Now that the results of the election are sinking in, with President-elect Donald Trump and with the Republicans maintaining majorities in both chambers of Congress, progressives need to heed the message voters have sent regarding what is required to win their support at the polls. We first need to mourn the loss both of civility and of the pretense to honesty.

Here are suggested guiding principles for winning in the future, starting with the midterm elections in two years:

To flip Michelle Obama’s statement: When they go low, we go lower.

Read David Brock’s “The Republican Noise Machine.’’ It provides a winning game plan, if embraced and enacted ruthlessly.

Explore opponents’ vulnerabilities and exploit them relentlessly. If they don’t have significant vulnerabilities, make some up, and manipulate the media to get the message out. If possible, enlist the help of foreign governments (for example, Russia) and US agencies (the FBI).

Make promises that people want to hear, even when you know you will not be able to deliver on them. The power of this strategy is even greater if you act tough and demean your opponents, blaming them for the current situation, even when you know that they are not responsible for it.

Threaten to jail, sue, or otherwise ruin anyone who stands up to you.

Finally, if you lose, and conservative Republicans adopt a conciliatory tone of working together for the benefit of all citizens, grab your wallet and protect it with your life.

Mike Banks, North Attleborough