We Could Call It “Project 2029”

by Bob Cesca

WASHINGTON, DC – A year from now, the Democratic presidential primary season will be underway: metaphorical hats will be tossed into the ring, states like Iowa and New Hampshire will be barnstormed, so let’s begin to prioritize. The following is a list of five priorities for repairing the damage of the Donald Trump crisis. I plan on endorsing the candidates who adopt all or most of these items.

To be clear, these aren’t the only things, but for the future of democracy and the reconstruction of our nation, I consider the following agenda items to be mandatory.

1. Erase Donald

Self explanatory. Donald Trump’s face, name, and gaudy festoonery need to be removed from all the things – the Kennedy Center, the White House, the banners, the coins, the passports, all of it. This doesn’t mean we should forget, it just means that his snail-trail of filth has to be scoured away and disinfected. Like a toxic Superfund site. It’ll restore some humble dignity to the optics of the United States, while punishing him in one of the best ways possible – by shaking up his Etch-A-Sketch, by deleting his corrosive stink.

By the way, this’ll have the added benefit of being a vote-getter. By 2028 Trump Fatigue will reach epidemic levels.

In addition to erasing his gilded legacy projects, all of his executive orders need to be overturned, organizations like USAID need to be restored and fully funded along with the re-hiring of as many fired federal workers as possible.

2. Rolling Back Executive Authority

This should’ve gotten underway in 2021, which makes 2029 a compulsory starting point for this process.

With a Democratic president in the White House who’s willing to relinquish all the powers that Donald has routinely abused, reforming the presidency should actually get Republican support in Congress. I mean, Republicans would trip over themselves to support such a plan. As the saying goes, “Only Nixon could go to China,” and only a Democratic president can propose a rollback of executive authority.

Ideally, the reforms should be packaged inside a comprehensive amendment to the Constitution, making it impervious to the Supreme Court’s meddling. It should include a ban on executive orders; enforcement mechanisms for federal court orders; an easier path to removal from office – votes of no-confidence, etc; formally divorcing the White House from the Department of Justice; the overturning of Trump v United States which granted presidential immunity; mandatory divestiture that extends to immediate family members; bans on stock trades and usage of prediction markets – we could do this all day.

3. Constitutional Amendments

The constitutional amendment process should also include overturning Citizens United and eliminating private money in political campaigns; killing the Electoral College; codifying the Voting Rights Act as an amendment; and restoring reproductive rights.

Why not think big?

4. Taxing the Oligarchs

While a 90 percent effective tax rate for the super wealthy seems like a tough sell, legislatively, it should be the starting point in a process to rein in the overwhelming power of the American oligarchy. Additionally, the income cap on Social Security and Medicare taxes should be removed, reinforcing the health and longevity of the social safety net. Along those lines, substantive taxation on millionaires and billionaires will allow us to fund a public health insurance option – Medicare-for-All or similar.

While we’re on this topic, restoring the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, preventing corporate consolidation, and breaking up monopolies are also mandatory.

5. Mitigating the Climate Crisis

This is a no-brainer. Donald Trump has significantly worsened the risk of human extinction due to the climate crisis, so the urgency is greater than ever. It has to be a mobilization on the order of World War II or the moon-shot in the ‘60s. This includes investment in existing and emerging clean energy technology like fusion power, unprecedented subsidies for solar panels on every rooftop and the purchase of electric vehicles, investment in mass transit, and more.

None of this will be easy, but if we hustle enough and expand Democratic majorities across the board – riding the backlash against Donald’s authoritarian despotism – it’s eminently possible. The thing is: these things have to happen. We can’t proceed on the present trajectory without everything collapsing around us. Democracy can’t continue to be a cliffhanger. When Donald Trump finally goes away, we can’t just move on. We should use it. The tragedy and sacrifice need to manifest positive change or it’ll all be for nothing.

What would your top five list look like?

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