Thread by @RealRichWilkins

Let’s talk about America, the #TrumpShutdown, Donald Trump, the @womensmarch, and @TheDemocrats on 1/20/18, one year into Trump’s American carnage.

1. First off- the positive point for America at one year- we are still here. We’re still alive. We’re not yet at collapse. The economic progress of @BarackObama’s administration has continued so far.

2. But things are rough under the surface. The judiciary is packed with unqualified conservative hacks. We’re destroying our standing in the world. Medicare and Medicaid are under attack. Our tax code is being used to give away our treasury.

3. Donald Trump is doing long term damage to the country. He’s in way over his head. He doesn’t understand the constitution, legislation, or how to run the government. The damage will be bad.

4. We’re seeing his inability now. The #TrumpShutdown is going on because of his inability to settle on a legislative deal. He wants to cater to his base so badly that he keeps going back on deals.

5. The man is incapable of doing his job and he’s reprehensible as a person. His words about women, about Haitians and Africans, his school yard taunts, they all make his friends and foes not want to negotiate with him.

6. We’re seeing the energy against him manifest itself in the streets today with the @womensmarch going on in cities and states across the country. Millions took to the streets against him on his one year anniversary in office.

7. But the entire political process is not Donald Trump. @TheDemocrats matter too, and well, we need some work. Like, lots of work.

8. The @DNC is considering a flawed, voter suppressing plan being pushed by the corrupted URC to push caucuses. They want to weaken Democratic Party membership by letting socialists vote in open primaries.

9. We’re listening to the most flawed voices in our party. Cornel West, who attacked President Obama. Nina Turner, who is endorsing non-Democrats. James Zogby and Nomiki Konst, who spend their time on here ambushing good Democrats.

10. So it goes without saying that I am calling on @TomPerez and @TheDemocrats to reject the Unity Reform Commission’s flawed report and to continue to value the votes of actual Democrats.

11. But think big picture optics on 1/20/18- we have the sh*thole President, with the lowest approval in 75 years, a government shutdown, people marching in the streets against the year old Presidency, and the DNC possibly devaluing our own voters.

12. It would be easy to think the Democrats will win the 2018 midterm, despite their problems. The President and his party are inept and unpopular. The Democrats have all this energy out in the streets. It’s not that simple though.

13. The problem the Democrats face is that our energy is in our base. We need to appeal to an even broader base- especially in Congressional races. We face a geography bias against us.

14. A series of rallies in “blue” America has value in the sense that everyone should voice their opinions in times of crisis like this. The truth though is, it isn’t converting the additional voters we need to make change.

15. Pennsylvania doesn’t flip back because of intense voices in Philadelphia, nor does Wisconsin in Madison. It’s important that women raise their voices today. It’s important we reach out to more people tomorrow.

16. There is a group we have to reach. They occupy the political space between Donald Trump’s lowest level approval at 32% and the overall 52% that didn’t back Hillary. We have to reach some of them.

17. There is a huge portion of Trump’s vote (the 32%) who are as ugly inside as he is. There’s another 14% of the population that helped him to 46%, but don’t always like him. They live in the districts we need to flip.

18. They don’t totally agree with us. We don’t totally agree with us. We need them back. These battles with the radicals of the Alt-Left don’t help us get there. Tracking to the extremes doesn’t get us closer to them.

19. I love Hillary, but that version of the Democrats didn’t reach them. The Alt-Left won’t reach them either. We have to find a new track.

20. We have to fight for our base against voter suppression, for the DREAMer needing DACA, for higher wages and unions, for women’s rights and help, to protect the LGBT commmunity from discrimination, and generally for fairness.

21. But we have to do more. We won’t get there following the extremists like Nina Turner. We won’t get there just talking to each other. We won’t get there just opposing Trump.

22. So at one year into this American carnage, Trump is as bad as we thought. We still have work to do to be up to the task of defeating him though.