Criminy!
Before the election I adopted the stance that our country had not descended to such a level of depravity that we would actually elect a candidate like Donald Trump. I just wouldn’t accept that possibility.
And I was wrong. We went ahead and did just that. And ever since I’ve been trying to wrap my head around it. It’s easy to simply call your opponents idiots (I know, cause I’ve done it plenty). But really, how is it that the majority of voters listened to what Donald Trump said this past decade, watched what he did and tried to do, witnessed the way he treats people . . . and then said, yeah, that’s my guy??? I truly don’t get it. How is that even possible?
I’ve been mentally trying to braid together the strands of explanation that might deliver some sort of answer. I’ve come up with a couple, and am open to more.
First, for decades now the Republicans have been busy trying to make it harder to vote, and particularly difficult for those most likely to vote against them. Gerrymandering, removing ballot drop boxes, closing polling stations, creating whopping lines and waiting times, and culling the voter rolls of hundreds of thousands of potential voters. Much as they have whined about voter fraud, when it comes down to it, most of the instances of actual fraud have been perpetrated by republicans, and the efforts to simply create roadblocks to voting have, indeed, made a significant dent in voter turnout.
Second, there is no discounting the latent presence of misogyny and racism in our culture. Turns out that a lot of our fellow citizens simply will not vote for a woman, any woman. It was clear as far back as Shirley Chisholm and Geraldine Ferraro. It was true for Hillary Clinton, and I believe it was a factor again for Kamala Harris. Again, I don’t get that, given the number of successful women politicians around the world, but it’s a thing in America. Racism rears its ugly head too. Obama managed to get by it, but the blowback was ferocious. Sad to say, but a whole lot of white voters in this country won’t get behind a candidate of color, even when the other candidate is as unbelievably flawed and dangerous as Trump.
Third, the level of propaganda and disinformation these days is gobsmacking. It’s the age of information, but so much of it is bad information, or targeted information, or superficial information, or simply mendacious information. Everyone, including me, is isolated in their information silo, being fed what they want to hear, what reinforces their beliefs, and leading them down rabbit holes rampant with bullshit, all dressed up to appear reliable and true.
Then there’s the Electoral College, but don’t even get me started on that piece of garbage.
So here we are. We’ve gone and put the fox firmly in the hen house. He’s told us the plan. Prepare to cope with it. Do Trump voters actually think their health care will get better and more affordable? Do they think their freedoms will be expanded and protected? Do they think their retirement will be more secure? Do they think democracy and freedom will shine bright? Do they think the rule of law and the Constitution will be followed and respected? Do they think that the women in their lives will feel protected and supported?
Yeah, well, good luck with that. Be careful what you wish for, because you may be in for a pretty rude wake up call. I think we’re in for an era of political corruption unmatched since the early 1900s when the titans of industry, including our very own Butte Copper Kings, were gleefully pulling the levers of power. And guess what, that isn’t going to benefit 99% of the people who filled in the blank next to Trump’s name.
As for me, I’m not listening to ‘news’ anymore.