Taking a closer look at the election
Last week I decided to stop delaying my writing and simply dive in. There was no draft, outline, or deep thought really. Just a quick musing that led to me posting on Medium.
After reading my piece back, I realized that my title — How did we get here? (And where are we exactly?) — was a little… vague. I’m guessing if you read the post, you figured it out. But as I take a moment today to sketch out some of what I plan to cover in the next few weeks, let me go a bit deeper into this question by asking (and maybe beginning to respond to) some sub-questions.
How and why is Donald Trump running for President again?
I’ve gotta be brutally honest here. But even saying this, it’s probably not all that surprising. I really thought the first time was a joke. Definitely not at the end (because that part was not funny at all), but in the beginning, I was like “okay, who out of Herman Cain and Trump is coming in last?” Then he won (which I wrote about, citing the dangers of getting too close to the edge of a cliff. I believe that was the metaphor. I certainly don’t want to dig that piece up to revisit the moment). We — well, most of us — survived. Then he lost. Which is my guess why he’s running again, because he doesn’t like losing. That alone is a frightening prospect. Couple it with the bent rulebook now in play and the threat of becoming President without votes, and yeah, we need a whole lot of democratic people power. And prayer.
Speaking of prayer, how are we comparing Donald Trump to Christ?
Look, I wasn’t there so I can’t say for sure, but I’m fairly certain that Jesus didn’t take an illegal $10M gift from Egypt. I’m also thinking, rather than saying that people are weaponizing the legal system against him or pursuing political witch hunts, a person with integrity — like I would imagine Christ to be — would double-down on truth and justice. But your guy is out here talking about immunity and finally convinced his friends (read: appointees) in the Supreme Court to say, “you know what, he’s right.”
How did MAGA become the Republican Party?
I know, like with all other things, the Republican Party, or even the MAGA movement, is not a monolith. I’m going to do some more digging here in the coming weeks to better understand the grey. But, at the surface level, it certainly feels like the “never Trumpers” of yesteryear are lock step now. (Oh, you didn’t mean “never” never?)
How is this thing even close?
This baffles me daily. I guess part of me still feels like this is a joke. Or a horrible reality show that no rational person signed up to be in. Sometimes I honestly feel like there are people voting for him just to see what will happen. Which is crazy. And then there is a base that is so fed up with American politics and socioeconomic realities right now, that they feel like this is the answer. But I often wonder, what do they think they are getting? And how can they overlook all of the criminal activity and character flaws and so much more that would rule out essentially everyone else? What wrong can Trump do to have him be judged by a more pedestrian standard?
Why are we not doing more?
This image speaks to my former tech support self.
It really does feel like we’re stuck in some sort memory freeze. Moving the mouse and tapping the keyboard does absolutely nothing.
Sadly, while Kamala is undoubtedly a shift, the issues run so much deeper. We certainly can’t miss the opportunity to make President Harris a reality, and we must all keep in mind that that kind of history-making is going to require an exceptional amount of coordination and groundwork, for sure, but in November, or January, or next year this time, or the midterms, or 2028, and beyond, we’re going to need different approaches and frameworks to come to a deeper collective understanding about how to be better. The checks and balances feel broken, and the competition corrupted. We’re not making each other stronger, but tearing down everything for everyone. And for what? More wealth for the wealthy. Because that’s the only W in this playbook.
Which takes me back to my first question as I close.
Trump is running for Trump. Everything and everyone else is truly inconsequential. So again, I ask, how did we get here? Because that part has always been clear. You really think this is the way to go?
If so, maybe you actually need to see what thoughts and prayers feel like, because voting should require some fact-based justifications and some empathy for mankind. I feel like we have it in us. But reality TV has been a hot ticket, and people tend to stay in their bubbles and pretend like they know what’s good for everyone while having such a limited true understanding of the world.
We need you to actually think before you vote. Because if you pull the plug with a vote for Trump, you might not get the chance to plug us back in.
