Pitchforks and Torches

If the stakes weren’t so high, it would almost be humorous to watch Missouri’s Republican politicians contort themselves while trying to explain how massive cuts to the federal government won’t affect Missourians. Medicare, Medicaid, the Veterans Administration, and Social Security form the proverbial “third rail” of politics—touch them, and you risk instant political death. Some politicians seem to understand this concept, at least partly; a recent NPR article highlights how Missouri politicians are scrambling to assure voters they will somehow be spared from the damage taking place in our federal government. They “shuck and jive” their way through meetings with people, promising not to touch the third rail, apparently unaware of the thinness of the limb they are climbing out on.

The problem? Elon Musk doesn’t care about the voters. As the newly appointed czar of Trump’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), he wields budget cuts like an axe, swinging wildly, only to realize too late that he cut too deep, creating damage that’s too severe to paper over with a cute soundbite. The reality is that real people are getting hurt, and the third rail is under direct threat.

As if unaware of the dangerous undertow, Missouri Republicans continue their ritualistic praise of Trump, seemingly oblivious to the effects of his erratic decision-making. They hail him as a master strategist, but anyone paying attention sees the reality: Trump’s policies are dictated by the last TV segment he watches on Fox News or by the last person to talk with him before he launches another message on Truth Social. As a result, he flip-flops on tariffs, throwing Wall Street into chaos and sending retirement accounts on a rollercoaster ride. Is this the work of a “stable genius” or the reckless whims of a man who values loyalty over competence? The American people are beginning to recognize the latter.

Back in Missouri, Senator Josh Hawley recently declared at a Lincoln Days breakfast, “We have a window of opportunity now to save the soul of this country.” He went on to say that Americans want to protect their children, keep our streets safe, close the border, and restore economic prosperity. But what he conveniently ignores is that, on a state level, Republicans have controlled Missouri for over two decades, and the results speak for themselves.

Missouri’s small towns—once thriving on local industry and community life—are withering away. Storefronts sit empty, their windows plastered with For Lease signs that never come down. Rural hospitals have shut their doors, leaving thousands of Missourians without access to emergency care. Family farms are under relentless assault from corporate farms, threatening to enslave farmers on the very land they once owned. Public schools struggle under repeated budget cuts, forcing teachers to scrape by on stagnant wages and reducing school weeks to four days while classroom sizes grow. Women’s rights are under constant attack, with legislators seeking every opportunity to roll back reproductive freedoms. The LGBTQ community is losing their rights, subjecting them to humiliation and, at times, outright violence. And all the while, the Republican supermajority fights to weaken unions, cut Medicaid, and shield utility companies as they charge residents for energy projects that have yet to produce a single watt of electricity.

Yet, somehow, we are expected to believe that Missouri’s problems can be blamed on anyone but those who have been in power for the last two decades. If people focus too much on the problems, Republicans dredge up DEI, Hillary’s emails, Hunter’s laptop, ad nauseum. Look! A squirrel! The Republicans have a deep well of distractions, but someday, the bottom of the well will be reached.

We will reach a point where Missouri politicians will be forced to confront the ticking time bombs they’ve planted in our economy, especially the accelerant left by Elon Musk, who aims to cut government services to eventually privatize them and further enrich his billionaire buddies who stand by, ready to take over our prisons, our schools, and possibly Social Security. When will Missourians truly wake up? As a friend once told me, Republicans won’t change their minds until they’re knocked flat on their ass.

And that reckoning is already underway. At a recent town hall in Belton, Missouri, U.S. Representative Mark Alford was mercilessly heckled by voters furious over the reckless cuts to federal jobs. The rot is setting in. When Trump and his enablers finally do touch the third rail of politics—gutting the very programs that sustain many working-class Americans—political sycophants will have nowhere to run as an outraged public takes to the streets with pitch forks and torches, demanding their pound of flesh.

Until we reach that point, our call to action is clear: Stay awake. Stay alert. Resist. Highlight every single policy Republicans implement that hurts hardworking Americans. We can’t count on Democrats to save us. We must save ourselves. Write letters to the editor. Flood the phone lines of your legislators. Protest in the streets. Make noise. Practice civil disobedience.

Because in these difficult and dangerous times, history is watching, and it will judge us on the roles we play. This is our time. This is our fight.