous). I brought him up right. My daughter is also a Dem and always votes Dem, but as a relatively new mother with a full time job, she has very little time. I brought her up right also.

Back in my youth, it was mostly the youth that marched on Washington. I've done that during Dubya's lead up to his illegal war and in my state capitol for gun control during the Million Mom's March in 2000. The numbers of people at both of those events were phenomenal, but it didn't do any good. We have even more mass shootings twenty years later, and Dubya's illegal war cost many, many people their lives for nothing. Then there were the huge women's marches not only here but around the world. We marched and carried signs. He's still occupying our White House.

I'm getting a bit discouraged. I guess I'm slowly sinking into the notion that my years are numbered on this earth and isn't it about time the younger people picked up the torch? I was so heartened when the Occupy Wall Street movement was going on because that seemed to be young people, but you see where that ended up. As I said, I'm just discouraged. I'll still do what I can.

[Atticus]

5. Thank you for your thoughtful response and for your activism. nt