One day. One very long day. That is all the time I allowed myself to grieve.
I knew the election race was close, but thought, or hoped at least, that Harris would squeak through for the win. Surely, I mused, the American public would not elect a convicted felon and sexual assaulter, someone who insulted and denigrated veterans, to become president. Not this time, I thought, when the public knows so much more about what a despicable character Donald Trump really is.
I could not have been more wrong.
So, Trump won, and he won “bigly” to use a word Trump has thrown around before. And just like that, our country has decided to follow Trump down the escalator into fascism.
I don’t say this lightly. I’m not engaging in some kind of word game. Google the definition of fascism and you will find:
Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian ultranationalist political ideology and movement characterized by:
- Dictatorial power and forcible suppression of opposition.
- Strong regimentation of society and the economy (“regimentation of society” includes such things as limiting individual freedoms and choices, the suppression of diversity, strict control of the media, etc. “Regimentation of society” includes, for example, things like state-directed protectionist interference with the economy by tariffs and other means.).
- Extreme nationalism that places nation and often race above the individual (think “Christian Nationalism.”)
- Opposition to liberalism.
- Belief in a natural social hierarchy and rule by elites.
- Often associated with a charismatic leader and one-party rule. (Duh!)
Key features include:
- Populist rhetoric arguing for national “rebirth” or renewal.
- Emphasis on militarism and imperialism.
- Scapegoating of minority groups.
- Control over mass media and education.
The above bullet points define Trump to a ‘T’. He is a fascist in search of a country he can rule over and now he has one, the most powerful country in the world. And the people who looked at him and what he has done, both personally and criminally, and decided that he was the answer to whatever personal pocketbook problems they were having, made a conscious decision, a very bad decision, and now we all have to live with it. What “living with it” means is something we will have to define for ourselves.
So yeah, I’ll admit that Trump’s win was like a punch in my gut, and it took the proverbial wind out of my sails all day yesterday. But this isn’t the first time in my life that I have been called to make a choice between “taking truth to power” or just going with the flow and not make waves. I didn’t back down then, and I won’t back down now.
Speaking of Project 2025, Trump’s surrogates have been coming out of the shadows since he won the election, and they are saying the quiet part out loud: that contrary to what we’ve been told by Trump, Project 2025 is alive and well and will be implemented!
For example, Bennie Johnson, a well-known conservative political commentator and chief creative officer at Turning Point USA, a Christian Nationalist organization, said this yesterday: “It is my honor to inform you that Project 2025 was real the whole time.” [i]
Another conservative political commentator, Matt Walsh, said yesterday, “Now that the election is over I think we can finally say that yeah actually Project 2025 is the agenda. LOL.”[ii] Steve Bannon’s response to this post was, “Fabulous!”[iii] They all know the truth. The only people who don’t are Trump’s followers.
Let me just state, I do not wish Trump well. And I hope his Project 2025 will fail miserably. I don’t worry too much about our economy. After all, our US economy has never been stronger. Inflation is at its lowest point in years. Gas prices are decreasing. All of this had nothing to do with Trump. But, as all presidents do, he will take credit for the economy that preceded him, and his loyal followers will credit it all to Trump’s imagined genius.
So, don’t despair. Pick yourself up. Dust yourself off. Start preparing and planning on how to combat the bullshit that Trump will be foisting upon all of us very soon. One of the first things I plan on doing is to resign from the Democratic Party, again. I think Bernie Sanders said it all yesterday when he reminded us that, “It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party which has abandoned working class people would find that the working class has abandoned them.” I will also be reading, studying, and sharing what I learn through my writing.
Hang in there. Hopefully, if you voted against Trump on Tuesday, you will join me in this fight. Our children’s future is at stake.
[i] MeidasTouch Youtube video, “Trump Plan to Screw America Exposed in New Bulletin.”
[ii] Ibid.
[iii] SecularTalk Youtube video, “Project 2025 IS the Agenda.”
[i] MeidasTouch Youtube video, “Trump Plan to Screw America Exposed in New Bulletin.”
[ii] Ibid.
[iii] SecularTalk Youtube video, “Project 2025 IS the Agenda.”
PT Barnum had it right…”nobody ever went broke, underestimating the poor taste of the american people”. …..reap the whirlwind.
Woke up on 11/6 in shock and disbelief that we had somehow travelled back in time and are now living in 1930’s Germany. That any American would voluntarily vote for hate and fascism is beyond comprehension for many of us. Such a tragic end to what HAD BEEN a great country.