A "Forgotten" Founder Has Wisdom For US

A few months ago, one of my dear friends delivered a toast to Thomas Paine at a veterans’ dinner in Florida. I have referred to Paine as a “forgotten” Founding Father (Abigail Adams certainly belongs in that category as well-her numerous letters to her husband, John, certainly influenced the young Republic and her contributions should be appreciated more) due to his rhetorical brilliance to secure victories on the rhetorical, moral, and philosophical fronts for the Revolution. Simply put, he has earned his place among the giants like Washington, Jefferson, Madison, and the rest.

The first two sentences of his pamphlet, “The American Crisis,” speaks to where we are as a country: “These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.” Like the Winter of 1776, those words are desperately needed now.

Thomas Paine

Like Hell, Trump and his cult will not be easily conquered. We are facing a would-be king, aided and abetted by a Congress of Cowards and lackeys in the federal workforce. This massive overreach of Presidential power is unprecedented in American history. We will have to rely on each other and work to deliver ourselves and our democracy; our Constitution.

You can be part of MAGA or you can believe in democracy. You cannot do both.

Republicans and MAGA - there is no distinction, anymore - want us to feel alone, upset, powerless, and hopeless. We are not. There are actionable things we can do to fight back, much like our forebears did in that brutal 1776 winter.

The Crossing of the Delaware

The Battle of Trenton, a minor pinprick of a battle, served to rally the Patriot Cause to eventually victory and independence. Yorktown could not have been won in 1781 if not for Trenton in the closing days of 1776. So too is our focus: we will not win in one glorious moment. When that time comes-and indeed, it will-our victory will be built on the foundation of small wins across the country over months and years.

So how are we going to defeat Trump and MAGA?

1: Take Care of Ourselves and Our Community

If you do nothing but worry about this every minute of every day, you will burn out. You will be consumed. Even under this wanna-be authoritarian regime, you need to find outlets to live. Friends, family, and hobbies will be very important. Similarly, check in on those in your life who need help: maybe its an older neighbor who needs help carrying groceries. Maybe it’s someone undocumented that needs legal help you can connect them with.

Are you also getting some exercise in? Is your financial house in order? I am not an expert in either, but even I know that I need 3 months living expenses more than the latest liberal SuperPAC needs $20. I don’t need to be a marathoner to get a half-hour run in at the gym. Having some peace of mind and doing some physical exercise will make this more bearable.

2: Show Up

Is there a Congressional town hall in your community or nearby? Go.

Is there a state budget hearing or rules public hearing? Go (once you’ve done some research).

Some local popup protest from a local group? Go.

All of these things are important because public pressure matters. If the elite law firms and corporations are buckling to political pressure, then We the People will not be silenced nor give quarter.

Few people understand that the biggest impact they can make is locally. Are you going to city council/county board/school board meetings? Their committee meetings?

The idea of going to all of them alone is ludicrous. Bring a friend and a notebook. Pick one or two that are easy for you to go (maybe after the gym!) and fit within your schedule. These are usually sleepy affairs and fly under the radar, but I’ve seen entire bodies swayed by one or two people at a single public comment session or force the body to delay their action. Speak, even if your voice quakes.

General Grant

3: Find Your Niche

You cannot be all things to all people. Don’t let people push you into doing more than you physically can. I work two jobs, volunteer at the library, am working with some coworkers to build a union, raise money for my county Dems, and have a relationship that is getting rather serious. I’m not doing everything equally well, nor should I. Time is the ultimate finite resource and needs to be spent appropriately.

You need to put up some guardrails for your own sanity and health. This is not an excuse to duck out of responsibility-if all you’re doing is watching CNN and posting on social media, then I expect you to do something more substantial. Do something imperfectly. Do something you’re unsure about. You’ll have at least done something.

If you’re dying to know, I’m putting the most effort into my relationship and my day job-let’s say that my “A+” effort. My second job is in “B” territory: I try to help out my coworkers, don’t put a foot wrong, do things well, but I’m not going to die on the hill.

County Dems and the union are in “C” territory. I’m happy to let someone more senior and was in the union take the lead on this. I’ll support the team as much as I can, have those conversations, and build the movement, but I’m keeping that restricted to work hours. For the Dems, I go to the meetings and plan with my committee, but I’m doing more delegating than working, which helps. Since we are not doing a summer or fall fundraiser this year, most of our work is completed within committee meetings.

I am failing at the library. I haven’t set foot in there in two months. I cannot be all things to all people.

While the stakes are high, do not give up hope. We are Americans. We do not cave to terror, to hopelessness, to fascism. Take care of yourself, show up, and find your niche. Make things part of your routine and share this with some friends. We will get through this. We are the last, best hope for our democracy, our Constitution, the world. Make Thomas Paine proud of you as you read his words, 250 years after he put quill to parchment: “Not a man lives on the continent but fully believes that a separation must some time or other finally take place, and a generous parent should have said, “If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace;” and this single reflection, well applied, is sufficient to awaken every man to duty.”

America needs her patriot-sons and patriot-daughters. Are you among them?