Great article, and reminder.

A few other things to think about which you have touched on:

1. Don’t catastrophize. People do that all the time. Remember FDR’s admonition: “The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.”

2. Consider that Trump did not get anything like the mandate he thinks. It can easily be argued that Trump won because it was the republicans’ election to lose (Biden presided over a weakening economy and inflation, largely due to COVID). Running Kamala Harris as the candidate was risky business, however competent she is. This country has problems electing a woman executive, and her being black didn’t help. It was not the time to run Kamala.

3. Hold Trump and those who support him, particularly in congress, accountable; record their outrageous statements. They will come back to haunt them. Make them commit to their absurdity.

4. Understand that Trump tends to throw his confederates under the bus, when it suits him. Expect Musk to have tire marks on his back as time goes on. He is a perfect scapegoat for Trump. And turning Musk against Trump is not a bad thing.

5. Encourage our allies to be patient. Remind them that we have been here before and America has ways of correcting its mistakes. They need to step up and take over the laboring oar while America goes thru its virus.

6. Give Trump supporters a way to save face and to vote for someone different. No one likes to admit they were wrong; they often rationalize later that they were deceived by their candidate.

7. Remember that the vote for Trump was basically a vote against government. A lot of people do not trust their government or think it should be replaced. Trump represents a shakeup; anyone running against him or his kind in the future needs to understand this and address it. Our constitution needs some tweaking for sure: presidential pardon powers, federal judicial appts and terms, DOJ authority, the Emoluments clause, executive immunity…