My blog partner’s testament to the above, while flattering, is also unnerving. Very. I was afraid I was right. As I consider the results of the election on the day following it, I have at least these rather conflicted notions, as in I feel ( adjective ) because ( reason ). Here goes.
I feel … relief … because the ads were seriously getting on my nerves; all of them. Really.
… afraid … Trump seems like a loose cannon who’s always interested in getting even and now he has the entire toolset of the executive branch of the United States at his mostly legitimate disposal. He also has the nuclear codes.
… I am afraid the legislative branch of the government is in his pocket as well. See concern immediately above. They are sworn to uphold the Constitution but if you cut them they’ll bleed Republican, and he ran on their banner.
… and he has egged his supporters to a “lock her up” frenzy at more than one political rally.
… he has a very thin skin and is apparently very naïve about the use of nuclear weapons.
… his gas-lighting abuse is a huge concern. I wouldn’t expect him to do things that never displease anyone; but I expect ownership of the doing. It is only in the ownership that dialogue can occur. His behavior in the campaign gives me little to no hope that he can do that.
… his apparently unflagging admiration for the dictators of the modern world, to whom governing is like managing a company ( “You’re fired!” ), along with his threats to jail Hillary, sue his female accusors and suggestions to withdraw licenses to air programming from those who’ve criticized him, leave me fearing our very democracy is in peril.
… hopeful … perhaps the United States needs a dose of his medicine. Not sure what his medicine is, but he did tap into quite a legitimate anger in the heartland … anger that Bernie Sander and Elizabeth Warren seemed to get but which Clinton either failed completely to understand or was unable to articulate in any meaningful way. Charisma matters.
( Keep in mind I believe he and his kind are the real source of the issue(s) that this anger is about, but that is a completely different story. He is clearly a member of the 1%; he has an array of lawyers that do nothing but obfuscate; he gets away with the sorts of things that would surely land me in jail; he has benefitted from the top tier of wage earners growing incomes while the rest of the people’s incomes remained stagnant; he stiffed completely more than one contractor doing work for him. In addition, his company financially benefitted from his campaign. )
I don’t think for one nano-second he really cares about the issues the anger about which got him elected … government ineffectiveness, nothing gets done for the common good, nothing gets done for the common person, too much government … except that they might affect his financial empire. Too much government? Only when it keeps Trump Enterprises from doing what it wants to do. He has no problem inserting government into women’s health issues.
… his own distrust of some institutions may be a good thing. His railing that politicians are up to nothing beyond cronyism and looking out for themselves ( hence, “Drain the swamp!” ) is almost certainly a good thing, which, while I write that, makes me wonder what he will model in that regard … and I am willing to bet I know. I believe there is a political establishment that is dangerous, is not party-specific, and which he may be onto and able to overcome. On the other hand, the government does have to work.
I am amazed at the man’s ability to win; I hope and pray his ability to govern ( which is nothing like managing a company ) is as good. As Hillary said in her concession speech, he’s our man, he’s the president, we must be together behind him. I will give him a chance and urge all to do the same.
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