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| Image: Facebook |
I can't believe we're here again. Another capable woman defeated by the same male turnip.
It looked likely Trump was going to win when I went to bed last night. Not surprisingly, I had a helluva time falling asleep. And then staying asleep. His smugly—that's a combination of smug and ugly—face kept intruding. So I'm not in tiptop form this morning. But a few things come to mind.
For many Americans, like me, Trump represented an existential threat to American democracy. It's now clear that for many other Americans the existential threat they felt was to themselves. In other words, it was the economy, stupid. Inflation roared during the Biden term and it didn't during the Trump term. That's an incredibly simplistic take, but that in itself suits a lot of voters.
Throw in sexism, racism, transphobia and homophobia. Add a large dose of un-Christian Christians. Drop in an appalling mess in the Middle East. And don't forget Trump super-selfishly putting the kibosh on an immigration deal, and the fact that the benefits of the Infrastructure Law haven't been felt yet.
So now we're faced with the specter of four more years of the man who would be dictator. As he surrounds himself with toadies, prepare yourself for Steve Bannon as press secretary. Stephen Miller as chief of staff. Kid Rock as secretary of state.
Our rage and bafflement are real. The temptation in these early days is to turn on each other, but that won't help in any way. I suggest instead that we all acknowledge the pain and how bitterly disappointed we are in our fellow Americans who chose this criminal narcissist with a shriveled heart and a conniving mind as the way forward.
And we must take care of ourselves. The very phrase makes me feel namby-pamby, but it's the truth. We're no good to ourselves or others if we deteriorate under this considerable strain. I, for one, plan to go to the gym this afternoon. I'll probably break into tears while on the treadmill . . . but that could also be because I hate the treadmill.
