In a world where Republicans hold all the power, be that in the Senate, House, and presidency, Americans are suffering. The cost of cars is high. The cost of housing is high. The cost of healthcare is high. The cost of groceries is high. And it has gotten so bad that Americans can not afford to live.
Not to mention, the hate and discrimination people are facing that is tearing our country apart and putting brothers against sisters. Along with the fact that the entire fabric of our democracy is folding in on itself and might be moving towards a path beyond repair. And we’re confused. We don’t know what to believe or what not to believe and more importantly, we have forgotten who we are as American people.
Christian Davis, a TV writer for Hollywood, also explained what she thought the impact has been of current Republican policies.
“The policies of the current Republican president are setting the country back almost 100 years in the areas of women’s rights, African American rights, and immigrant rights,” Davis said. “Trump also gutted the department of education and fired people who work for the special education department. And because of this we are losing our prestige as a country, people are not sending their children to our schools as much anymore because of the racist policies that are being pushed.”
Fear is also now seeping into the cracks and darkest spaces of our country. Moreover, our fear is so palpable that we have submitted to a tyrannical president, let his actions go unchecked, and taken a step back and watched as his insanity continued to poison America.
What’s more is that just when we were on track towards progression, our path was obstructed by road blocks that wanted to take us back in time.
Davis conveyed how the Trump Administration is trying to limit progression as well.
“The Trump Administration has limited diversity such as DEI and educational reach which is causing us to miss out on talent from other places because people bring their own unique experiences and expertise to table,” Davis said. “I mean, part of what makes us the United States of America is our diversity.”
And all of what has been presented so far is an issue. The current state of America is an issue. And this disruption in everyday American’s lives was caused partly by our own misguided judgements during the 2024 presidential election and partly by a deceitful president who only looks out for himself, to the point where he would not hesitate to sacrifice the American people if it meant that it would benefit him.
But we can change this. Change is possible and it’s happening right now. For example, on Oct. 14, the governor of Maine, Janet Mills, announced that she will be running for the U.S. Senate with the goal in mind of flipping over the seat that Senator Susan Collins holds. Additionally, these elections will take place from April – Nov. 2026. And while this action might seem small, it is still a step in the right direction, and might even be the catalyst for change. Also, Democrats have a high change of flipping over the House because they only need three seats to gain the majority.
Davis then expressed how Governor Mills running for the Senate is a small step back towards progression.
“Yes, I do think this is a step in the right direction and I think it’s very doable,” Davis said. “For example, Stacey Abrams helped Georgia go in more of a Democratic direction. We’re also starting to see major counties and cities turn in a more Democratic direction because of the simple facts and reasoning presented to them which shows that Trump’s policies are going against what is truly best for the American people.”
Furthermore, Democratic Governor Janet Mills is not afraid to stand up for what she believes in and refuses to accept that presidential tyranny is commonplace and should be tolerated. In her campaign, she also stated that she would stay true to her resolve of not bending to the will of a bully which she accuses her competitor of doing. She stated that she would not even have chosen to run for the Senate if she hadn’t deemed the situation in government so dire, and if any of Trump’s policies were even remotely acceptable as well.
Davis communicated what it means when our members of Congress willingly submit to a president who is inciting chaos in our government and making a mockery of our country.
Then, Emily Nguyen (12), further explained why Trump’s policies are unacceptable.
“I can’t really think of any of the Trump policies I am familiar with like the persecution of those speaking against Charlie Kirk, trying to repeal Obamacare, and not a policy, but entertaining the idea of ending birthright citizenship, that I don’t believe would hurt many people and/or infringe on their rights,” Nguyen said.
“Additionally, I take issue with his going against the National Museum of African American History, initiating deals with colleges where the government would oversee the college admissions process and just his overall cuts to the federal government which have impacted the likes of the Missouri History Museum in our very own St. Louis,” Nguyen said. “ I cannot see a world where the many Trump policies do not harm marginalized people or promote increased surveillance against those who do not fit into the President’s agenda.”
In addition to that, the Trump Administration or Republican party is, of course, trying to use any semblance of weakness they can find in Governor Mills and exploit it for their own political gain. They harp on things like her age and insinuate that she is mentally unfit to be part of the Senate. But what they have failed to understand is that age does not matter in politics: it’s the age of your thinking. So in that aspect, Governor Mills has youth in abundance where as Donald Trump seems to be stuck in the 20th century.
But Nguyen indicated that age can be important in some aspects of politics but not relevant in others.
“At the same time, aging Democrats have posed significant issues for consolidating power in Congress, where the last eight members of Congress to pass away have been Democrats,” Nguyen said. “I think age is important in politics for building momentum. There is an all too true stereotype that politicians are rich, old, white men. The younger a political hopeful is, the more traction they will gain from the media, particularly if their ideological leanings are adjacent to Zohran Mamdani. Younger conservatives gain traction as well. Young voters are excited to see someone who they can identify with and older voters are excited to see that the next generation is stepping up.”
And while this step towards change might seem difficult since according to NPR, we haven’t won the U.S. Senate race in Maine since 1988, but it’s still not something that we can’t accomplish. For instance, Governor Janet Mills herself ran for governor of Maine twice and won each time, even winning over Maine’s more conservative districts. She also became the first woman to serve as Attorney General and eventually Governor of Maine.
So we should take Governor Mills’ advice and decide if we are going to “bow down or stand up.” Because we do have the choice, as Americans, to decide whether or not we are going to submit or resist. And right now we are in a state where this decision is completely pivotal and absolutely necessary if we want to have any say in the fate of America.
Nguyen then expressed what she thought Governor Janet Mills meant by “bow down or stand up.”
Also, stepping up to try and make a difference in your local community can be done in so many different ways and not even just in Maine. Change also starts from the local level and from the American people, and will eventually catapult up to the highest office possible.
Lastly, Nguyen shared her final thoughts on how Americans can bring about change locally in Missouri.
“Join your local political committees, they are always in need of a helping hand,” Nguyen said. “You just need to reach out! You can attend local school board and city council meetings, make sure you are registered to vote, and phone bank and canvass for the local candidates who are getting ready for their own primaries in Missouri. Politics is always happening and not exclusive to every four Novembers. You just have to be willing to get involved.”
But Davis also wanted to share how we ultimately got ourselves here in the first place and purposely ignored glaring warning signs.
“We failed an open book test as a country,” Davis said. “People are losing their farms, thousands of Black women are losing their jobs and being discriminated against, and immigrants are being body slammed by ICE. Project 2025 was available to read during the 2024 election and it outlined everything that Trump’s Administration was going to do and even the time frame in which they were going to do it. And I can say I am very disappointed in the country as a whole.”
“If someone tells you outright how they are going to dismantle your country, but yet you still choose to vote for them because you couldn’t ever think of going for a Black, South Asian woman, then what does that say about you? Or more importantly does that say about us?” Davis said. “It speaks to the racism and misogyny in this country, and it’s so bad that it’s to the point where people are willing to go against someone who actually has their best interests at heart.”
