Long road back from Trumpism
As we approach the New Year and the end of the Trump Administration — if not the end of Trump — I offer the following personal meanderings.
In the last five years, I have probably written more than 200,000 words (in columns and two books) on this demagogue. None were written with any joy.
In the past six decades, as a political reporter, when I wrote pieces on those I covered, I experienced some satisfaction in critically analyzing the policies of office holders. There was a feeling of journalistic pride in this watchdog role as a member of the Fourth Estate. That was not true with Trump.
I always wrote about Trump with a sense of sadness, dismay and despair. Why? Because it was frustrating to feel compelled to hold accountable such a corrupt charlatan who daily took us to the depths of immorality and ugliness that I — indeed, the country — had never witnessed before in our body politic.
Even after all the analyses, debates and discussions about Trump, I still don’t understand the grip he held, and still has. Indeed, on this country. Indeed, 74 million Americans, just under half of the electorate voted for him and he received 11 million more votes in 2020 than in 2016.
Of course, I heard the explanations: Trumpites felt disenchanted and disenfranchised; in 2016, they did not “like” Hillary, whatever that means; we needed a “non-politician” in the White House,” and so much more.
None of it made any sense; none of it explained how this country could surrender its values for a man whose dishonesty, hate and vileness know no boundaries.
I am particularly distressed by the fact that friends, whom I respected for their commitment to high values, embraced Trump. I continued a dialogue with some of them, hoping against hope that, along the way, they might have a change of heart.
Sadly, it was not to be, whether the matters involved lying, mimicking a disabled reporter, contributing to the coronavirus deaths of thousands, taking us close to a war, possibly nuclear, with North Korea, siding with Russian President Vladimir Putin against the entire U. S. intelligence community, ripping children from the arms of their parents at the southern border, impeachment, or hundreds — yes, hundreds — of other issues. There was no shortage of controversies or scandal for which to “leave” Trump.
As I wrote frequently, the concerns about Trumpism were not, primarily, over policy. I respect different points of view; a healthy, honest and forthright debate between liberals and conservatives only makes us stronger. Such differences should be encouraged not repressed.
This was always — which I emphasized continually — about truth, dignity, integrity, civility, decency, competence, and an underlying objective to improve the lives of Americans — young and old, black and white, Christian, Jew, Muslim, Hindu, etc. — and to make America a better nation.
Like many others, I severed much-valued personal relationships, not in anger but with sorrow, anguish, and deep, deep regret. While one can and should be prepared to compromise on policies, there are not “two sides” to truth and morality; one cannot compromise on ethics, principles or hate.
Similarly, I was depressed by colleagues in journalism whose work I respected and admired, but who abandoned the principles to which they had dedicated themselves and, instead, defended the indefensible.
I cringed as I read their work. It was impossible to follow the “logic” and rationalizations. I wrote emails to some of them but, as expected, received no answers. This saddened me immensely as well because, again, some were friends.
So, I approach 2021 with a very heavy heart. We leave behind a dreadful year in which we suffered from two pandemics — one political and one medical.
The latter may be easier to overcome if the vaccines live up to our expectations and rid us of this deadly virus.
Unfortunately, there is no vaccine for the disease of Trumpism. The “side effects” of the last five years, and I include Trump’s candidacy, will be with us for years.
He leaves office having created the greatest threat to the foundation of this country: Challenging a free, honest, secure, decisive and fair election, the hallmark of democracy, and the envy of the world. While we can be grateful that our institutions held firm, he has been successful, nevertheless, because roughly 34 percent of the country still believe the election was “rigged.”
It proves once more, as I have written, that Trumpism is as deadly to the body politic as the coronavirus is to the human body.
Joe Biden will continually call for unity as he should and we can be confident that he knows quite well the challenges he faces.
I understand how he will work to bridge a gulf on policy disagreements; I do not know how he will overcome the hateful and venomous political atmosphere that Trump stirred and brought into our political process.
Lincoln, in his second inaugural address, recognizing the need to heal the country after the Civil War, delivered the following historic words: “With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds…”
Now, 155 years later, the nation’s wounds are again deep and painful. Let us hope and pray that the Biden Administration has the Lincolnesque acumen, intuition, strength, commitment, political savvy, and needed insights to stitch a fractured nation back together again and re- create a climate in which Americans fiercely debate policies honestly along with dignity and respect for each other’s views.
In the process, let him work to put the country back on its much envied pedestal of being a beacon of democracy not just for Americans but for all the countries on the planet.