This is the final part of a multi part series on two of the most polarizing issues in this country, guns and abortion. Today we look at what needs to be, or can be, done by either side going forward.
The Republican party has devolved into a far right organization that has allowed themselves to be led by a guy under criminal and civil investigation in two states and also by the federal government; an on line influencer calling himself QAnon; a handful of conservative television, print, and radio talking heads; and several deeply flawed thinking ultra right conservative politicians who are determined to bring this country back to the early 1800's. If this is what you dreamed this country should be then you need to just keep doing what you've been doing.
Continue to vote for this direction by voting Republican and your dream of being ruled by an Autocracy will be coming true. If you want to live in a country that wants closed borders to anyone that is not white then keep voting Republican. If you want to live in a country where the government, local, state, and federal, tell you what you can do and when you can do it, then keep voting Republican.
If you don't want any of the above then you need to rethink how things are going to get done. The current way the Democrats are trying to govern is clearly not working. You can't have compromise and dialogue if the other side refuses to participate. Stop trying.
Here are what I believe are the five things that need to be done to turn this country around and get us back on track to the 21st century.
Get out the vote in November and vote out every Republican running. The GOP is intent on destroying everything that most people love about this country and letting even one of them in office, at any level, continues the roadblock to democracy. This is not even close to being a borderline call. Every single Republican running for office needs to be voted against.
Think of this process as a long term, fifty plus years, solution. There needs to be a grass roots campaign, at the local level, to install people who want to see democracy succeed and are willing to do what is necessary to rid this country of extreme far right politics.
Just like the far right has done the Democrats need to create, a radical group to go after pro gun and pro life lobbyists and organizations. They need to be targeting them the way the right has targeted the opposition for fifty years. I don't normally advocate for violence but this is the only thing these groups understand and so that is how they need to be treated.
When given the chance there needs to be an effort to install moderate or liberal judges, either by appointment or by election. This will take many years to accomplish but it needs to be a relentless pursuit if you ever want to change the balance of the courts. All Mitch McConnell did for four years was get far right conservative judges approved in the Senate, he didn't care about governing, only getting judges on the bench.
Finally, the Democrats need to stop this nonsense of trying to create consensus with the GOP. They are not interested in doing this so stop trying. If there are Democrats that refuse to pass bills unless the GOP is on board then the party needs to work on removing them from office also. I'm talking to you Joe Manchin and Krysten Sinema . As a part of this campaign they need to start spreading lies about the GOP in general and individuals in particular along with the single minded goal of destroying the party completely. The good news is that the Republicans can't keep their traps shut, or their pants for that matter, so they create enough bad press on their own to help with this plan.
Enough is enough and it is time to draw a line in the sand. Are we going to be a country that we once were, welcoming people of all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds, helping those that are down on their luck, giving people the right to choose for themselves what direction they want their lives to go, and taking guns out of the hands of people that should not have them, or are we going to just sit around like slugs and allow this country to be overrun by far right extremists.
We need to pass gun laws that don't take guns away from people who want them for whatever reason they want them but use them safely, yet keep them from people who are intent on using them for evil. Background checks, mental health testing, and the elimination of selling them at Holiday Inns on Saturday instead of a licensed gun shop seems reasonable.
As for the abortion issue, this needs to be left to the individuals to decide for themselves what is the right choice for them. This is a medical issue not a constitutional issue. Where the states have decided to make abortions illegal then they need to immediately set up a waiting list of pro lifers, everyone that is pro life must register and be on the list. Once a baby is born, and the mother decides she can't take care of it, no matter the sex, color, or religion, the next person on the list must agree to take it and raise it properly. That includes giving it medical care and educating it with a college education. No options, it is mandatory.
It starts today and it will take time and for those that want to stop the slow but methodical march to our Republic being destroyed. You must be determined to see this all through. It will take the dedication that the other side has shown for the past fifty years. It needs to be passed down to future generations also, just like the right has done, to insure the plan continues.
There is no longer an option. We are at the crossroads of our country's survival and it is up to everyone to get on board to save America.