A few folks have asked me to address when I see the breaking point in this dystopian nightmare that is happening to our country. Our country that was “conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.“
Well, when you ask a writer a profound question, he tends to start with an analogy or two.
I have heard several references during the last seven weeks to George Orwell’s, 1984. I get it. In this classic dystopian (that word comes up a lot lately doesn’t it?) novel he warns us of the dangers of totalitarianism, the ability of governments to manipulate facts, and the importance of resisting oppression. Here Orwell was clearly warning people about the dangers of giving too much power to the government.
It is a nearly perfect analogy.
But something was nagging me in the back of my head as I thought about all the books I read in high school. And something prompted me to pick up another book by Orwell, Animal Farm. And I re-read it yesterday. I think it might be a more perfect analogy for a few reasons.
If you have never read it, Animal Farm is George Orwell’s satire on equality, where all barnyard animals live free from their human masters’ tyranny. Inspired to rebel by Major, an old boar, animals on Mr. Jones’ Manor Farm embrace Animalism and stage a revolution to achieve an idealistic state of justice and progress.
Let me write that description again with a few bracketed comparisons.
Animal Farm is George Orwell’s satire on equality [Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion], where all barnyard animals [MAGA, Republicans] live free from their human masters’ tyranny. Inspired to rebel by Major, an old boar [Musk, Putin, you pick], animals on Mr. Jones’ [Biden, in MAGA’s perception] Manor Farm embrace Animalism [a perfect analogy to whatever form of government we are now becoming] and stage a revolution to achieve an idealistic [MAGA, Republican] state of justice and progress.
Are you with me so far? To be fair, at the beginning these animals did not feel their voice was being heard. They felt that they could govern the farm better. They were not inherently bad, not all of them. But like some dude in the 1850’s once said, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
And this is where in the novel a power-hungry pig, Napoleon [Trump], becomes a totalitarian dictator who leads the Animal Farm into a political, amoral abyss. See, the animals started off by outlining some Commandments [Executive Orders]. These pleased the animals [MAGA, Republicans] at first. But one after the other, the commandments continued to be ignored, violated, and sometimes completely changed. The seventh and final commandment – the foundation to everything the animals [MAGA, Republican] believed in was, “All animals are equal.” This protected and comforted the animals [MAGA, Republican].
However, in the end, Napoleon [Trump] changed this commandment with an edit that is both ominous and foreboding:
“All Animals Are Equal / But Some Are More Equal Than Others.”
That is the moment when oppression reigned over everyone.
That was the breaking point for the Animal Farm and Animalism.
Breaking Points
Animal Farm is just a novel. We are confronted with real-life threats that are already impacting everyone in the world, not just the United States. Before we can begin to identify the when of a breaking point, we need to define the what and the who of a breaking point.
The breaking point what of this catastrophic bumbling and abhorrent Administration could be World War III. It could be another global pandemic. It could be historic levels of famine and poverty. It could be a mighty resistance or full-blown rebellion. It could be the final collapse of our Constitution. It could be a broken economy. It could be the end to our Democracy. It could be impeachment and removal from office. For the purpose of this column, I am going to define the breaking point what from the perspective of the citizenry and voters, as an environment where we can be assured that enough people have stood up to this tyranny to ensure that our “government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” What will be the breaking point for us?
It is easier to define the who, but for every who there is a different breaking point. And most of us have come to the realization that too many individuals, devoid of empathy and humanity, will not change until something adverse happens to them personally. Some people are as bendable as aluminum and have already reached their breaking point. Others have the tensile strength of titanium and the cognitive capacity of a gnat and will never reach a breaking point. Take two polar examples for instance.
According to Trump’s ex-lawyer and “fixer” Michael Cohen, “…even the most die-hard MAGA voter has a breaking point. And when grandma’s Social Security check disappears, when their Medicaid is yanked away, when the reality of Musk’s economic war on the poor sets in; who do you think they’re going to blame?”
Kid Rock, on the other hand does not just like Trump, he professes that he loves Trump. Still, even he admitted, “If he says, ‘I’m running for a third term,’ I’d be like, ‘Whoa, whoa, pump the brakes man. Hold on a second.’”
And there could be more than 100 million people between them on the spectrum. So, I am going to break that down.
Trump Deconstructed / Breaking Points Erected
In November, just after the election, I published a column, Trump Deconstructed, where I broke down a variety of people and concepts and I identified why I think they voted for Trump. To appreciate the full context, you may want to read that one first if you have not already. Because now I am going back to the exact same list of people and concepts to assess the breaking point for each one to move away from their role in electing Trump’s tyranny and back toward a more effective government.
Republicans. First, the elected officials. We have already learned that ceding all of their power to Trump is NOT their breaking point. They are riding the coattails and seem to be enjoying it. Their breaking point may take a few paths. It could be Trump faltering significantly in the polls and public favor. It could be the economy. It could be the impact of Administration decisions in their state and district. But the ultimate breaking point will be their constituents. They are happy to give away responsibility, authority, and power. But they will not risk re-election for anyone. The Republican voters may break on some of the same issues and policies. If they choose to remain loyal to party and reforming, they may be the ones who can convince Congress to impeach Trump and remove him from office. It would be an opportunity to save some face and try to end the four years with a modicum of dignity.
Critical Thinking. Those who lack critical thinking will not magically find it. They do not understand second and third order effects. I only see two paths to a breaking point here. One, if the rest of us can simplify the outcomes into memes with less syllables and words, but with compelling photographs, then perhaps we can push a small percentage to the breaking point. The vast majority will wait until they experience the consequences for themselves. And still, some percentage will never, ever get it.
Confirmation Bias. Tough one. Especially since we are all guilty of it. A few strategies can get their attention and at least force them to think. One, give them forced choice questions. Do you support J6ers or the police? Do you agree with what Trump said or what the Pope said? Do you side with Putin and Communism or with Democracy? Two, even if they are not impacted directly yet, connect the dots for them. For example, you live in upstate New York, you get your electricity from Canada, your next bill is going to double, but you could speak up now. Three, show them examples of how you overcome your own confirmation bias and can find fault with Biden, Harris, and Democrats. Pobody is nerfect. There breaking point comes when they can no longer under any form of logic confirm their bias.
Misinformation/Disinformation. There is only one way wake up people swayed by misinformation and disinformation – the truth. And that truth can’t be something the media reported. It has to be a source document. It has to be verifiable. This group is nowhere near as bad as confirmation bias. They truly do not know. Show them contradictions between Trump’s words and actions. We need to do this at least dozens of times to get through to many of them and bring them to the breaking point. Truth is that breaking point.
Misogynists. The breaking point here is equal parts revolting and easy. They will only vote for a man. The depths of their bigotry has been reinforced for decades. We can bring them to their breaking point if we get more women and men who are not misogynists to vote and outnumber them. Or cave to their hatred and keep voting for men (I abhor this choice for the record).
Abortion Rights. This is a deep-seeded and usually a religiously based issue. As profound as it is, it is only one issue and an issue they can fight for without siding for a tyrant. They will arrive at their breaking point when they realize that they can separate issues from candidates. They can reach a breaking point by achieving their goals at the state level and do not need to lower themselves to Trump’s cruelty. They can reach a breaking point when they see that Trump is killing people – actually killing people – through his destruction of USAID food programs. If Life is what they value, Death is their breaking point.
Religion. Some Catholics already sided with the Pope. Some Jews do not want Trump casinos on the Gaza Strip. All of us saw the one time Trump went to church since this Administration began and he was clearly offended at a request for mercy. He is not a religious man. I have been reading about Buddhism recently. He seems to be the polar opposite. I happen to be a Christian. The New Testament with the love and forgiveness of Jesus is the antithesis of everything Trump does and says. There is not a single time in the Bible where Jesus refers to anyone as a loser. For every religion, agnostic, and atheist, the breaking point is when we can no longer defend that he aligns with our faith and/or beliefs.
Less Educated. The less educated are doing nothing wrong. Trump speaks to them on their level in their voice. It is appealing. It is both unfortunate and ironic since the Republican’s are attacking the education, health care, social security, and economy of the less educated, while the Democrats are fighting on their behalf. The less educated will reach a breaking point when the Democrats can speak to them with simplicity, directness, and respect. Democrats need to constantly remind people and show people that they are the true advocates and champions of the working class.
Latino Men. The Latino population in the U.S. needs to be understood as a heterogeneous one, made up of people with different experiences, priorities and preferences. Still, there are a few common threads. They care about the economy, immigration, religion, and core family values. Their breaking point is already beginning to evolve as Trump continues to fail on each of these issues.
Racist. Their only breaking point will be when they feel more pain than hatred. That’s a tall order. They are cheering on the elimination of all forms of diversity, equity, and inclusion. And during the last two months I have come to the horrific realization that they are larger in numbers than I could have imagined. This is probably the last place I would waste time and energy. The one tactic that can help a little bit, is to expose them at every opportunity. Even in this climate when a racist tirade is caught on video, they tend to lose their jobs. Keep your phones ready to capture their behavior and we can take them to their breaking point one at a time.
Homophobic. I think the narrative got lost on the bigger picture here. The Democrats let the Republicans frame sexual preference with pronouns and transgender athletes. The basic premise got lost – LGBTQIA+ rights are human rights. Simple decency and human rights. The suffix to this group is phobic, or irrational fear. Their breaking point comes when they see that they have nothing to fear and that their prejudice needs to take a backseat to their own best interests.
Border. I think the only way this group reaches a breaking point is if Trump completely fails in every imaginable way to secure the border. But then again, he never had Mexico pay for a wall that never got built, so maybe a better approach to their breaking point is for the Democrats to do a better job defining a clear, fair, and defensible border policy that can be understood at a 5th grade reading level. Conversely, their breaking point could also be if Trump is too over-the-top on border and immigration issues. Even many conservatives are against the idea of Guantanamo Bay.
Democrats Disconnected. In my previous post I did not distinguish between Democrat politicians and Democrat voters. I need to correct that now. While virtually all Democrats reached their breaking point on Election Day, any remaining morsels ploughed far behind the breaking point within 24 hours after Inauguration Day. And they have been vocal, bold, determined architects of the Resistance. I am proud of them. I can’t say the same for Democratic members of Congress. I know some of my Democrat friends will get testy that I dare to say anything negative about our Party, but I have the courage of my convictions. One Democrat told me, “what they say does not matter; only votes matter.” I completely disagree. I have spent my life in strategic communications and know better. Words matter. They need to seize the message. A few have made attempts, but collectively, I do not believe they have reached their breaking point. If I was among them, I would work to get 100% to physically come together in front of the Capitol to rebuke everything Trump has done wrong, one-by-one, passing turns at the microphone so we hear from every single one of them. We need a Phoenix (or 262 of them) to rise from the ashes and begin a rebirth, renewal, and the ability to overcome adversity and emerge stronger than before. If they do not reach their breaking point sooner, they will certainly do so by or at the mid-term elections.
Anti-Woke Culture. These people got what they want. Our nation went from woke to asleep to nightmares in the first 24-hours. They got rid of the words, meaning, and reality of diversity, equity, and inclusion. They got their bathrooms. They have no steam left. They have nothing left to fight for or against. Their breaking point varies individually as each one learns that the economy, their livelihood, is more important than protecting their close-mindedness. Their breaking point is already in progress.
Algorithms. I think a shift has begun on social media that will impact many of the algorithms that are feeding MAGA false information. It is becoming increasingly more difficult for them to avoid truth. Fox News is no longer a puppet for Trump. A few Republicans are starting to stand up. And millions of MAGAs still see the social media feeds of those of us telling the truth. Many of the MAGA are already exhausted at seeing what we post and are finding it increasingly difficult to defend every single one of Trump’s moronic decisions. I can see a crack in the defenses of social media and algorithms since there is less and less content to defend Trump. This breaking point is nearing completion.
Values. You know, sometimes you feel like a nut; sometimes you don’t. MAGA’s are nuts; the rest of us are woke (I hope you sung that to the Almond Joy / Mounds jingle). Seriously, though, MAGAs have never cared about Trump’s values and never will. But I still believe in the basic decency and goodness of the human spirit. While 74 million people made a horrible vote and are complicit in what we now face, the vast majority of them do have some semblance of values, albeit misguided. As they see people they know who are being hurt, as they see children in the world die, as they recognize we are on the precipice of totalitarianism, a great many will come around. Not, all, but enough will reach the breaking point.
Alpha and Omega. I am a moderate. In my previous column I explained how this group of voters were the extreme on each side and that has left the middle out of the equation. Extremists will never reach a breaking point as long as they are extremists. The only hope for them is to change the focus from candidates and parties to issues and outcomes. The only breaking point they will ever find is the issue(s) that works against them. For those on the far right, their breaking points are approaching swiftly. Police, Farmers, and now Veterans are being treated in disgusting ways. The breaking points are coming for them, their families, and the far right who claim they care about them.
Just Win, Baby. I think this concept will be a breaking point for many and may come the fastest. Vance, Rubio, and so many other Republicans are on record, on audio, on video, with their honest opinions about how repugnant Trump is. They are just too cowardly to stand up. Courage comes in numbers, and the numbers are building. The Republican Party and voters are learning the hard way that winning isn’t everything. I actually believe in the possibility that they will impeach Trump and remove him, Musk and Putin from office. If they have any dignity, they will reach a breaking point on winning, or at the very least redefine winning, and turn the reigns over to Vance.
Anarchy. Anarchists are stupid. They wanted to crash the system, and with the help of others, they did. But they do not have the numbers and power to maintain anarchy. Most of the MAGAs do not even want that. They did their rebellious thing and contributed to this chaos. But their day is done. Almost. Their breaking point is when they realize that feeding their family is more important than ruining a country. Some have already figured that out. The rest will soon.
Non-voters. I shared the math in my previous column. The population of the United States is about 330 million. The number eligible to vote is around 240 million. The number who actually did vote is about 145 million. I think a good percentage of the remaining 95 million are paying attention now. Many of them assumed Harris would win. Many didn’t think their vote mattered. Many didn’t care about politics. They are now receiving the greatest possible political lesson one could ever imagine. It does matter. They are seeing that now. They are now all dots along a continuum to breaking points.
Conclusion
Sticking with those categories was a bit difficult and confining. Here is a stab at summing this all up in a few simple thoughts. As much as we would want it to be different, most people will only change when it impacts them personally. The changes we are seeing will, in fact, ultimately impact everyone. I believe the breaking point can and will lead to an impeachment and removal from office. I prefer that happens before the mid-term elections. The damage during the first seven weeks will become more scathing and painful when the consequences of each action occur.
We all have breaking points. Even Trump. Kid Rock does not need to worry. Trump will not serve a third term. And remember, we do not need to change the minds of 74 million voters. Five million would be more than enough.
Let’s not wait for the day when the following oath is painted on the White House by a pig.
“All Animals Are Equal / But Some Are More Equal Than Others.”
Stoneking Strategic Communications (SSC) 