You’ve seen the images. The MAGA hat wearing zealots who claim they want to “Make America Great”. Their idea of greatness is a sad distortion of reality. They long for an America where white makes right. They hug their guns and pretend to love the flag. They’re fiercely intolerant of anyone who is not like them and are so filled with hate and anger they cannot broach any disagreement with their rigid dogma.
They are the Proud Boys, neo-Nazis, white supremacists and religious bigots. They hold rallies on government property, proudly displaying their “Second Amendment rights,” including guns, while denying First Amendment rights to others. They shout “White Power!” as they hold MAGA signs and swastikas.
During this time of a health crisis they shun masks and social distancing, claiming it infringes on their individual rights even as they threaten to spread disease to others.
Then, there is the religious right; a group so blissfully ignorant they believe any illness is a sign their god supports whatever they hate. They shout “God Hates Fags!”, claim to be able to “cure” homosexuality and called the AIDS epidemic “God’s Curse on Homosexuals”.
They claim to support the teachings of Jesus, but hate foreigners, the poor, other religions and people of color. Instead, they cherry-pick Bible verses to support their bigoted narrative.
They deny a woman’s right to choose in healthcare matters, but then later deny them assistance after a child is born.
Here’s a clue to those people: It’s not your right to force your beliefs on others like you have for centuries!
America: Changed Forever?
America has been indeed lost its way. Once the leader in world matters, we are being shunned by other countries who have taken the lead in matters of the environment, economics, diplomacy and healthcare.
It’s ironic that it took an American Hitler to make Germany the Leader of the Free World.
Thinking back to the 70s sitcom, “All in the Family”, which was a satire on right wing policies, I’m reminded of the words of the theme song, “Those Were the Days”, where Archie Bunker harkened back to the days when Herbert Hoover, the president at the start of the Great Depression, was in charge.
While most laughed at the outlandish caricature of right-wing figures in the Archie Bunker character, we are now being surrounded by Trump-era Archie Bunkers.
No matter who will succeed this deplorable administration, it will be a long time, if ever, that we will be trusted on the world stage.
Has America been changed forever? We can no longer pretend to be the Land of Opportunity. We have abandoned being “The Land of the Free”, as our National Anthem promises. When a government official changes the wording inscribed on the Statue of Liberty to support xenophobic policies, we no longer hold the moral high ground.
When a leader compares himself to Abraham Lincoln yet declares he has “absolute power”, what’s to stop him when the Congressional mandate of being a check on Executive overreach is abandoned? There are no words.
Hubris and nepotism have replaced patriotism and honor.
America had its time in the sun, however brief. Our greatness was lost in a distortion of the voting process.
Putin has his revenge.
America, and Hillary Clinton, saw the downfall of the Soviet Union. Now, he has forever altered America. And all it took was the empowerment of a group of incompetent individuals and handing them the keys to power.
Will America EVER be great again? Not as long as Donald Trump occupies the White House.
But What About Trump?
Make no mistake, Trump has a definite path to victory in November. For this to happen, it will require a complete character overhaul. It’s a stretch. Hell, it’s an impossibility, but it could happen – if he follows an unlikely path.
No matter what he does, he will have his base. His base is only about 35 percent of the American people. So, to win he must broaden his reach. He can endure this transformation with a nod and a wink to his followers; convince them that he’s in it to win it, and once that happens it will be back to business as usual.
So, he needs to get off Twitter. His tweets, while meat for his base, are not helping him. They give those of us with a working brain a window into his disturbed mind. He dares to speak, or tweet, the things others keep inside their heads. He has no social filter.
Withdrawal is never easy. Often addicts replace one addiction with another. Perhaps he could take up painting or some other less destructive hobby. And make no mistake, Trump has several addictive habits, whether it be Diet Coke, junk food, pretty women, sexual depravity or megalomania.
Getting off Twitter and not commenting on everything that gets under his thin skin would go a long way towards repairing -- or at least hiding -- his obvious character flaws.
On top of that, he must admit his mistakes, become humble and acknowledge those flaws. Self-reflection is difficult for any of us, but for Trump to become contrite would permit people to see him in a different light. Indeed, it would humanize him.
Hey Waldron: What are you smoking?
Also, he must embrace both Democrats and the media. Getting them on his side, instead of demonizing them, would make him the great unifier he always portrayed himself as being. Invite Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer over for lunch. It would be a great photo op.
Then, if all of that was not enough, Trump must acknowledge CNN and the New York Times as having legitimate points and state that, while he may disagree with some of their reports, he respects their rights under the First Amendment.
I’m sure by this point you are either laughing so hard you can’t breathe, or you’re looking for a receptacle in which you can upchuck. Sorry.
We all know the saying “A leopard can’t change his spots”. Trump is a leopard.
And so, we must kick him to the curb in November.
Chris and Robert-you both express yourselves well. My only comment is that we all seem to agree on one important point-we need a different leader!
Robert,
A degree in divinity...I should have guessed; either that or theology. My degrees are in English, Political Science and Education.
Sorry about the paragraphing criticism. I also should have surmised it was yet another flaw in the Wix program.
I take umbrage to your comment that I‘ve miseducated my students. Yes, many objections to slavery were based in religion, but so were many justifications. During that era, many Africans were forced to covert or die prior to being shipped to various locations. Missionaries of that time, along with the slave traders, became quite versed in the art of “persuasion” in order to gain converts. Meanwhile, there was, and continues to be, opposition to the Thirteenth Amendment, some of i…
First, Chris, as a person who scored at the 93rd percentile on the verbal GRE and DOES write in paragraphs- and did on the post you refer to, as well as my previous one, only to find the paragraphing removed both times when I left the page to consult Grammarly over an objection it raised to my style and have to go back later and reinsert it- I wish you'd engage what I say instead of simply repeating the same nonsense almost verbatim and grading my essay. My own undergraduate degree is in history (English was my minor) and my graduate degree in Divinity. Not only is it a generally accepted historical fact that religious opposition to slavery initiated, ignited, a…
I was just thinking about a friend of mine whose grandfather was in the KKK and she actually believed that people of color were inferior during her youth. She has been very embarrassed about this for years but she loved her grandfather and thought he was the best. As an adult she has rejected religion and never sent her kids to church because her grandparents were Christians and very religious and considered pillars of the community. I think this is an example of the religious right that Chris Waldon is referring to-am I correct?
Trump certainly lives in a different reality and thinks he is above reproach. I do believe that he is aware of many of his actions that have caused a dramatic change in society, especially with regard to minorities. In fact, a good friend who is a therapist said that if he can pass his drivers test and order food from a menu he has responsibility for his actions.
I had Holocaust survivors in my family and some time ago we went to the preview of the Holocaust Museum in D.C. Their stories along with the videos in the museum literally caused me to be lightheaded. Hitler also lived in a different reality and was very charismatic. While there is no…