In the event that there still are a few of you out there who believe that Donald Trump can and will be easily beaten in 2020, let me disabuse you of such silliness right now. Historically, incumbent presidents are very, very, very hard to beat when they seek re-election. The power of the presidency and its ability to shape the electoral battlefield to the incumbent’s liking is considerable. And while Trump will likely once again lose the popular vote, and will likely once again have to draw an inside straight to win the Electoral College again, he has done it before, and that means that he and his campaign staff know how to do it again. That doesn’t make drawing an inside straight easy, but it does make it easier.

So, that ought to scare you. And I haven’t even gotten to all of the dirty tricks that Trump and his enablers may try to play to win re-election–including potentially disputing a close but decidedly unfavorable outcome in a manner that utterly reeks of bad faith and undemocratic sentiment. Beating Trump is doable, but it is going to be a very uphill battle, and a lot of people don’t appear to understand just how decidedly uphill it will be.

Denying this reprehensible president a second term, and denying his deplorable–yes, deplorable–enablers further access to power and influence is essential to saving the soul and character of America. If we succeed, we can get back the America that we are losing to the lunatics, the grifters, and the white nationalists. If we fail, the character of this country may be changed, and may not change again for the better for decades.

And of course, while our votes matter and are important, there are hundreds of millions of eligible voters in this country, which means that no one person has full and untrammeled command over what the character and soul of this country will be. Our votes and voices have to contend with those who genuinely disagree with us, and those who may agree in secret, but who are determined to act in bad faith, because to do so would be a self-aggrandizing move.

But while no one person has full and untrammeled command over what the character and soul of this country will be, we do have total autonomy in determining the shape and nature of our own characters and souls. No matter what happens in the election of 2020, and no matter what the Trumpenvolk do in order to try to blot out facts, and truth, and virtue, and decency, and right, and justice, eventually, facts, and truth, and virtue, and decency, and right, and justice do win out. They make their way into the history books, as do the judgments of those who lived during the Age of Trump. In the long run, if you adhere to facts, and truth, and virtue, and decency, and right, and justice, history will look kindly on you. And if you don’t, it will condemn you.

As well it should.

Do what you can in order to change the character and soul of America for the better in 2020. And do what you can, right now, to make sure that your own character and soul withstand the test and judgments of history.

You can start, here and now, by resolutely refusing to be a rhinoceros.

(Photo Credit.)