Eighty-six (slang) meaning “to throw out,” “to get rid of,” or “to refuse service to.”

As much as I would love to see Agent Orange thrown out of office (86’ed), it just isn’t in the cards. He was elected by a majority of voters in a free and fair election, so we are stuck with him for the remainder of his term. While we can dream of impeachment (maybe articles will come from the House once it’s flipped, but there is no clear path for conviction in the Senate as things stand) or even removal under the 25th Amendment for being mentally unfit (which would leave us with President Vance – blech!), in all likelihood we are stuck with the orange pantload until early 2029. But the presidency is only a part of his power; he also has an iron grip on the Republicans in both houses of Congress and is using them to destroy America.

What Can We Do

While Trump has taken credit for the bill, he didn’t do it alone. 50 U.S. Senators and 218 members of the U.S. House of Representatives voted for this shitbomb, and that is where we must start to fix the glitch. Every seat in the House and 35 in the Senate are up for grabs in 2026. Not only is it just and right that we vote out as many of the sycophants from office who helped pass this abomination, but it will also neuter Trump (we expect thank you flowers, Melania) legislatively for the second half of his term. (There are still executive orders, the full-on assault on the Federal Judiciary, and the chance he may refuse to cede power, but we will leave those for other posts.)

That leaves us with another 18 months of rubber stamps on whatever horrible bills the administration puts forward. But that also means we have 18 months to get our shit together to rally our fellow citizens, put forth outstanding candidates, and fight like hell to get them elected.

The Same Old Thing Won’t Work Any More

We can’t count on disgust for Congress’ actions to get the job done. There is too much apathy in the general electorate, and too much PAC money is bent on keeping their trained lap dogs in office, for the same candidates/same party, to make any significant change. Expecting people to see Trump and his minions for what they are and vote against them has failed…twice. We need candidates who not only recognize the problems facing the majority of Americans but are willing to speak up and take positions that will help those people. Candidates in the style of Zohran Mamdani, who spoke the truth on the campaign trail and was rewarded for it, but running for the House or Senate instead of Mayor. We have already have examples in office, some well-known such as  Bernie Sanders, AOC, and other members of The Squad, but also new faces such as Yassamin Ansari of Arizona and Sarah McBride of Delaware who are up front about who they are (a daughter of Iranian immigrants and the first openly Transexual member of Congress) and their liberal positions and were sweapt into office by 44% and 15% respectively.  These results aren’t anomalies; they are a blueprint for how we regain control of this country by putting forth good candidates who believe in justice for the poor and working class and aren’t afraid to say it loudly and proudly. This is what can excite those who are tired of the same old thing from Congress, and hopefully get them excited enough to contribute financially to progressive campaigns and hit the streets to convince their neighbors to do the same.

I am advocating for new blood not only because I can see that it works, but also because I have come to believe it’s nearly unavoidable that long-serving members of Congress will get sucked into the culture of corruption and become less and less effective. In my state, both of my senators (John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet) are MIA on the current disaster in Washington. These gents, along with the Democratic House members from Colorado (here’s looking at you, Dianna DeGette), should be holding press conferences, giving fiery speeches in Congress, and leading protest marches (the Bernie playbook). Instead, they vote NO so they can point to their record as ‘opposing Trump’ but are otherwise silent. I will be supporting challengers to all three, even though DeGette isn’t my Representative, and I encourage others to do the same. If we want change, we must act to implement it. No one is coming to rescue us but ourselves.

Resources

Here are a few links to get you started. Get involved in your local races ASAP; time is running out.

Democratic Socialists of America

Working Families Party 

Fighting Oligarchy Tour (currently on a break, but scroll down and pick one of the previous rally videos to watch, they are electric).

Zohran on the cost of living (a model for progressives everywhere)