“It’s the economy, stupid” was phrase used in Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign to focus attention on the personal impact on voters of the poor economy.

Today, the economy is in the toilet from Trump’s failed tariff wars, stupid war in Iran, irrational immigration actions and disastrous cuts to necessary social programs.

“It’s Trump, stupid” should be the mantra for all Democratic candidates and voters of all political persuasions.

The midterm election is a referendum on Trump’s disastrous reign of error. Ending his abuses of power, reversing his many harmful actions and restoring the checks and balances necessary for our democracy must be the goal.

John Adams explained the purpose of government 250 yeas ago. He wrote, “Government is instituted for the common good; for the protection, safety, prosperity, and happiness of the people; and not for profit, honor, or private interest of any one man, family, or class of men.”

Today these basic principles are being violated or ignored by Trump and his administration. The common good has been trashed in favor of “Trump’s agenda.”

The people prospering are the billionaires, military and other government contractors and Wall Street speculators. The Trump family and his top administration officials are the most corrupt in our history.

The MAGA movement has never been about the safety, prosperity and happiness of the majority of Americans. It has always been about seizing power to implement the Project 2025 plan to turn our country into a plutocratic dictatorship.

Since Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal programs for people, the 1% plutocracy has been scheming to reverse those improvements and stamp out any progress toward a social democracy. Donald Trump was both the culmination of this effort and a convenient “populist” demagogue able to deceive enough people to make it happen.

All this has become increasing obvious to even hardcore Republican voters. The incompetence, arrogance, greed, cruelty and dishonesty of Trump and his appointees can no longer be ignored or blamed on “fake news.”

Trump is now openly attempting to bribe voters. Trump publicly promised to give $5,000 to every adult citizen if Republicans maintained control of Congress. This is obviously an attempt to buy votes. Congress has not authorized the estimated $1.2 trillion this would cost nor can they in the future because bribery is illegal.

But that doesn’t matter because there will be voters dumb enough to take the bait and vote Republican. In many close races this may save Trump from impeachment or prosecution for his crimes.

But Trump’s vote-for-cash scam is not the only attempt to buy votes.

In October, just days away from the midterm elections, some 20 million seniors on Traditional Medicare received $90 from the Social Security Administration. Technically it is a “rebate” of their part B premium, but again this $1.8 billion expenditure has not been authorized by Congress. This was supposedly justified using “Medicare Improvement” legislation passed in 2008.

But was this the intent of that legislation? Eighteen years later where did the money come from?

Why is the administration that slashed Medicaid and refused to extend pandemic Affordable Care Act subsidies concerned about the cost of Medicare part B for some seniors (49 million don’t get the $90) right before a critical election?

It certainly isn’t because of compassion for the elderly or poor. This administration has a proven record of no compassion or empathy for anyone but billionaires. And they have a proven record of trying to rig the midterms.

In another attempt to sway the midterm election, Trump announced a bailout for farmers to partially cover losses resulting from his disastrous war in Iran. He was, “... pleased to announce that the Department of Agriculture will be launching a new Harvest Fuel Relief program, providing our farmers with $8 billion in support to offset diesel costs during this harvest season.”

This is another example of Trump creating a problem with his bad policies and then spending  tax dollars to offset the damage he created. But this bailout is only for farmers (1.3% of the population and historically Republican voters).

There is no subsidy for all the other diesel truck owners. Nor are there plans to mitigate individual harm from his cuts to food stamps of Medicaid recipients (72 million people). That would be “socialism.” But for farmers (whom he “loves”), public welfare payments are just fine.

Congress has not passed legislation to create or to fund the $8 billion Harvest Fuel Relief program. But, as is typical with Trump’s dictatorial actions, this constitutional and legal requirement for spending public monies is simply ignored.

According to the Google AI, the Department of Agriculture’s Commodity Credit Corporation will be the funding source.

The Commodity Credit Corporation is an independent government-owned financial institution within the Department of Agriculture created in 1933 to protect farm income and prices.

The Secretary of Agriculture (a Trump toady) controls this agency and has broad discretionary powers for emergency relief programs and borrowing up to $30 billion annually from the U.S. Treasury. The Trump administration is using (or abusing?) this authority to bypass Congress, hand out “welfare” checks to likely Republican voters and probably fund it with more debt.

“When Republicans win, we will pass even more funding for our farmers. We love our farmers,” Trump said in a campaign speech in Kansas.

Clearly this bailout, right before the midterms, is an attempt to buy votes and Trump is stupid enough provide proof in his own words.

In September Trump also urged his MAGA faithful to support “the greatest president” by voting and to “cheat like hell” to elect Republicans. “You’ve got to do this for me,” he said.

Trump’s illegal, unconstitutional and anti-democratic efforts to prevent Democrats from gaining control of the House and Senate is one of many reasons why all sensible people – all patriotic Americans who believe in democracy – should be voting for Democrats. Not because Democrats are better, have all the answers, or align with their political beliefs, but because it is the only way to stop Trump from establishing a plutocratic dictatorship.

Impeachment is the only answer to our current situation.

The Republican enablers of Trump – Pete Stauber, Tom Tiffany, Michael Alfonso, et al – must be defeated. All people of good sense must unite – despite all ideological or party differences – to take back our country from the billionaires.

It’s about Trump, stupid.