We Can Stop Talking About Trump Now

                In the wake of the beautiful marches all across the country last Saturday, I think we have seen the beginnings of a new politics and a new vision for America.  That vision was diffuse and diverse and included a range of generations, identities, and issues.  It focused on what was unifying and not on the specifics of any one agenda.  To realize the potential it revealed, I think it has to do one more thing: it has to stop talking about Donald Trump.

                Trump was obviously the catalyst for the March.  It is the opposition to his ideas and values (he doesn’t really have policies) that made so many people come together to resist.  But we’ve seen his act.  He will continue to defy logic and reality.  He will trot out little minions spouting nonsense about ‘alternative facts,’ and he will continue his utter lack of decency.  He will always be stupid, reckless and incoherent, and we will, of course, have to resist his actions.  But there is no future that honors the spirit of the marches that keeps a focus on him.  Trump is an energy sink.  He will absorb and devour all the attention we give him.  Maybe the best thing to do is to ignore him.

                I’ve been part of protests that were fueled by anger – anger against a war or a policy, but Saturday didn’t seem like another one of those.  Maybe because it was organized and lead by women.  It seemed so much more inclusive and tolerant.  There were no pictures of burning limos or smashed windows.  After a campaign that failed to stop his rise to the presidency, the marches seemed like the ideal way to blunt his power.  People marched for something.  They drove across the country in the dark and the fog and crashed on couches in the living rooms of people they barely knew in order to show up and be heard.  Their signs and chants were funny and sometimes profane—as any carnival should be—but their intention was essentially humane. 

                Trump made us realize that if we want a better future we have to make it; it won’t happen on its own.  He made it possible for 2 million people on the streets and millions more at home to find each other.  Now that we have, let’s not let go.  The politics and future we want should be built to honor the people who are important to us and not just to negate Trump.  We need to remember the people who inspired us, who made – and still make – us believe we can be better.  We need to honor the people we love, the ones we get up every day to protect and care for.  We need to honor our mentors and teachers and accept responsibility for the ones who see us in those roles. 

                Focusing on Trump is a one way ticket to the bottom.  There is nothing there worth building on.  We can be vigilant without becoming obsessed with his tawdry and childish actions.  It’s important to organize – it’s even more important to organize the- right way and for the right reasons.