I’m breaking format to give myself a forum to share my thoughts on Tuesday’s catastrophe. This tirade would be an ill fit in the middle of my usual newsletter, so that is why I’m sending it out separately. That way if you don’t care to watch me unload you can simply ignore it & wait for the regular Friday posting. This is gonna be somewhat stream of consciousness and I may repeat myself at times so I hope you’ll indulge me. I found it difficult to focus on anything for very long on Wednesday. I really need this catharsis.
When I think back to that horrible night 8 years ago I never imagined that I would have to relive it, right down to the restless night’s sleep that I had followed by a full day in which I was walking around with a pit in my stomach. If anything, this time was worse. In 2016 you could almost rationalize things; many voters mistook him for the character he played on The Apprentice. Besides, he ran his mouth a lot but could he REALLY do all of the stuff he was promising (threatening) to do?
In 2024 there’s no mistaking things. Everyone knows exactly who he is. Either one of two things happened. Either the nation has a case of collective amnesia over what those 4 years were like, or the majority of voters remember it well and want more of it. That’s what makes it worse. There’s no surprise anymore. It’s not even a consolation to say that in the end he didn’t do everything he said he would. But he damn well tried, and this time around there are no adults in the room to tap the brakes on his worst impulses. All the president’s men in his second administration will be the enablers and sycophants. My God, the thought of Stephen Miller and Steve Bannon once again having such prominent seats at the table, not to mention that litany of evil MFers who spoke at the MSG Nazi rally, as well as the potential rehabilitation of the likes of Rudy Giuliani and Mike Lindell. And let’s face it, a vote for that guy was actually a vote to make JD Vance President, cause he ain’t surviving 4 years.
The disheartening lesson I took from 2016 was that as noble as “when they go low we go high” sounds, going with that attitude is not bringing a knife to a gun fight. It’s bringing a plastic spork with a missing tong to all out trench warfare. The lesson this time is that I have lost my sense of belief in the goodness of my fellow citizens. I’m not naive, I am fully aware of how powerful of a force the combo of racism/misogyny/homophobia/xenophobia is. Yet I was still naive enough to believe that the better people in our midst would serve as enough of a counterweight. No more. There have always been exceptions, but for the most part politicians have tried, or at least given face value, to appeal to our better angels. This man has twice won by blatantly appealing to our worse devils. And this year we couldn’t even whine about the Electoral College. He won the popular vote as well.
I won’t hazard a guess as to what exactly the next few months will look like; in other words the precise manifestation of his “dictator on day 1” pledge. It’s not a stretch to imagine that both Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito are likely to retire at the end of the court’s term to be replaced by fortysomething freaks pre-approved by the Federalist Society. Just as important, Sonia Sotomayor has made the same fateful losing gamble that RBG did. I can’t see her holding on for 4 more years, we’re facing a 7-2 majority in the Supreme Court with most of those justices set to hold those seats for decades.
We are also going to see many examples of the Leopard Face Eating Party joke, being that his support among Latinos rose exponentially, and the monsters eager to begin the mass deportations are so frantic that innocent people are bound to be caught up in the frenzy. And I swear, if I see any more of those stories of people in a small town shocked that a long-standing member of their community has been deported - “I never imagined it would happen to HIM” - I will go ballistic.
That’s what I hate so much about that blind hatred for others; the unwillingness to see them as people just like you and me rather than some sort of abstraction. There are absolutely people you care about who are gay or trans. There are people you care about with family members who are gay or trans. There are people you care about who are going to face issues with reproductive care; the anecdotes that have circulated about women falling into sepsis as they sit in ER’s desperately awaiting care will only become more common.
I love the neighborhood in which I live; it is among the most diverse neighborhoods in all of New York City. It’s a pleasure to walk around and pass by such a wide variety of people, and that includes hearing them speak in so many different languages. And my surrounding area contains restaurants of virtually every ethnicity you can think of. I can only imagine how nervous they are all feeling right now; I’ve been trying to gauge the general vibe. It feels a little quiet but it could easily be a product of observer’s bias on my part.
I’m a big boy. I know that every election is not going to go my way. Over the course of my life there have been several times that I have been disappointed on Election Day. The reason why this one feels so different is that the results are not due to any sort of policy difference. The stakes were not a disagreement on tax policy or the proper use of military force. No, this was an existential battle over who is American and who should not be allowed to reap any of the benefits from living in this country. Or, in another sense, who was most attracted by his “I am your retribution” statement.
Knowing that 71 million people and counting bought into that takes me aback. How well do I really know people? A person whom I have known for decades and had many pleasant conversations with - do I know what’s in their heart? A person whose business I patronize - do I know what’s in their heart? A neighbor with whom I exchange pleasantries - do I know what’s in their heart? A stranger whom I pass in the street and never see again - do I know what’s in their heart? How many people overlook the horrible stuff that he has said and the horrible stuff he promises to do as long as they are able to own the libs and as long as they are free to hate whomever they wish to hate and act as s***ty as possible with no consequences?
So let’s make it fair. If you hate a particular population so much that you will vote for a candidate who pledges to take away all their rights, then you no longer have the right to benefit from that population. Hate immigrants, regardless of whether or not they are documented? Fine, then don’t eat ethnic food. Are you racist? Fine, do not watch movies or listen to music made by people of color.
One either thing we have learned is precisely who is full of crap. (Feel free to insert a stronger word in place of crap. That’s the word I’m actually hearing in my mind as I type this out, but I wish to keep this clean.) It’s a near certainty that one of the first things he’s going to do is to pardon the January 6 insurrectionists. You know, the ones who attacked law enforcement with flagpoles. So, if you voted for this yet use the “back the blue” hashtag you’re full of crap. If you changed your avatar to a Ukrainian flag you’re full of crap. If you claim to be a Christian yet support a man who routinely breaks all 10 commandments, who promotes policies diametrically opposed to Christ’s teachings, and who epitomizes each of the seven deadly sins, you’re full of crap. Stop pretending you’re a person who cares about others if you elevate such an objectively vile human being.
Tuesday was a rough night, Wednesday was a rough day. I think we’re all entitled to take a moment to catch our collective breath and regain our grounding. But we can’t give up and we can’t give in. I’ve long since come to grip with the fact that the damage he has done in his first administration and what he will do in his second will not be fixed within my lifetime. But I look at the next generation of children in my family and I cannot afford to give up and leave behind a dystopian future for them. Giving up is exactly what they want us to do. America has lasted almost 250 years; it’s a concept worth fighting for.
I am going to continue to write Tending the Herd and I will continue to try to keep it as lighthearted as I usually do. The world can’t be all gloom & doom, and if nothing else jotting down thoughts about 50 year old TV shows helps to clear my head. Besides, during his first administration I was constantly griping about the man on Facebook, which was probably not good for my mental health and in retrospect I have to admit that my FB persona during those 4 years was probably pretty exhausting. I hope you all remain with me on this journey. We cannot let the worst of us dictate life for the rest of us. See you again tomorrow for our regularly scheduled programming. May goodness and love ultimately prevail.