December 1, 2017 - Anchorage, Alaska. Be forewarned: not a music post.
Once again I let nearly a year pass by without taking the time to reflect. In a way it is indicative of these times. Time to reflect, at least for me, has become difficult. Every day a new affront. Every day another shock to the system politic. So let's call it what it is: a breakdown of those very systems we have all been proud of, valued, promoted, collectively - Republican, Democrat, Independent. But before I describe that breakdown. Before I outline the things I see happening to this country, let me take a moment to respond to the arguments that have been prepared before I even make my views known. Those arguments have already been formulated without me having uttered a word of opposition - for that is part of the new state we live in.
What will they say then? Perhaps: "You lost the election and now you know how we have felt for the last fifty years..." No, that would be sensible. How about: "Listen snowflake [whatever that is truly supposed to mean to them], you and your Antifa friends just can't take it that we are winning and you lost....Get over it!" [They use the term "Antifa" as some kind of oppositional attack, but do they know what it really means? Or, if they do, and just find that it is easier then saying "Anti-fascist", do they realize that doing this must set them up as being the fascists to who we are 'anti'? Do they realize this?] Yep. That sounds a bit more like the meaningless phrase they will use, ending with "Get over it". "Get over it..." like it is a game that was lost instead of the nation's ongoing struggle to forge identity and purpose.
"Get over it" as though watching everything that has been built for generations be dismantled because one side won an election, and the other side didn't..., rather than the patient struggle of time, the give and take of policy, that has had such a profound and positive impact on the development of our institutions...
"Get over it" because, in truth, they are unable to otherwise identify anything (outside of the election victory) that any other actions that the President is proposing will actually do to improve the country, wages, working conditions, lives (outside of the wealthy). Instead they fall back on a dollar store slogan "Make America Great Again" which they shorten to MAGA because, perhaps, even that phrase is to complex.
"Yep," I might answer back, "you won. Now its time for you to 'get over it' and take a look at the consequences of that victory..."
And people really should look at those consequences. It is amazing what the President has managed to accomplish in a short ten months - more than any other President has ever done in ten months, he said this week. And that is actually true. Here is a list of some of those accomplishments:
1) Today his Republicans (only Bob Corker stood against it in the Senate) passed a tax reform bill, that was actually hand-written in part (that hasn't been done for over 200 years...) as they continued to cut last minute deals on a 500 page bill that was never, I repeat: NEVER, shared with the rest of the members until the last minute. But what do we know about this bill? We know it represents two things that I thought the Republicans adamantly opposed: 1) a massive state organized transfer of wealth; and 2) an explosion of the debt by a conservative estimate of at least $1 trillion. Tax breaks for actual people in the bill will expire in 2025, while those for corporations will continue. The debt will have to be covered by cuts to Social Security and Medicare. The rich get richer. (Though let's be clear, they will blame the deficits on Democrats regardless. It's an ingrained behavior, and it is a trope people seem to always believe- while not true for at least twenty years).
But the tax bill is actually something that passed through the levers of Congressional Power - so, really, that is an accomplishment by Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan - let us give proper credit for these things. The President didn't seem to fully understand the tax. In fact, he clamed that he would lose money on the tax, even though in one provision alone - elimination of the estate tax for billionaires - he and his heirs would benefit by more than a $1 billion (of course that is based on his estimate of his wealth).
So lets narrow this to his known major accomplishments of this past ten months:
1) For over 70 years first the Soviets, and then the Russians, have tried to drive a wedge in the NATO alliance and the "Special Relationship" that exists between the United States and our primary ally the United Kingdom. The President managed to do that in less than ten months. And he doubled down on it yesterday (because he cannot help that) when he retweeted unverified and false videos promoted by a neo-fascist party in the UK that has led to condemnation from every major party in the UK. In response he attacked the Prime Minister.
2) For the past fifty years China has invested much of their economic effort into becoming the leading global economic power. They are not there yet, but our withdrawal from support of other nations has opened that door faster than Nixon "opening" China's door in the 70's. Our retreat from both alternative energy and our pacific trading partners has provided China the lead in both areas without a struggle. That all done in less than ten months.
3) For nearly thirty years we have witnessed a steady de-escalation of nuclear proliferation - but we now are on the brink of a real nuclear confrontation with the second most irrational leader in the world. That was actually accomplished in under five months. So extra points for that.
4) For the first time in modern American History a President has overtly decided that people carrying Nazi flags, shouting racist slogans, and spouting hate speech are the equivalent of those who oppose such actions. Under seven months for that one definitively, though there were earlier examples. This, by the way, appears to be the norm now (see "retweeted" under point 1)
5) He has had at least two campaign and one administration official indicted as of today. That has to be some kind of a record...
And finally, 6) He has done all this with virtually no opposition from his own party. Oh, there are occasional expressions of outrage at his tweets and comments. But there has been no action. I have a rule I apply to the many groups I work with: If you are silent, we take that as assent. And that is a very dangerous road to walk down. Is holding your office (for these folks fear the wrath of the "Trump" voter) so important that you would put the safety and security of the nation at risk? Are we really that parochial? Are we really that shortsighted? Sadly, in the case of national Republican leadership, we are.
So where do we find ourselves now? For those who voted for this President, perhaps the question should be "are you better off then you were ten months ago?" If so, how? What's better? Are you making more money from all the stocks you have (if you believe the exit polls, the President's voter profile does not invest in the market, so probably not... but I expect a few of his Mar-a-Lago members are...)? Were better jobs available? Higher wages? Will you be able to afford Health insurance now, or will you just forgo it? We will see what the next few years hold, but I suspect the answers may not be pleasant. You were scammed. You were conned. And now he's taking your money and giving it to his rich buddies - and himself. You should be outraged. He did not drain the swamp. He is the swamp.
And for those 3 million more Americans who did not vote for him? Find one more who didn't vote at all. Find one more who stands to lose their opportunity to succeed. Find one more who still cherishes a hope for the future. Find a way to engage them. Find a way to educate them. Find a way to support them so they have the time and the opportunity to vote. And change the nation. It's not too late. Not yet.