Here’s the context. And also this (note the section on Roman symbolism in that Wiki entry).
This is happening in real time, and will be from now till whenever Trump is forced to stand down. That may not be till Biden is sworn in if he wins (which outcome is closer to being a foregone conclusion after last night’s “debate”).
What’s happening is the official mobilization of the American Fascist Movement (“Amerifa” for the anti-anti-fascists?) by the President of the United States, expressly and in front of billions of viewers, with an expressed target that comprises roughly half of the country, and likely a lot more once the somnambulent among us wake up. Waking them up is part of what needs to happen, of course, but that will come naturally with the main part of what needs to happen now.
What needs to happen now is that the leadership of the Democratic Party needs to send out a precinct-level notice that all local Dem chapters need to conduct Right Wing Interference Awareness seminars for their members, and that the DNC will provide materials on how to safely and peacefully manage possible voter intimidation on all polling places that are in operation between now and Nov 3. We know that early voting is considered by the GOP as a threat to their chances this year so some specific attention must be paid to those polling venues which are open for in-person early voting.
But local Dems across the country, and especially in hotly contested states, need to have a game plan for how to deal with what’s already begun to happen. That game plan should include who to call if voter intimidation is spotted, how to deal with police if they show up, along with strict instructions not to bring weaponry to voting venues and de-escalation training. We can not let this be the beginning of the 2nd American Civil War.
Oh, and a special tutorial on how to operate a phone video camera for the lay person, both for speed, for steadiness, and for best resolution of images. The cell phone is our weapon, if you like.
Biden made a great pitch last night for the mindset that we need to embrace for the next several months: resolutely standing against threats and intimidation around our civic discourse and processes, and being willing to stand against them in real time, and with resources at our disposal.
Speaking of resources, part of what needs to happen is that the DNC and any non profit like the ACLU who has a dog in this hunt should make legal resources available to anyone who wants to report voter intimidation at any location going forward.
That’s all I have. Just tossing this out there because I see the threat looming, the need for public awareness of how to deal with it, and a public pronouncement that the confronting of it peacefully is a very real thing that is going to happen.
Time is short but this can be done; if Randy Rainbow can produce a complete musical number that expertly parodies a Trump stumble within a day or two of the event, this can be pulled off. It must be, imo.
“Amerifa.” I like it.