Donald’s ship needs sinking
Arescue is needed for passengers and possibly some of the crew, but not before confessions of guilt and reformations — no verbal pledges please!
Afew years back I asked a work colleague: “Why are many people so against Barack Obama?”
His answer was “because he is a black man.” I dismissed this at the time thinking — “impossible.” Now, I don’t think that is impossible. It kind of explains the pattern of much that has happened. Obama was bright, successful — and, liked by the most Americans and people worldwide. That placed some into a seemingly impossible position.
It reminded me of something incidental in my small town in New Zealand (home of equality, at least in the 1970s) where fancy friends of mine felt slighted when the local butcher bought himself and his big family the latest Jaguar XJ12 — dark red and a truly magnificent machine.
To my friends it would have been perfectly OK if it had been a medium size Ford — but not a big Jaguar! This was notching above them, and a public display at that. It apparently threatened these very fine people. Golly, I thought.
As I say, this was incidental and the butcher did not have his pride and joy sabotaged. Not so Barack Obama.
Big chunks of the Barack achievements have been, well, “dumped on.” Not because people and experts concluded they were bad ideas or didn’t really work. No, it was out of spite for the previous administration and particularly a clever, articulate Black president.
The Affordable Healthcare Act remains a target for destruction long after any initial criticisms were forgotten and despite that the majority of Americans appreciate the program and want it to remain.
The Iran nuclear deal was reneged on by Donald, despite our allies’ opinions and talented experts arguing that it was working and our best bet. The Trans Pacific Partnership was scrapped, despite it giving the U.S. more voice in the region and being a useful coalition countering the weight of China.
All these acts have weakened America and Americans — and have happened because of a few, a minority in this country with backs to the wall waving swords at a U.S. and world changing not to their liking. They shelter behind the protection of whiteness, maleness, Christianity and patriotism — all in the pretense of making America great again.
Senator Perdue mocked Kamala Harris, our now Vice President-Elect, at a Trump rally in Georgia. He played with the pronunciation of her name in an attempt to belittle a black woman who had already made it from public school to high public office. I suppose he was showing his mate Donald how he too could feed the base of white males. Perdue later made light of it and could even apologize, if pressed. But,the display was irretrievable and telling. In all the years of building equality and trust in a diverse, exciting and progressive U.S., there is still animosity and fear of Americans who don’t look like them.
Donald was seen by supporters as a savior of people felt left behind, a successful businessman who would keep the economy at a clip and by Fox News as an irresistible money maker — for them. He was their big guy to beat up Washington, the world and all those responsible for undermining old positions. He was both Robin Hood and Sheriff of Nottingham to reinstate them in a great America again. With no look forward, Donald provided the mirrors for his big entourage to look backwards.
He built national walls to keep people, goods and influences out, but he also was party to building internal walls to stop any change at home — Mitch McConnell and his “firewalls” for both the Republican Senate and the judicial system (his waking hours dedicated to filling judge vacancies across the country as well as the Supreme Court). These internal walls Mitch considered paramount to pushing back the onslaught of progressive souls and ideas challenging existing status. Blacks, Latinos, Asians, homosexuals, wonks, generally foreign anybody and anything, science, discussion, truthfulness and even simple arithmetic — all have become very satisfying targets for sabotaging.
The current Republican Party stands opposed to inclusiveness and closed to embracing the resources that keep America safe, happy, prosperous and a model for the world. They almost delight in their total joylessness and harm to others in their quest for retaining power — for themselves.