We CANNOT, we MUST NOT, go back to the pre-Trump days

[AverageOldGuy]

We cannot go back to the way things were before Trump any more than FDR could have simply gone back to the way things were before the market crash of 1929.

Any appeal to “the way we were” is useless politics – in a word, going back to where we were is bullshit.

Things have to totally change when Democrats next take power.

Any attempt to just return to “the way we were” will lead to a new generation of crazy Republicans, mainly because the low-information voters who make up the Republican cult hate the way things were. They might not know why they hate it, all they know is Fox tells them the commie socialist Democrats must be defeated.

We must:
• Start Medicare for all
• Restore and strengthen clean air, clean water, clean environment regulations.
• Restore and strengthen banking regulations.
• Go all out for renewable energy, penalize carbon burners.
• Get money out of politics – overturn Citizens United, replace it with law or a Constitutional amendment.
• Speaking of the Constitution, we need to amend it to put severe limits on Presidential power complete with penalties for a President who overreaches.
• Write into the Constitution the original Voting Rights Act as well as the Civil Rights Act.
• Indict and imprison awaiting trial just about the entire Trump administration, starting at the top.

That’s enough for Day 1 -- get a good night’s sleep and continue on Day 2.

[flvegan]

1. Congressional ban on securities trading, if I can add another. n/t

[AllaN01Bear]

2. reinstate all the cuts that were caused by him, bush , bush and raygun

[brakester]

15. REHIRE all the EXPERT

government workers!

[Dave Bowman]

35. Yes, people who know what they are doing instead of incompetent fools.

[AllaN01Bear]

40. ding. this

make him and him alone rebuild the east wing of the w.h

[travelingthrulife]

92. Pay for it anyway. Don't let Trump anywhere near its construction. These people

are traitors. We would never be able to trust its security.

[JT45242]

88. And undo the tax cuts for everyone over $400K family income and businesses as well from that era

Also...remove cap on social security payins. But make the return on money over current cut-off point something like .1%

Lots of good progressive ideas that most people support

[The Roux Comes First]

3. Presidential Pardons MUST Be Severely Limited and Carefully Monitored and

Far more oversight instituted on the appointment and approval process for Supreme Court Justices - and term limits are likely needed as well.

[brakester]

17. A Literacy test

and detailed test on government laws and practices before being able to run for elected office.

[Seinan Sensei]

22. YES !!!

Perhaps same questions as US Citizenship Test

(Only 1 in 3 US Citizens can actually pass that test)

[brakester]

59. Exactly, Seinan Sensei!

If they can't pass the American citizenship test, they shouldn't be able to be on any political ticket!

That wouldn't be a bad idea for a required Jr and Sr high-school course!

A requirement for HS graduation.

[MyOwnPeace]

4. MUST do whatever it takes to

over-rule the Supreme Court BULLSHIT that there is 'Presidential Immunity!;

[ThoughtCriminal]

5. Restrict Presidential Pardons

- No more "Pre-emptive" pardons. Pardons only for those convicted of a Federal crime
- No self-pardons
- Independent review and transparency requirements
- Prohibit "Corrupt Acts" - is Pardons granted in exchange for bribes, family favors, or as a means to obstruct justice

[brakester]

20. When accepting a pardon,

recipient must state what he is being pardoned for and publically accept the pardon.
Maybe answer a few questions, too.

And, throw in an apology and a thank you!

[ThoughtCriminal]

48. Agreed

I think I would like to add - no "Blanket Pardons" - the pardon must specify the offences that the pardon covers - not just all crimes in specified time window.

[Melon]

67. Exactly. No pardons for yourself

And also no pardoning your family.
Limit the number of pardons so that each is evaluated thoroughly by the admin because their use is limited.

[Fiendish Thingy]

6. NONE of the items on your list can happen without court expansion and killing the filibuster

We must ensure only anti-filibuster, pro-court expansion Dems win their primaries this year and in 2028.

That is my litmus test for donations for the foreseeable future.

[Initech]

7. The GOP and Heritage have been stacking the courts for DECADES.

Last edited Tue Feb 17, 2026, 04:21 PM - Edit history (1)

And he has a 6 - 3 supermajority in SCOTUS. But he's also got the media on his side. We need to start working to get the media back on our side. Limbaughism needs to die with him.

[Fiendish Thingy]

8. Decades?

Check your math.

It doesn’t matter whose side the media is on, Dems just need the courage and resolve to kill the filibuster and expand the court

[Initech]

11. I meant to say the GOP.

[brakester]

26. There is a rumor

that Alito may be retiring this year,

SO,
we need to gear up for a major showdown over the next nominee!

If a candidate is not acceptable, we must refuse to seat him period! Let the seat remain vacant like McConnell did to us!

[Progressive dog]

58. I disagree with that

Court expansion requires a Constitutional amendment,IMO it would be easier and quicker to impeach some justices. Neither is likely to happen in the near future.
Filibusters are not as easy to get rid of.

[Fiendish Thingy]

62. Court expansion does NOT require a constitutional amendment

Nowhere in the constitution does it state the size of the Supreme Court.

The size of the court has been changed by congress over the years, from a low of 6 justices to a high of 10.

With there being 13 district courts across the nation, having at least 13 justices makes perfect sense (and I would argue that more districts and more lower court judge positions should be created so that the wheels of Justice, especially for white collar criminals, don’t turn so slowly).

[Progressive dog]

65. you are correct and I was wrong

but it would require a 2/3 vote to override Trump's veto. There isn't much point at this time.

[Fiendish Thingy]

66. That's why it won't happen until 2029 at the earliest

But we will be electing senators this year who will be in office in 2029, so their position on killing the filibuster and expanding the court must be known before the primary votes.

[Melon]

68. If the court is expanded, is the assumption that they are all democratic justices?

How does that work? Would the justice then not be expanded in some kind of even process? I’m not aware how they would be chosen in an expansion.

[Fiendish Thingy]

72. If Dems have the trifecta, they just pass a law increasing the number of seats

And the Dem president fills them.

Yes, there would be outrage and rending of garments on the right, but we must elect people courageous enough to make it happen.

There is no other way to repair the damage of the Trump era.

[Melon]

73. Ok. Thank you. I didn't understand this.

But in this scenario, there would be no way to stop this ad nauseam every time a new political party was elected?

[Fiendish Thingy]

75. We cannot govern from a fear of republicans might do

We have seen what republicans do with a trifecta- Dems must govern just as fearlessly and unhesitatingly.

The last time Dems did that, they held the trifecta for a generation, from 1933-53.

[Melon]

76. Ok. Thank you.

[c-rational]

94. Agreed. More and more I believe this is now necessary.

[Escurumbele]

9. Presidential pardons must be revised to disallow letting drug lords be allowed free for a fee.

[intheflow]

10. We need another constitutional convention.

Enshrine all gender equality and autonomy, guarantee the right to form unions, and commit to a green future for ourselves and our posterity. Edited to add: ensure a basic income and healthcare.

[Initech]

12. No we do not.

Because no way in hell will our billionaire overlords let us get control of it. It would take a war or two for this to happen, and nobody wants that. Our constitution isn't perfect but it's the best we got and our best defense against the Fox News MAGA Taliban.

[brakester]

32. Totally!

Totally!

There are more Republican controlled states than Democratically controlled ones. That combined with their their lack of a moral code and their repertoire and tolerance for dirty tricks, could institute a prolonged Dark Ages for for America!

[intheflow]

34. I highly recommend you read Jill Lenore's most recent book,

We the People: A History of the Constitution. We will never get the ERA and other human rights until those rights are enshrined in amendment form. There were frequent Constitutional conventions up until the early-mid 20th Century, most often conducted by groups outside the actual government. An easy example is the women’s suffrage movement. Did women hang around doing nothing until the all-male legislators decided one day, at the height of the Roaring Twenties, to beneficently bestow women the right to vote? Of course not. But the women kept showing up and strategizing their message in various conventions, using the Constitution to underscore their rights, until they brought enough public sentiment to favor their cause. Lepore gives many other examples.

As for war, I can pretty much guarantee there will be one unless we get a true Blue Wave the next two election cycles, and only then if the Dems in power have the will to make drastic changes and hold everyone in this regime accountable for their various crimes. I’m not confident Democratic leadership fully understands this; Biden and Garland sure didn’t. Should they try for some kind of appeasement “for the sake of national unity,” they’ll only be delaying the inevitable. This is a Dred Scott moment in history that could turn either way.

[Initech]

61. Yeah I agree.

This wretched administration and the people who enable this wretched administration must be held accountable. And we must get the party on board to prosecute these assholes. That should be the democratic agenda. We won't have or know peace until we do.

[Efilroft Sul]

29. Agreed. The current one has been riddled with system exploits and can't be fixed in a piecemeal fashion.

It's fantastic in parts as source material, but we need a new Constitution to meet the needs of people today. If that leads to changes in territorial integrity as we know it, and to successor nations that aspire to a more perfect union, so be it. But the United States as we knew it is over; it's just that most people are in denial about it. We need to build whatever comes next on a new foundation instead of shoring up a rotting frame and covering it with cheap plywood.

[intheflow]

37. We don't need a new Constitution.

We just need some more amendments. Why throw out the baby with the bath water?

[Efilroft Sul]

38. Because the baby is dead.

[intheflow]

43. We're agreeing with Scalia on here now?

“The Constitution is not a living document. It’s dead. Dead, dead, dead!” 🙄

https://archive.ph/MtpSW

[Efilroft Sul]

54. I don't give a shit what Scalia said, despite him having a heavy hand in getting us to where we are now.

Think about how quickly the Republicans and their owners dismantled everything. To restore what was lost in the last [fill in the blank #] of years will take generations should we follow the normal political process and the opposition does not. We don't have that kind of time, and neither does the planet.

Even if the midterm election is free and fair as well as the general election in 2028, sooner rather than later, the next fascist Republican to come along in the White House, the next fascist Republican majority that holds Congress, will wreck everything we were trying to repair just to get back to whatever you regard as Ground Zero. And we're not even considering what the fascist Republican-majority Supreme Court will overturn, because its job now is to prevent such restoration and any progress to better our lives.

The normal political process got us into this situation, and it won't get us out of it. Whatever follows after the United States as we know it has to be done on a new foundation, with a new constitution.

[thought crime]

51. I get it. We need changes to the Constitution.

The Constitution was written by Aristocrats, for Aristocrats.

We especially need proportional representation in both the House and the Senate. And fix the electoral college and reduce the powers of the president. In other words: Political Reform.

But the trouble with a constitutional convention is that the Right will demand that it be done with one representative per state.

[intheflow]

53. I refer you to my post #34.

As for abolishing the electoral college, sounds like a fabulous amendment to add!

[KPN]

13. Good discussion. No question -- restoring reason and equity

in government will be a hugely heavy lift. There will be nothing usual about it. Just as there is nothing usual in our current Twilight Zone-ish state.

[calimary]

14. I like your list!

Many of us are working HARD to make sure it can actually happen.

I was trying to pick a favorite. I can’t. Your list includes ALL the recommendations on my list!

[brakester]

33. It is a lonnnggg list

and we need to put as much manic energy and focus on reverses to all the sewage that's been dumped on our institutions.

But, NO constitutional convention!

[alwaysinasnit]

16. I would add - repeal the 2017 tax (scam) bill in it's entirety.

[brakester]

36. Reverse all the

Big Bad Billionaire tax cuts going back to 1980.

[calimary]

39. That's a start!

[Seinan Sensei]

18. No (or low) college tuition

Get public $$$ out of private schools (grades 1-12)

[PeaceWave]

19. And, still, no discussion of how we're going to balance the budget...

We're going to be at $45 trillion in Federal debt and counting when Trump leaves office. Just saying.

[Scrivener7]

25. No one needs a second billion. Tax the rich. And they like the 50s so much? The highest

tax bracket rate in the 50s was 91%. Let's do that.

[PeaceWave]

28. Even AOC's budget plan (which is one of the most radical) would maybe bring in an extra $700 billion over TEN YEARS...

We need to claw back tens of trillions. And, NOBODY is talking about it.

[brakester]

42. Sue the PedoPrez

for all the money he has grifted from the American people.

[lastlib]

87. We just discussed how to balance the budget----

TAX THE F*CKING BILLIONAIRES!

(I'm screaming at the cloud, not you! )

[Zambero]

21. SCOTUS term limits

On the order of 10-12 years. An enforceable code of ethics as well.

[calimary]

41. DEFINITELY Yes!!!

[Nasruddin]

23. Before anything else

Reform of the Supreme Court (I say junk it completely) and the federal court system - no more lifetime free rides
[If you don't get rid of this corrupt abomination, nothing else you do will work]

After that to add to your list

Include some reform of the legislative branch - we need to move towards a proportional system in some fashion
I personally oppose term limits but something has to be done about competency to hold office
Reform of the pardon/commutation system
Reform of the Justice Dep't and reduction of direct presidential control over this department
(it can't be totally independent of congress or president - we can't have this department set itself up to run wild)

[Magoo48]

24. Yes, all of this, and a plan for restructuring extraction, vulture capitalism.

Also a strategy for rendering super wealth irrelevant if not impossible.

[Scrivener7]

27. Love this. I would add, legally enshrine women's rights to make their own medical decisions.

[Unwind Your Mind]

90. We could borrow Montana's amendment

That would be funny

[Blue Full Moon]

30. 100%

[flashman13]

31. Add to that a crash program to reduce CO2 emissions. And use the full force of the antitrust laws

to break up the corporations and restore competition to the markets.

Make college affordable.
Make child care affordable.
Forgive student debt so that those people can use that money to take part in the general economy.
Reform the immigration laws and provide a way to full citizenship.
Drive the hedge funds out of the housing market/business.
Reform public education with serious minimum standards so that we do not continue to produce ignorant people ready to follow the next right-wing propagandist that comes down the pike. Add significant new infrastructure to K thru 12 public schools. Stop all federal and local government funding to non-public schools.
Staff the government with the best and brightest (that is going to be a heavy lift unless we can convince people that they won't be fired every time there is a new administration).
Rebuild the scientific research community as rapidly as possible.

And finally, lets seriously prune the out of control military budget.

[flashman13]

44. Please excuse this major oversight. We must complete the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment.

[Tim S]

45. Social Media, the misinformation accelerant, needs to be regulated for accountability

I worked in IT for 40 years — from the earliest years of the Internet when universities took advantage of DARPAnet up until last year. The promise of the Internet held together pretty well until always-on Internet connections made it into homes. Then Google tracking and meta-data collection/selling started the decline by incentivizing content be captivating rather than informative. The advent Social Media (MySpace/Facebook) meant every kook had a cost-free publisher with zero editorial discretion applied. Algorithms rewarded polarizing content with no fact-checking and then… we end up where we are today.

I only see two ways to reign things in and make people or “online publishing platforms” accountable for what they put out there. Either:

- Revoke Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act which provides legal immunity to Internet platforms for user-generated content, OR

- Remove the anonymity that usernames/handles supply so that everyone has the same liability potential as they would if they published their words on physical paper instead of screens. (If the Internet platform can’t be liable, then the identifiable poster must be)

I wish there’s another way to unwind the Pandora’s Box of misinformation and acrimony that unregulated social media has brought us, but I don’t see it. (Another option that could help us as a society would be to criminalize hate speech in publication. If Canada can do it, the US should be able to do so too, but a Constitutional Amendment might be necessary to make that happen.)

[brakester]

60. Criminalize hate speech!

I've advocated for that for years. Europe, esp. Germany, has restricted hate speech, for very good historical reasons.

Following that model would clean up a lot of messes.

Another worthwhile idea would be to establish a system where social media is regulated and owned as a public utility. Of course, it would need to be post-PedoPrez, with some very hefty guardrails.

[durablend]

47. Anyone who says "We need to look forward, not backward" can fuck off

They're just enabling this to happen again.

[intheflow]

50. Why not both?

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

49. I agree

[markodochartaigh]

52. "The way we were"

got us to where we are.
Trump didn’t arise out of nothingness and single-handedly bring us to this point.

If a Black person in rural Alabama is beaten up by racists, it is a problem for wealthy White people in New York or Los Angeles if they want to live in a country with justice for all. Maybe not today, but sooner or later, ignoring injustices anywhere will bring injustice everywhere.

[synni]

55. All those things should be done on Day 2

Day 1: Prosecute ALL the criminals in this administration. Let future Republicans know that this type of unconstitutional activity will never be tolerated again.

Then, start the long, arduous task of making America SANE again.

[Blue Owl]

56. The Merrick Garland era of milquetoast mediocrity

[AZ8theist]

79. I remenber the DOJ employees applauded him when he arrived on his first day....

I wonder what they think of him now.

I know who he reminds ME of:

[rubbersole]

82. IIRC - Garland was Orrin Hatch's approved SC choice given to Obama for 'bipartisanship'.

Why Joe Biden thought he'd be a good AG as far as reigning in corrupt Republicans we may never know.

[returnee]

57. We must do something about the media.

I don’t know exactly what, but…
-how about: licensing for broadcast journalists. Real rules which if violated carries real consequences. For example, if an interviewee fails to answer the question they are asked they get cut off.
-how about: any elected politician, member of any administration, or any person running for election, is presumed to be under oath, and at risk of penalty for perjury.
-how about it is illegal to make assertions in the media without proof (this administration, for example, is all assertion, no proof).
I know, pipe dreams. Now where’s that pipe…?

[snot]

70. How about

restoring the restrictions on consolidation of media ownership that were repealed by the Telecom Act of 1996, and extending them to apply to the internet?

[Norbert]

63. Close the Department of Homeland Security for good

[spanone]

64. K&R

[Uncle Joe]

69. Kicked and recommended

Thanks for the thread AverageOldGuy

[snot]

71. And pass the ERA,

which would have eliminated the S. Ct.'s basis for overruling Roe v. Wade; and restore labor protections; and strengthen antitrust enforcement; and raise taxes on the rich; and raise the cap on contributions to Social Security and peg it to inflation in necessities.

[WarGamer]

74. You're ignoring a simple fact.

Trump won less than 15 months ago by sweeping the swing States...

Everything on your list is under 50% approval... I mean ffs, Trump won big by promising mass deportation and tariffs... now you think the country is ready for AOC politics?

[JBTaurus83]

77. I can't say if AOC or someone like her would have won

However, I do think a clear, principled and easy message could do wonders for the party. I don’t think she would have done any worse than Kamala did, and I liked and supported Kamala. Dropping the corporate money that seems to paralyze the party could be a start.

I think most people in this country are desperate for financial relief. It doesn’t surprise me that people fell for the snake oil of fascism. We are far from the first country where this has happened.

[WarGamer]

78. When Trump promised dropping prices it was a pipe dream

Prices rarely go down... unless we're talking about big screen TV's

LOW inflation means prices go up 2% a year... not down.

Any time we see prices drop it's accompanied with a recession

[Bluetus]

80. We must pressure Democrats to run vigorously on these things.

None of the things mentioned in the OP will happen on their own. We must pressure Democrats to adopt a highly visible platform today, not years from now. We need to run on these ideas, and make them a national mandate.

The good news is, these are all highly popular ideas, and if we can get Democrats to stand up for them, we have a much better chance of taking control of government so we can actually make these changes.

[Ruby the Liberal]

81. Does leadership have the stones?

You are absolutely right - and this (and more) would need to happen in a tsunami to even hope to right the ship.
But, strongly worded memos and catering to "my colleagues across the aisle" while things take months/years to even hit the respective floors isn't going to get us there.

Bannon's firehose theory has proven to be quite effective. Throw everything you have out as often as you can to keep the news cycle so unfocused where they have to chase the latest instead of following up on what came out the day before.

Its exhausting and I remain stunned that just under half of all 2024 POTUS voters signed up for it again.

But it works.

That kind of approach would be required in order to get this stuff through - even if we control both houses.

Maybe I'm just old and jaded, but I just don't believe that our elected leadership team has this kind of assertive/aggressive positioning in them.

[hadEnuf]

83. So you mean no more Republican lite?

Great idea.

[FakeNoose]

84. TAXING THE WEALTHY all over again

They've gotten a free ride for way too long.

It must begin immediately. If they pack up and leave ... well fine, let them leave.

[camartinwv]

85. At the top of the list Day 1: Restore bodily autonomy to 50% of the voters, the women of the US

[anamnua]

86. Adjust senatorial representation

to reflect population density.

[Clouds Passing]

89. Write a new improved Sherman Anti-Trust Act

[travelingthrulife]

91. Yup. All of these " Wink, wink. Nudge, Nudge" good old boys rules need teeth.

If I hear anyone bring up the Trump maladministration's emoluments violations I want to vomit.

What is the point when there is no penalty for engaging in it?

[RainCaster]

93. Restore our reputation around the world

Restart the SALT treaty talks
Sign the landmine treaty
Re-engage with NATO
Send long range missiles to Ukraine
Sign the ICC agreement

How many other agreements have we not signed because we said we are better than that? It's time to show the world we are better than that. Sign them ALL.

[Bettie]

95. NO more Citizens United

write a law that overrides it...Corporations are not people, money is not speech.

[Scubamatt]

96. The two Trump (mis) Administrations

have clearly demonstrated the weaknesses in our system, including but by no means limited to, how general respect for unwritten "norms" facilitates the workings of government. I completely agree that we cannot adopt an attitude of going back to the way things were; we must address these weaknesses, including reversing Citizen's United, the constant attack on the right to vote (including partisan gerrymandering); the notion of the unitary executive and of course, the consolidation of the media.

[tazcat]

97. Let's not forget about the corrupt radical supremes!!!

[C Moon]

98. Begin by charging and convicting ANYONE who breaks our laws--including congress people, presidents, billionaires.