There is a solid documentary about two of the most evil leaders in world history which came out in 1993. It was called "Hitler & Stalin: A Legacy of Hate," and it was hosted by Charles Kuralt and General Norman Schwatzkopf. It aired in October of 1993 evidently, although I actually remember it from maybe around April of 1994, which is when I first saw it. Actually, I recorded it, then watched it over and over again. Truly, it was fascinating, and it allowed me to feel like I was watching, in short, how World War II first broke out in Europe, as well as how it was fought.
At some point in that documentary, someone says of the Soviets about Josef Stalin that there reached a point where literally anyone would have been a better leader. However, the Soviets were convinced that no one else was possible.
For me, that is how it sometimes feels regarding Americans and their attitude towards Donald Trump. Admittedly, I never like the guy, so it always remained a mystery to me what the big attraction was in the first place. However, it seemed like people just seemed to like him and feel that he actually had the answers. Despite all of the crap, all of the frankly irrefutable proof that this guy provided, without fail, that he simply lacked any qualifications for the office which Americans collectively entrusted him with, it seems that Americans could not escape him. Like a bad coin, he kept turning up again. And like a bad habit, Americans kept making excuses for him, keeping him politically relevant long after he had basically discredited himself and his approach to the entire rest of the world. Just in his first term alone, the guy had a hard time condemning outright Nazis and white supremacists, dismissed tens of millions of people in Africa and Central America by referring to them as "shithole nations," and posted a brief video of a supporter shouting "White power!" during the 2020 campaign. He praised the healthcare system of a non-existent African nation during a meeting with African leaders and was literally laughed at to his face during an address at the United Nations. He completely botched the nation's response to a global pandemic, costing lives. He failed to make good on major campaign promises, including building the wall and making Mexico pay for it, or building a national healthcare system that would be affordable and cover everyone, or being the greatest jobs creating president in history, or paying off the national debt in eight years (instead, he is responsible for the better part of a third of the nation's national debt in less than six years in office so far). His lies became legendary and regular, to the point where it no longer seemed to matter. And, of course, he attempted an insurrection to try and keep himself in power after losing an election that was pretty damn lopsided in the other guy's favor (remember, he was not denied a single recount vote or court case, during which his legal team bent over backwards not to argue their supposedly "irrefutable proof" regarding massive voter fraud.
In short, his first term as president was a glaring failure.
So naturally, Americans could not wait to bring him back to the Oval Office in 2024. And his second term has been even worse. Once again, broken promises. He did not lower the price of gas or groceries, and in fact, now claims he "loves inflation." Once again, he failed to create jobs or turn the economy around in a positive manner, which he promised to do. He did not end the war in Ukraine as promised. He got us into two wars, one of which specifically seems to resemble one of those never-ending Middle Easter wars which he claimed to be so opposed to years ago. Oh, and let's not forget that he never released the Epstein Files, as promised. In fact, the lengths to which he has gone not to release them has turned made many people - including former political supporters and allies - suspicious.
You might almost conclude that a narcissistic and transparently self-obsessed, out of control billionaire with no history of doing anything good for anyone other than himself is, frankly, not good for the country.
Yet now, after a decade of dominating American politics - let's be honest and say that he still dominated headlines throughout Biden's presidency like no one else in history ever has before - still fully one-third of Americans still support him. Other seem to have distanced themselves from him, but I am frankly suspicious that they will be able to part from voting for him if the Republicans once again manage to paint the next Democratic nominee in a very negative light. And let's be frank: they will convince a hell of a lot of people still supposedly on the fence that Trump would be better than whoever this "communist/socialist/elitist/libtard" on the other side will wind up being.
Frankly, I feel that Trump is a self-destructive habit that this country collectively, for whatever the reason, apparently cannot break. To me, he is America's answer to the decadent leaders of Rome during ancient times, as that empire began to fall. He seems to have a dark charisma that seems to make people feel empowered to be the worst versions of themselves, and to allow their baser, darker instincts to guide national policy, both foreign and domestic.
Indeed, Trump does feel like a sort of "opiate of the masses." I might suggest that he seems more like the "opiate of the asses," if we're being truthful. But one way or the other, it feels like we long ago reached the point where it is obvious that almost anyone else would be better, that nobody else would be able to get away with doing the damage that this guy has and still is doing.
To that end, it seemed to me appropriate to have this link to an article by none other than J. D. Vance who, remember, used to be quite critical of Trump, once even suggesting that he was "America's Hitler." Back then, Vance still apparently had some measure of integrity, as he explored this strange fixation which far too many Americans have with this pathetic, incredibly small man. This was before Vance drank the Kool Aid himself in order to benefit his own career and pursue his obviously lofty political ambitions.
Take a look:
Opioid of the Masses (From 2016) by J. D. Vance/ AP July 4, 2016:
To many, Donald Trump feels good, but he can’t fix America’s growing social and cultural crisis, and the eventual comedown will be harsh.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/07/opioid-of-the-masses/489911/?utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=the-atlantic&utm_medium=social&utm_content=edit-promo
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