back when it was just a political fever dream, too fucking absurd to possibly be real.
It's been about a month since the 2024 U.S. Election, & I've taken some time to step away from posting on this blog, as well as from social media. I haven't been online much recently anyway, as I try to be fully present in the off-line (aka. "real") world with my wife and two little children when I am not working.
After Trump was declared the winner of the election, I've had no desire to go on my social media feed to see the gloating of the slavish MAGA devotees, nor the lamenting of all the sane people who realize what a total disaster this is gonna be, yet again. It was bad enough seeing the dialogue in online comment sections - especially the dumbass Trumpers ecstatic over choosing the most corrupt, sleazy, & ego-maniacal fool imaginable to lead the country. Thinking Donald Trump is anything but a criminal buffoon, forget being worthy of the Presidency, is the weirdest shit ever.
However... here we are!!! At this point, there's been little to no public accusations of any low-key election shenanigans by Team Trump, which wouldn't surprise me (because every Trump accusation is usually a confession). In any case, the fact that the race was close at all just shows how heavily propagandized the population truly is. From the manipulative social media algorithms, to the right wing radio shows, to the Fox News 24/7 outrage machine with it's brain-scrambling influence on the public... we are seeing just how little factual information & critical thinking is directing public opinion. By constantly normalizing Trump's insanity and gross antics, even the "mainstream media" gave Trump power. He has become basically a God-tier malignant narcissist, demanding the attention of every human consciousness on the planet.
So how did we get here??? Kamala Harris was a decent enough candidate- a smart, accomplished politician with a history in law enforcement. She seemed friendly and charismatic enough, and ran circles around Trump in their only debate, baiting his fragile ego effortlessly throughout. Of course, red hats parroted their side's media talking heads, who complained about stupid shit like her laugh or claimed she had no experience, despite her long history as a public servant. They did everything to discredit her & amplify her flaws through their powerful echo chamber... all while cheering on a completely irredeemable scumbag like Trump.
I think the problem clearly started with Joe Biden deciding to run again for another term, & NOT stepping aside to allow the Democratic party to hold a primary. Although Joe Biden has been a very effective President who scored some major accomplishments, his stubborn clinging to the office royally screwed the Democratic party, and ultimately the country (& the world). Biden's debate with Trump was an absolute fucking debacle, & cemented in many people's minds that Biden was not fit to lead. Unfortunately, Trump getting rhetorically gutted by Harris in their debate did not have the same effect on the Golden Turd. In the public's mind, if Biden has been this bad & Kamala has helped cover for him, then why should we trust her either? However, all of Trump's horrible qualities & behaviors were continually just given a pass. As political commentator Van Jones stated, "He gets to be lawless, she has to be flawless." It was just frustrating as hell to watch unfold throughout the campaign. As it became clear that many were buying into Trump's authoritarian bullshit, I thought this meme summed up the feeling toward the end pretty well:
So, the Trump campaign is now transitioning into another Presidential term, with the Republicans in control of the government, even if by razor-thin margins in Congress. I have been watching everything unfold over the last month, and it has been as much of a Trumpian shit-show as anyone with a cluster of functioning brain cells could have predicted.
Trump is assembling a real-life "Legion of Doom" for his cabinet, made up of only the most loyal & unqualified swamp creatures, whose only goal is to destroy the Federal Government. The primary qualification is fealty to TRUMP, not the Constitution or the American people. This in and of itself is an obscene way to go about choosing government officials. Beyond being willing to unflinchingly kiss Trump's ass, the other main requirement seems to be to hate or be totally unfit to lead the department you will be in charge of.
These sycophantic candidates, even Trump really, are just puppets for the monied interests behind the scenes. They want to decimate all public services & assets, in order for private companies to swoop in and feast on the remains- to the detriment of the American population, at large:
• Matt Gaetz, the real-life Butthead, as Attorney General??? What??? This was absolute madness, & a bridge too far, so he got kicked to the curb. However, it showed just what a psycho circus we are in for...
• Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary??? A service member with no strategic military experience or management on the monstrous scale of The Pentagon... Oh, and he's a misogynist alcoholic who you didn't vet for disqualifying info? Great idea, to pick a guy you see on Fox News to be in charge of our entire military.
• RFK for Health Secretary? I agree with his general outlook that we need to find natural paths to healthiness, but this is another pick that is just wacky.
• Tulsi Gabbard to lead our intelligence agencies? A lot of literal red flags there.
• Linda McMahon as Secretary of Ed?? Are we really gonna have a WWE executive running Public Education?
• Kash Patel, FBI Director??? A man with an actual enemies list, whose blind devotion to his leader would lead him to attempt to use federal law enforcement as a personal Trump police force???
• & on & on & on...
* Of course the billion-dollar elephant in the room is the wannabe Shadow President, Elon Musk. The richest man in the world basically bought his way into direct control of the federal government. He and fellow super-wealthy, super-douchey Vivek Ramaswamy are tasked with heading a fucking meme agency, "DOGE," to recommend slashing away at the government- which is good in theory, but starting of course with the services that the most vulnerable in our society rely on; Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, etc. .It's just open corruption, and it's amazing to see how brazen it all is. The Right, which endlessly cries about the shadowy influence of wealthy Democratic donors, such as their eternal boogieman George Soros, suddenly is totally ok with a billionaire, having vested interests in government contracts, being the main public consultant for the incoming President... because it's their guy. The hypocrisy is astounding.
It doesn't matter what his supporters (or anyone else) think anyway. Trump won, & he's only going to do whatever benefits "Trump World" now. Thank God we have a semi-functioning Congress (at the moment) to put a stop to some of these completely insane picks. As Donald sits like Jabba the Hutt at Mar-a-lago waiting for the lineup of shameless cronies willing to do his bidding... there's every indication, just from this nomination process, that this Trump administration is going to be pretty fucked up. He's going to do everything to concentrate all the power & wealth into the hands of himself & his personal interests. The only thing we can hope is that his extreme foolishness, intellectual laziness, & sheer incompetence continue to damper his craziest & most destructive efforts.
Is he really going to crush the American economy with reckless tariffs? Is he really going to sell off federal land & national assets to the highest bidder? Is he really going after political enemies & critics? You bet your ass he's gonna try. I'm thinking, "Should I not even write anything critical of this jackass anymore?" I mean, I have kids now. I'm not trying to fucking disappear into a Trump Re-Education Facility™!
Maybe there is some silver lining, in that this sort of cultural experience is necessary to help mankind move on from the more primal, selfish level of consciousness that Donald Trump & MAGA embody. Even if that is a more positive cosmic outlook on the situation, it's still going to generally suck for awhile. I hope I'm wrong, but I'm not counting on it.
