The Machiavellian guide to democrats surviving the Trump presidency

A battle plan must be formulated in this new landscape. Tactics. And Strategy. Short term tactically:

First is to recognize that Trump is not popular with Republican leadership. His platform (term limits, etc) contains multiple divisive positions that should be useful to sow discontent, disagreement, and split the party inside Congress. Democrats will need to maintain a united voting bloc and pick off Republicans to form the necessary plurality.

Second, we need to employ their weapons against them. Obstruction and blaming the party in power has shown itself to be wildly effective to getting back into power. Obstruction will be the name of the game. And given the fascist platform, it is the moral duty of the party of responsibility.

In the short term tactically, this voting bloc needs to be organized and enforced. Understanding of the historical importance of discipline in the face of the election of a neo-fascist is paramount.

Strategically:

Strategically, it is necessary to shore up the defenses and recognize lost battles. The democrats own minorities, youth, and urban centers. The rurals are lost. Like 80% to 20% lost. Sure, pick up an expedient victory if convenient, but this election has shown these people have no rationality and have been permanently poisoned with racist propaganda. They cannot be saved. Most importantly, there is no amount of progressive idealism or reason they will respond too. They are lost to wallowing in racism, and even an economic turnaround would just economically empower those racist desires.

Let me underline this: a century of progressive policy has coddled rural america, fought tooth and nail by Republicans/conservatives. The rural population has rewarded this idealistic caretaking with racist opportunistic voting and cognitive dissonance. Progressives need to stop caring about rural and exurban whites and concentrate on the coming Majority Minority.

So strategically speaking, this 100 year policy of rural progressive programs, from transportation infrastructure, communications, education, electrification, power, welfare, medical care, food, crop insurance, subsidies that benefits the rural white population needs to be reassessed. All of that needs to be abandoned from strategic policy. Sure, lip service is fine, just like the Republican propaganda. In the Age of Internet Propaganda, such things will be necessary.

Here are the programs on the chopping block in pure conservative thinking: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, fair access regulations, and most progressive programs. They desire victories in cuts to entitlements and budget expenditures and regulatory oversight.

THE KEY: Offer them the faustian bargain that they can cut those programs, but only against the rural beneficiaries. Oh sure they will try to negotiate around that, but if they want true cuts to entitlements and progressive programs, and their billionaire masters will make them take those cuts anyway they can, make sure the blowback is on the rural and red states.

Let me emphasize that this is no time for idealism, or to care about the rural communities. They have selected their lot with the Republicans time and time and time again, and given no credit to progressive ideals and programs. Let them feel the love of their masters. Let the Republicans impose their libertarian dreams upon a people that subsist off of the wealth generated by our cities.

Trump has stated that he will remove two regulations for each new one enacted. Oh really? Well, let’s offer up regulations to the chopping block that have benefited rural america, from power regulation, road and bridge maintenance, rural industries, etc.

Education? Cut schools and funding to rural locations, let them do the homeschooling they so deserve.

Farm Subsidies? Emphasize the regulation and government largesse involved, make the Republicans defend it.

Medicare/Medicaid? Just remove those programs from rural hospitals. Very simple. If they want to travel to cities, fine. This is the abortion strategy of republicans: if they can’t ban it, they just make the poor women travel. So fine, apply the same weapon against republicans.

Social Security? Just close the social security offices and stop sending checks. Make them come to urban centers to get them. Same strategy

To emphasize the entitlement cuts: Republican masters have been so desirous of cutting entitlements that they will take any bargain to cut them. All that needs to be stated in response is that the Democrats are compromising with Republicans and this was the only way to do it.

This will be a bitter pill for Democrat idealists to swallow, but the world has changed. Entitlement cuts will cause utter rancor in the rural republican ranks. They may demonize Democrats, but who cares. THEY VOTED 80% AGAINST DEMOCRATS.

This is just another weapon the Republicans have used against minorities for centuries. Since they can’t support them politically, the republicans systematically deny them funding and resources. This is just the same weapon used against them.

Trading regulations or budgets that fit republican ethos but target the rurals (who the Republicans also do not care about as a party) is the critical survival mechanism for successful Democratic survival in this situation.

Suburbia is the big challenge. The literal border between the forsaken and the core demographic. This will take another Republican weapon: The Wedge Issue. I’m not skilled enough to think of these dastardly policy bombs, but they exist, virtually proven by political science.

Rurals are insulated in an echo chamber since they experience none of the benefits of urban lifestyle. Suburbanites however are constantly exposed to the benefits of culture and employment they offer. And they are also among the foremost challenges to solve in democratic ethos.