Dear President Trump,

I was super happy to see E. J. Dione’s WP editorial the other day arguing that you’re stoking the impeachment debate because it’s a terrific distraction from more pressing issues, like your budget priorities, which he called out as horribly regressive and cruel. There are lots of people who have your number; neither he nor I are special on that count – you’re so egregious and obvious that spot-on pundits are a dime a dozen now.

I am curious though, on this Thursday morning as the Senate is poised to vote on the resolution condemning your emergency wall declaration, how you’ll spin it if there are enough GOP “defections” to pass it? My guess is that you’ll be generally defensive and pointedly vicious in your takedowns of the 10 or 12, or however many, GOP Senators who vote in favor of the resolution. Your machine will go into overdrive to identify Trump-mold (eew!) candidates to run against any who are up for re-election in 2020. There will be no reflection on the error of your ways, no backing down from your whipped up rhetoric about the hordes of invading criminals hiding behind the toddlers in diapers coming into the country with their desperate parents. Nope, you’ll shame and blame those GOP congress-people who dared to cross you and you’ll seethe at Pelosi for setting this thing in motion. And, you’ll angrily, righteously veto the resolution so you can attempt to push through this thing that a clear majority of Americans think is stupid.

It sure looks like next week is going to rather suck for you since you’ll have to veto both the wall resolution and the War Powers Act condemning your support of Saudi Arabia’s war on Yemen. The latter was actually acted on first by the GOP-led Senate, not the House. I bet that’s especially galling. I hope it has you totally freaked out and scared out of your little tiny mind. If McConnell is going to let (sigh) them vote to oppose you on Saudi Arabia, seems to me that your shield isn’t as enthusiastically protecting you anymore. We’re all starting to see chinks in the armor – yes, they are still tiny and they are coming shamefully late, but they are starting and you are going down.

May we all stay safe even when our president is feeling trapped and outmaneuvered.
May we all be happy to continue pressing for governance with integrity.
May we not rest until our democracy is healthy, and even then, only for a minute.
May you not start a war.

Sincerely,
Tracy Simpson