Can Trumpism be defeated? Absolutely. Here's how. by Bernie Sanders

[Native]

Subtitle: What we are fighting for is not ‘utopian’ or unachievable. Trumpism can and must be defeated
The Guardian, Wed 19 Feb 2025 07.21 EST

I will be doing town meetings in Omaha, Nebraska, this Friday night and Iowa City, Iowa, on Saturday morning. Further, in the coming weeks and months, I and other progressives will be holding grassroots events from coast to coast.

Trumpism will not be defeated by politicians inside the DC beltway. It will only be defeated by millions of Americans, in every state in this country, coming together in a strong, grassroots movement which says no to oligarchy, no to authoritarianism, no to kleptocracy, no to massive cuts in programs that working people desperately need, no to huge tax breaks for the richest people in our country. And that’s what these events are about.

Further, there are a number of congressional districts where Republicans won by only a small number of votes. With the Republican party in the House having only a three-vote majority we can defeat draconian, anti-working-class legislation if just two Republican members of Congress vote no. And they will vote no if we rally their constituents to demand that they vote no.

Can Trumpism be defeated? Absolutely! But, if we’re going to make that happen, we need to know exactly what we’re up against and how we can best go forward. Here’s just some of what we need to know:

My summary of the rest of the article:

* Trumpism has an unlimited amount of money and control of a large portion of the media
* Trumpism is using the concept of the big lie in a way that has never before been seen (blatant lies & conspiracy theories repeated ad nauseam).
* Trumpism doesn't believe in the rule of law, much less democracy.

BUT....
* 60% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck & millions are earning starvation wages.
* 85 million are under or uninsured.
* Young people can't afford college.
* 1/4 of all seniors live on $15k or less each year.
* There's a major shortage of affordable housing.
* We have a higher childhood poverty rate than almost every other major country on this planet.
* Climate Crisis.
* The wealthy have never had it so good.

His advice:
* Never lose sight of the progressive vision. What we are fighting for can be achieved, already exists in other countries, and polls show it's what we want.
* We must establish that -

Healthcare is a human right and must be available to all regardless of income.

Every worker in America is entitled to earn a decent income. We must raise the minimum wage to a living wage and make it easier for workers to join unions.

We must have the best public educational system in the world, from childcare to vocational training, to graduate school – available to all.

We must address the housing crisis and build the millions of units of low-income and affordable housing that we desperately need.

We must create millions of good paying jobs as we lead the world in combating the existential threat of climate change.

We must abolish all forms of bigotry.

*In the coming weeks, Republicans will put forth their reconciliation bill (the economic essence of Trumpism) giving trillions to the wealthy in tax breaks, making the rich richer and the rest of us poorer. IT MUST BE DEFEATED.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/feb/19/trumpism-bernie-sanders