This is a picture of a magnet that was being sold at Strand's Book Store in New York City a few years ago. No, I did not buy it, but I liked it and took a picture, which I am sharing here now.
Wrote this one some years ago, but never did quite get around to publishing it, for whatever the reason.
Still, given how sure many of his detractors seemed to be that Trump would simply go away once he was removed from office early in 2021, and how many of them were sure he would wind up behind bars, it felt to me necessary to remind them not to keep repeating the same mistakes. After all, nobody took his campaign seriously when he first announced it in the summer of 2015, but he wound up winning the Republican nomination. Then everybody thought that his campaign would surely go nowhere in the general election, especially after mocking a disabled reporter and the whole "grab 'em by the pussy" fiasco. Yet, he won the presidency. Then, surely his supporters would wake up and realize just how ridiculously unqualified he was, and how disastrous his presidency would actually prove to be. I myself admittedly (and wrongly) assumed that many of his supporters - surely a sizable enough portion that it would cost him a serious chunk of his base - would realize that, and that he would then lose support, and a second term would be impossible. But they didn't wake up or suddenly realize the seemingly obvious. And then they were so sure that he would be removed from office, somehow, that he would quit or get impeached, and that didn't happen, either. And when he did finally lose the election, they just thought he would go away.
Well, he didn't. Almost immediately, he began to hold those ridiculous political rallies that he and his supporters enjoy so much. I heard people dismiss the prospect that he could be considered a serious candidate again, or that he might win the presidency once again. But here we are again. For a third straight time, Trump will be the Republican nominee. As of now, he is beating the incumbent, Biden, in the polls. That means that it is hardly unthinkable that he could get elected into yet another term in office.
Sure, I know it's unpleasant to think about. But it's time to admit that this guy has not gone anywhere. He didn't just go away or fade into the background, much less get sent to prison, as so many of his detractors were sure of in the weeks and months after he left office. Indeed, he very well may win the presidency yet again. And even if he doesn't win, even if he never wins the presidency again, Trumpism will not simply go away. It may take a different shape, but it will continue to exist, and will continue to threaten American democracy.
With all of that in mind, I wrote this, because it was frustrating to see just how damn sure people were that the threat was over, much like they had been so damn sure that his campaign was not serious, and there was no chance that he would actually win the presidency. It's infuriating to see how short term the memories of so many people are.
The threat is real. It's time to wake ourselves up and realize it.
For quite some time now, many people have been predicting that the Trumpism phenomenon of the present day political scene in the United States was some kind of a weird aberration. A passing phase. Something that did not define this country adequately or accurately. And for just as long as people seem to dismiss him or the phenomenon, it seems to stick on the scene, like a stubborn piece of hard, jagged ice in the middle of a truly frigid spell in winter.
Now, don't get me wrong: I would love to believe that Trump and Trumpism are just a fleeting phase in American politics. Hell, I would even love to believe what so many Americans seem to believe - or want to believe so much that they seem to allow themselves to believe it, which is almost the same thing - and that the country's ills would dissipate once Trump is completely out of the picture.
Unfortunately, it is hard for me to believe any of that. Almost as hard as it is to believe in Trump's bullshit to begin with.
The problem is simply that Trump did not just come to power for no reason, as some people seem to like to believe. And it is not merely stupid, racist people who support him, although it sure seems that stupid, racist people are attracted to him, which is something that, to me, should serve as a nonstarter from the get-go. Yet in today's United States, it simply is not something which disqualifies him. Far from it, In fact, it seems that the more racist or outrage he sounds, the more staunchly people who support him give him their loyalty. And as much as he is a proven con artist, the more people are given evidence that he is nothing more than a narcissistic, transparently selfish bullshit artist, the more people bill him up as something more. For some, he seems to be nothing short of a hero. Hell, some even seem to believe that he is a national savior. There is artwork for him, and portraying him, which literally reminds me of over-the-top artwork that I saw associated with Hitler during the days of Nazism in Germany, and that is not an exaggeration. It would almost be funny, some of this artwork, if there was not the sad, grim, extremely depressing realization that for some people - hell, for millions and even tens of millions of Americans, if we are being honest - this kind of propaganda is no joke.
Surely, other people must have seen these kinds of images. One was of Trump's face unprofessionally photoshopped on the body of Rocky Balboa. Sitcking with the Sylvester Stallone theme, there is one of a muscular Trump holding a machine gun and ready to kick some ass, just like Rambo (from which the image obviously originally came from). Another is of a good ol' boy version of Trump playing cards at a table with other former Republican presidents. There is another where Trump is grabbing the front of Robert Mueller's shirt in a threatening manner. One that was a sign of the times was of Trump in some football stadium, holding the American flag closely, clearly seen as protecting it. Another where he is courageously showing "strong man" leadership as he stands proudly atop a tank with his name prominently spelled out on the machine itself. A similar one is of Trump crossing the Delaware, basically taking Washington's place. There is even an image of Trump's face added to Mount Rushmore, which seems to be a wet dream among Trump and his most ardent supporters.
There are even some where Trump either is close friends with Jesus or, in one case that I saw, where he seems to be in the position of Jesus.
Ridiculous. But apparently, these are not a joke, even if they surely seem to be.
And while Trump did lose the 2020 election, and far more convincingly than he "won" the 2016 election, he nevertheless remains an obvious presence in American politics today. Regardless of how much they clearly seem to dislike the guy, it seems that many on CNN and MSNBC and other major media news sources still fixate on Trump and his legion of followers.
In short, he still is a ratings winner. It's a mystery to me what people are attracted to in him. But I certainly am well beyond the point of hoping that it is not real, or some passing phase, by this point. Anyone who still convinces themselves that this is some aberration is allowing themselves to live in some self-made delusion. It's time to face reality: Trumpism is here to stay. At least for a long time, most likely the foreseeable future, if we are being honest. Which means it's time to get over the shock of it existing, and to start to think about how to deal with it head on.
The experts and so-called pundits keep predicting the end of Trumpism, and seem to see signs of the impending end of this ridiculous phase in American politics with every development. Some people truly seem to believe it, too. Many actually appeared to expect Trump to be behind bars, perhaps even by this point in time. Some still convince themselves that the time is coming, and that we will eventually see the former president sent to jail.
Yet, many of these same people talk about little else but Trump. They define themselves in relation to him and his movement, which amounts to empowering him with defining their politics. Surely, I cannot be alone in thinking that this is a recipe for disaster? Why not craft their own political identity? Why continually go back and give Trump exactly what he wants and needs to thrive, which is to say, a major platform where he continues to be front and center? At what point can we actually begin to think that this man, and all he represents, will finally be put in the past, so this country can look and move forward from it, one way or another?
It does seem to me that some prominent politicians do want to see an end to Trumpism. One is former President George W. Bush, who recently endorsed two high-profile Republicans who Trump has trashed in the past. They are Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and, of course, Liz Cheney of Wyoming, who is likely the most famous Republican member of Congress who actually stands up to Trump and seems to abhor what Trumpism represents and has done to this country.
How weird is it for me, someone who could not stand politicians named Bush and Cheney very recently, to be viewing them with some surprising measure of respect and even sympathy, given the extent to which current American politics has become utterly absurd? Yes, I still have a hard time believing that we have reached a point where Bush and Cheney seem to be the voice of almost moderation and reason in the Republican party, and frankly, I cannot stand people who vehemently opposed them a decade and a half or so ago, only to view them as people to admire and accept today? They are still war criminals, as far as I am concerned. Yet, even while recognizing the paradox, I have admittedly gotten a bit more sympathetic with them myself, given how close this country feels to edging ever closer to the abyss, to chaos and/or eventual dictatorship?
The question, of course, is whether or not that will be enough. Because it hardly needs pointing out that for every Bush or Romney or Cheney standing up to Trump, there are even more prominent politicians who seem to have - figuratively? - sold their souls to the devil and, when the cards are all on the table, seem to support Trump unconditionally. Maybe Trump does not like Mitch McConnell, and perhaps even the feeling is mutual. Most likely, even. Yet, it sure seemed to me that McConnell empowered Trump and his agenda at every turn. And there is also Lindsey Graham. And Ted Cruz. And Kevin McCarthy (the new McCarthysim?). And Paul Gosar. And Matt Gaetz. And Marjorie Taylor Green. And Lauren Boebert. And then unelected figures on the right who give Trump unconditional support. Like Sarah Palin. And Tucker Carlson. And Sean Hannity. And Laura Ingraham. And despite the tensions between Trump and FOX News, pretty much everyone on FOX even today. And of course, OAN. And Qanon. And, of course, the tens of millions of loyal, mindless supporters who literally support this pathetic, sad man no matter what he says or does, regardless of how transparently selfish or or arrogant or stupid or ignorant his words and actions may be.
It might be pathetic. In fact, it is. But it is also the reality of our frankly adolescent political climate in this country.
And it is not likely to end anytime soon, either.
Donald Trump has become more popular since the January 6 Capitol attack CNN, Analysis by Harry Enten, CNN, June 11, 2022:
https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/11/politics/donald-trump-january-6-democrats-moderate/index.html
Ex-President Bush Backs Two High-Profile Republicans Slammed By Trump by Max Greenwood, February 1, 2022:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ex-president-bush-backs-two-high-profile-republicans-slammed-by-trump/ar-AATmN9r?li=BBnb7Kz
The End Of Trumpism Is Coming — But It Will Not Go Quietly Seth Cohen Seth CohenContributor Leadership Strategy I write about leadership, politics, inclusion, and social change.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/sethcohen/2020/06/08/the-end-of-trumpism-is-coming---but-it-will-not-go-quietly/?sh=6229405b11c1
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