There is a Plan—But It’s Not Trump’s
by Charlie Conrad
I want to take this opportunity to respond to What Plan? , Marty Wilde’s insightful article of Feb. 10, 2025. I agree, Trump doesn’t have a plan to run the government, partly because he doesn’t know how the government runs, nor does he care. As the poster child for narcissism, Trump has the sole purpose of protecting his ego. Everything he says and does serves this single purpose. When Trump was elected in 2016, I was one of those who at first greeted the news with stark disbelief. Then I tried to convince myself (futile hope, really) that there was a chance he would step up to the plate and do something worthwhile. Nope; no chance.
I now understand the real implications of Trump’s claim that his inauguration attendance was larger than Obama’s, despite evidence to the contrary documented in pictures. His message? “It doesn’t matter what you see or hear, I will tell you what to believe. The basis for your belief is that I am ‘perfect.’ And everything I do and say is perfect.”
Who has a plan, given that Trump doesn’t? His political accomplices do. Their plan? Massage Trump’s ego and unleash the wrecking ball to sow chaos, intensify the friction between factions, capitalize on mis/disinformation to their benefit, and create an international leadership void that can be filled by…. I don’t know, maybe Russia? This week alone Trump and Vance certainly seem amenable to acquiescing to Putin’s needs and wants: returning Russia to the G7, undermining Ukraine’s ability to negotiate, selling India F35 fighter jets that would be accessible for Russia to inspect, and weakening NATO. These are just a few of President Trump’s actions that ultimately benefit Russia and give them something to discuss further during their visits.
The difficulty for most of us is figuring out when Trump is simply lying or embedding a dog-whistle to his far-right supporters or engaging in meaningless word-salad or accurately stating his future actions. Actions versus words, signal versus noise. The plan is to use political technology (developed by Russia) to disguise and obfuscate the true intent, which is to destabilize the United States and empower Russia, while ensuring that oligarchies in both countries obey their rulers. The overwhelming flood of information--accurate, false, semi-true, contradictory, unclear, and divisive--creates cognitive fatigue for people attempting to decipher and understand the news. We find it easier to either believe it all or ignore it all.
The burgeoning American oligarchy already fulfilled a key obligation for maintaining their status: obedience in advance. They performed the requisite public submissive rituals, such as limiting publication of pieces critical of Trump and contributing to his inauguration fund.
As I work to follow, understand, and contextualize the truly astounding developments in this unprecedented era we live in, I remember the four foundational tenets of a democracy:
1. Free, fair, and competitive elections
2. Universal suffrage
3. Protection of civil rights, and
4. The absence of non-elected “tutelary” authorities[1].
Since 2020 the GOP has attacked and sowed doubt in our elections (unless they win), disenfranchised voters (consider the attempt to toss out 60,000 votes in North Carolina), inspired attacks on minorities and people they don’t like or agree with, and now put unelected people in charge of DOGE. In short, Trump and the GOP are actively working to erode the very foundation of democracies.
The Democratic Party? It sure would be nice if the GOP’s opposition party would come together to counter Trump and the MAGA crowd. But that hope is fading quickly too. Congressional members talk a lot, but they don’t seem to have accomplished anything worthwhile yet. According to Ballotpedia, only four of sixteen Cabinet nominees so far didn’t receive any Democratic or Independent votes, and all have been confirmed. There was an unsuccessful attempt to filibuster Russell Vought’s nomination to lead the Office of Management and Budget, but that’s it. Numerous Attorneys General, labor unions, and others are filing court cases, and some have been successful in the short-term. But what will the Supreme Court decide? Coequal branches function best when each understands their role and operates within their lane to fulfill their obligations. That doesn’t seem to be happening now.
The way I see it, this unfortunate amalgamation of the federal branches is the direct result of parties competing against each other, rather than working on behalf of people and the country. And the GOP has won. Having GOP Senators like Tommy Tuberville (AL), Rick Scott (FL), and John Kennedy (GA) is the result of electing candidates faithful to the party but not interested in or capable of fulfilling their constitutional responsibilities. They are light on ethics and integrity, heavy on hypocrisy and party loyalty. An easy example illustrating parties seeking loyal lackies is Herschel Walker’s 2022 senate campaign against Raphael Warnock. His campaign speeches made it abundantly clear that Walker was not qualified to enact public policies and doesn’t understand basic civics. Although I will keep my opinion on why he was selected to myself (could it be DEI unfettered by screening for relevant qualifications?), there’s little evidence that is arises from a passion to serve, lifelong dedication to his community, or competence in developing public policy.
My loss in the re-election primary taught me a valuable political lesson – run a campaign based on the race you are in, not the race you want to be in. You won’t win a football game playing according to rugby rules. A long time ago my soccer coach, who played lower-level professional soccer in Columbia, advised us to knock our opponent down every chance we got, offer a hand to help them up, then apologize. Repeat. The opponents’ resulting frustration, uncertainty, and hesitation would allow us to win the mental game. Be physical and be nice to continue dominating. The GOP these days has employed a similar strategy, except that instead of helping someone up, they just deny ever knocking them down.
My visceral response to the plague of “Trump Won” signs is to say to myself “…and Democracy lost.” But Democracy will lose only if we let it. We can rebuild our Democracy stronger, thanks to Trump masterful reminders of our human nature – we are all imperfect, somewhat self-serving, and sometimes willing to exploit others in order to get up on a pedestal to be worshipped. But we more commonly feel good when we help people, when we put a smile on someone’s face, and when we provide opportunities and positive experiences people might not otherwise have. Together we can encourage each other to better behavior. We must find common ground – united we stand.
The GOP has defined the battlefield and the rules of engagement (or lack thereof), while Democrats are still trying to find the field. I see this as a direct result of party politics, of voting for people based on whether or not there is an R or D after their name. Party loyalty is different from competently representing your constituents. The current Democrat leadership was forged in the comparatively placid political waters of the past forty years. I’d trust them to navigate a ferry across a bay or inlet on a nice day, but we are in the midst of a north Atlantic storm with 50-foot swells. Where is the aircraft carrier or battleship commanded by a seasoned captain and crew? Where are Washington, Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Churchill, Zelenskyy, or John Snow? Who is leading the charge up the hill? Who are we jumping into the breeches for? I am truly interested in the answer.
Leadership is nourished in particular circumstances; some people are in the right place at the right time and fill the void. A battlefield general may not be the best choice to lead civil engineers and vice versa (although the staff meeting speeches would be fun). But there are common traits people desire in leaders: honesty, integrity, professional competence, and the ability to inspire around a shared vision and encourage the heart.
Who is tapping into your passions and motivating you? Yeah, I’m still looking too. Perhaps it is just my news sources, but House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies seems to be MIA. I’ve seen Senate Minority Leader Schumer--he might be an artful political tactician, but he is not going to galvanize the masses and inspire action. Who else is there? It can’t be a progressive – independents and traditional Republicans won’t follow them in the numbers needed. The time to marshal the masses into concerted action is now. We need someone who can coordinate the media and messaging to minimize the noise and maximize the message, inspire political action, and develop trust and honest relationships with people, groups, and organizations. We need Someone people will identify with and be proud to stand behind and follow. Party politics has culled from the population people who follow the Constitution as they represent people.
To paraphrase Heraclitus:
Out of every hundred soldiers, ten shouldn’t ever be there, eighty are just targets, nine are the real fighters, for they make the battle. Ah, but the one, one is a warrior who will bring the others back.
It looks to me that we might have two “fighters” at best; the rest are targets.
As a military brat growing up on army bases, I haven’t forgotten all those who sacrificed, all those who continue to sacrifice, those who will sacrifice. I haven’t forgotten the families and friends who support them. The Stars and Stripes is meaningful. Constitutional oaths are meaningful. Personal liberty and freedom are everything.
If we want something different from what we are getting, then we must act and vote differently. The Democrat and Republican parties are both expert marketers and manipulators. As voters, we have abdicated our responsibility to be an informed electorate; instead of looking at the evidence, we root for our favorite team. But politics isn’t a fan-based sport; cheering for the home team doesn’t lead to public policies that protect our liberties, stabilize our economy, or provide opportunities. Cheering the losses suffered by our opponents has led to people believing the “others” are immoral. The “winning at all costs” voting mentality means we all lose as our liberty and freedom slowly erode.
How do we change course? We learn only when we are willing to learn. Political technology keeps messages emotional, capitalizing on fear, anger, and hate. The antidote to emotion is logic, but our logical brains (System 2) are lazy and secondary to emotion (System 1). That is why we need to focus intentionally on learning, on paying attention, on responding to actions, and not reacting to distracting, inflammatory rhetoric.
While we wait for the Democrats to come together nationally, what can we do? Many of us feel frustrated and helpless. The worst decision we can make is to hide, to pretend Trump and his lackies don’t exist, or to become numb to the daily chaos.
But there are a few things we can do:
1. Journal and document how we feel about the actions being taken (not just what is being said), so we don’t forget when looking at a ballot.
2. Pay attention to events so we can respond effectively, not simply react.
3. Find and support an array of reputable news sources. My own favorites are The Wall Street Journal, Vox, PolitiFact, Fareed Zakaria, and Heather Cox Richardson.
4. Engage in simple things that keep us all aware of the challenges – yard signs, bumper stickers, public conversations etc.
5. Engage in mass movements such as demonstrations and rallies; support each other.
6. Contact our elected officials at all levels – don’t be silent, don’t be forgotten.
7. Prepare to vote in the 2026 primaries by paying attention now – know who will advocate and fight for us, support them.
8. Vote in the 2026 general election – ensure that our voices are heard.
9. Remember the down ballot races matter just as much, if not more, than those at the top. Democracy not only survives, but thrives at the local and state level.
I understand that each of us has a different comfort level and ability to engage in politics, but there are numerous groups who provide education and opportunities to engage in civil discourse (eg, Braver Angels). We are friends, family, neighbors, and community members, and outside of politics, we might enjoy spending time together.
[1] Levitsky, S., & Way, L. A. (2010). Competitive Authoritarianism. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Charlie Conrad is a former Oregon State Representative
Other News (by Marty Wilde)
Fraud, Waste, and Abuse. In my military career, I served a tour supporting the Inspector General of the Air Force, combating fraud, waste, and abuse. The administration has recently cited fraud as a major contributor to the federal deficit. However, non-partisan estimates place improper payments (a category that includes both fraud and waste) at 1.5-2% of the federal budget.
Is that too high? Absolutely, and we should fight to reduce it - just as every administration does. However, it does not approach the 25% of the budget that the administration would like to cut. In fact, most “waste” in federal budgets is not from criminal acts, but rather from inefficient and ineffective allocations by Congress. There’s a price tag for building the F-35 in 47 different states that is completely separate from any operational consideration. Unfortunately, that sort of waste is exactly what Congress and administration isn’t talking about. Actually balancing the budget will take a serious effort to, yes, reduce fraud, but also to reduce waste in Congressional spending and to take a hard look at what the the people of the US want to pay the federal government to do and what they do not. That means some service cuts and likely some increased revenue. That’s the conversation we need to have, but not the one people in DC are interested in having.
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Charlie Conrad: Orange man bad.
Yeah, no kidding. But is this all we'll hear for the next four years? Vote for us because Trump bad, Republicans bad. How did that message work out for Democrats last November? How about you focus on fixing the losing side of the duopoly instead?
Here's a start, from your article:
Trump “put unelected people in charge of DOGE.”
Oh no, Musk might see my taxes. Good thing all those overpaid IRS workers under Biden were elected folks. Oh, wait...
“counter ... the MAGA crowd”
Yep. Because wanting to make your country good again deserves derision from the Left. Gosh, insulting Republicans sure makes me want to vote for Democrats. Why don't you just call MAGA a bunch of racists so we know exactly how dishonest you are.
My visceral response to the plague of “Trump Won” signs is to say to myself “…and Democracy lost.”
Really? Your strategy is to say since you lost a democratic election, then Democracy itself lost? What a dope.
Instead of childishly insulting MAGA, whoever that is based on some silly stereotype you have in your head, you could try to fix our Party's mistakes. Biden reversed Title IX, declaring that the word sex actually somehow includes gender identity. That means any and all male people can literally call themselves women and receive female sex-based rights. Paradoxically, Trump's executive order on sex and gender reversed Biden's reversal of women's rights. Sex is real for another four years. Do you think destroying women's rights, half the US population, is no big deal? Surveys list it in the top three issues, but I promise you, any woman who has been creeped on by a man in her local YMCA shower, and then told by the Y staff that he's actually a woman and she'd better not complain or they'll cancer HER membership instead of the dude in the shower, knows she can't speak out about this. Not even in surveys. She could lose her job, her gym membership etc. But that doesn't mean we won't vote against those who destroy our rights, and the right to protect our children from that percentage of despicable men who have always existed and always will. And I'm not talking about “trans women” in general or men in general. I'm talking about the worst of the worst men who have taken advantage of stupid Democratic policies.
Democrats are digging in their heels on the anti-women's rights beliefs encapsulated in gender ideology. By doing so, they will ensure we have to fire more of them in two years. Wouldn't it be a better strategy to realize how many women refused to vote for Democrats last November and maybe stand up for women over male transgenders? Get males out of female sports, keep males out of the local YMCA shower, and for dog's sake, get male convicted rapists and murderers out of female prisons. What were Democrats thinking? Maybe that some of us will continue to vote Democrat if you keeping insulting MAGA. Try again.
Thank you, Marty. This is very helpful to me and exactly the information and encouragement we need.