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The Cavalry
Author: TriSec    Date: 12/29/2018 11:04:37

Good Morning.

One of the strongest TV Tropes is the cavalry swooping in to the rescue at the last moment.



Things are looking bleak for our heroes: they gave it their best, and may have even briefly looked like winning, but in the end, the villains were too strong, the heroes too few, and all that's left is just enough time for some last words and a Last Stand...

...Wait, what's that? Did I just hear a bugle?

It's The Cavalry, riding in to save the day! Maybe they're some minor characters who've banded together to mount a rescue, or maybe they're the local Men of Sherwood, or maybe they are characters Not Quite Dead after all, but ultimately they exist to storm in at the last minute, save the heroes and convert a Downer Ending into an out-and-out win for the good guys.

If done badly, this trope represents the ultimate example of the Deus ex Machina. If played well, it can be an immensely satisfying climax to the plot and a nice reminder that the heroes aren't in this alone. In some cases the entire reason for the heroes' heroic stand may be that they know the cavalry is coming, if they can just hold on long enough.

This and other related tropes are named for the classic Western trope of the US cavalry charging over the brow of the hill just in time to save the beleaguered settlers from the Indians in far too many Westerns to count.


As the story says...if that cavalry charge is done well, it can be a game-changer in a movie, series, or other story, and give you an entertaining thrill for a job well done.

Badly, of course....a prolonged sigh and eyeroll. "Not again!"

Given that the United States seems to literally have its back up against a wall, getting that page off the calendar and seeing the Democrats on the horizon sort of has that "cavalry" feel to it, doesn't it?


As we say goodbye to a tumultuous and unpredictable 2018 and bring in the new year with the House of Representatives under new management, there are a few priorities Democrats should focus on to ensure they are able to provide a much-needed counterbalance to the never-ending chaos that has emanated from the White House for the last two years.

While many progressives may be salivating at the possibility of a newfound energy to impeach this unfit, inept and corrupt president, Democrats should focus on actual sensible governance and give the American people the desperately desired sense that there are now adults in Washington who will put the needs of the country above scoring cheap political points.

First, Democrats need to reopen the government in the face of a dug-in president intent on destroying the livelihoods of more than 800,000 federal workers who are furloughed or working without pay, through the holidays no less, simply to force through an ill-advised and ineffective political stunt in the form of a border wall.

Democrats seem to be weighing several options that will fund the government either temporarily through Feb. 8 or, preferably, through the full fiscal year until Sep. 30.

They will pass several measures when they are sworn in as the majority party in the House, leaving Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) with growing pressure to pass any of these measures, so the government can open and federal workers can start getting paid.

Trump will then be faced with the option of continuing to dig in for a wall that is based on lies and exaggerations simply to meet the demands of right-wing media commentators and his most hardcore supporters.

But what Trump has never understood — and never will — is that true leadership is solving problems for all Americans, not simply sticking to a cheap political bumper sticker, even if it means disappointing some of his base voters and the likes of Anne Coulter and Rush Limbaugh.

After the government re-opens, Democrats should then focus on working with Republicans on bipartisan solutions to a handful of issues where common ground can be found — as it has been found before.


Happy New Year, indeed!


 
 

1 comments (Latest Comment: 12/29/2018 14:26:56 by BobR)
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