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Trump's public spectacle regularly appears to transform even resistance into a segment of the show. We become like supporting actors responding as he energizes his base through breaking established norms. But what if we staged an independent public demonstration omitting Trump out – or alternatively having a different priority?

Historical Models of Civic Movement

Colonists from 1768 to 1776 developed new forms of resistance against England's crackdown. Rather than relying on existing legislative bodies, they selected non-importation committees including a pioneering delegates' meeting without any obvious legitimacy or precedent.

Those measures of public demonstration, however weak, finally resulted in national sovereignty. Following the war, founders held a convention – nominally for revising the Articles of Confederation requiring complete agreement among all members. Instead, delegates worked in secret, replaced the system completely, and modified the method to amend the new constitution to a supermajority requirement.

A Current Chance for Reform

The Trump presidency represents a massive decline to constitutional standards, but it is also an opportunity to improve such principles for the better. Like the framers, we ought to create a restricted, by-invitation assembly – an initial constitutional convention – that resisting Democratic states solely set up for themselves, limit to themselves, and direct.

The constitution contains some authority for such action.

Creating an Interstate Compact

These selected regions would meet to propose an interstate compact between themselves, embracing the idea though not necessarily the precise language of similar arrangements that the constitution’s relevant constitutional provision outlines. They would propose to national representatives to adopt as binding policy. Of course approval seems unlikely under present circumstances, as Congress in its current broken form lacks the ability of anything like a new constitution, embryonic or not.

However the goal would be to propose a prototype for a new type to governance, for a post-Trump country, that carries forward components of the current institutional framework that is worth preserving, alongside substantial transformation in response to recent political developments.

A Practical Proposal

For example: Multiple Democratic-leaning regions could declare a governmental failure. The governors might assemble a limited group like-minded anti-Trump states to send delegates selected through the people or the legislature. The delegates’ job would include to draft a multi-state partnership, a declaration of rights of the people and responsibilities of involved regions.

This agreement would divide resources for these responsibilities among participating regions and the federal government, if it were eventually approved at the federal level. It would create mandates that the federal government would fund – specifically for member governments and future that thereafter decide to join the agreement.

A Visionary Preamble

That compact would open with an introduction in which The residents of member governments recognize not only our protections and our duties to respect each other fairly. The introduction would affirm our obligations to ensure all have food security, retirement benefits, health services, fulfilling employment as safeguards in a time of digital transformation. It must clearly state concerning the dangers automated systems and environmental crisis. It should insist on the federal role in medical research and evidence-driven healthcare policy to ensure our standards rise with extended healthspans.

Confronting Previous Abuses

And then the document should include a comprehensive catalog of violations during the last presidency, harmful policies, that deserve penalized and corrected, and abuses from the judicial branch, including the political spending ruling, which must be overturned by states adopting the compact.

From the beginning, participating governments ought to include DC and the territory to join as full members on the same footing and sign on the agreement.

The Most Difficult Part – Funding

Then comes the hardest part – funding. The compact would specify the specific programs which regional governments must finance and initiatives that the federal government must finance – at least for member governments that ratify the compact. This agreement would not only be a structural document for the ages, and a financial plan for short-term action. It should include a reinstatement of funding for medical assistance, and reduction of payments for additional types of healthcare.

An Open Offer

Lastly, this agreement must incorporate an invitation to conservative states, and every other uninvolved region to participate also, although they were not initially included.

Symbolic Consequences

Regardless of what might be claimed opposing such a compact, it could move the former president from prominence and display a specific convention-challenging courage from a status-quo left. It would give progressive regions acknowledgment for their own little smashing of the pottery. All the better should additional regions do not show. {In