The old witticism, "Once burnt, twice shy", has certainly taken on a new degree of relevance and also a high level of urgency in this moment in our history. No voter who voted for Hillary can forget the feeling of waking up on the morning after the 2016 election and hearing the worst possible news. The Orange Idiot pulled off a spectacular feat and, in effect, stole the election while getting 3 MILLION votes less than his opponent.
As we all know now, it was a manifestation of the electoral college and how poorly it works if you assume its purpose is to ensure fair elections. More than a few constitutional scholars are of the mind that the Founding Fathers created the electoral college in order to hedge their bets and override the popular vote if it was somehow not aligned with their interests. Essentially, they did not feel comfortable leaving the final decision up to voters whom they saw as uneducated and less able to understand the needs of the country. Truth is, they were all oligarchs and just felt more comfortable holding onto the reins of power. Let that pesky proletariat, peasantry, i.e. the 'Little People', start having some real control and it would be a problem.
I am not going to delve into those complexities, which still haven't changed in the slightest, and which could burn us again...only, this time, the burns could be fatal. I do not believe that most of the Founding Fathers could imagine someone as corrupt and immoral as the Idiot would ever attain the highest office. With the Supreme Court about to be packed with ultra-conservative justices, and with all the slimey GOP tactics aimed at suppressing the vote in lower income communities...which they know tend to be more black and brown...and Democratic...it's a crap shoot. I want to think that you cannot get hit by the train that you see. I mean, we know the GOPs will stoop to any and all means, legal and extra-legal, to steal this election. They are well aware that there is not a ghost of a chance of beating Joe Biden in a wholly fair and honest election. So, hell yes, they are willing to cheat. What's new, right?
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| Enough is enough....he needs to go. |
But, with two weeks to go, it's really getting difficult to not allow oneself to feel at least somewhat optimistic, right? And, right along with that small glimmer of hope and positive gleanings, comes the familiar feeling of dread. And, we should allow ourselves to pay attention to that feeling, because it may well be the warning we did NOT heed last time we were here. I well remember feeling quite certain that Clinton had it in the bag, and, of course, the polls did all they could to re-affirm that. I looked at 538.com and saw they were estimating that Hillary was 98% likely to win. How reassuring, eh. They're giving Biden a 97% chance as I write this. Maybe that should be more alarming than it is reassuring.
It was 2 a.m. on election night when I reached for my phone and got the news that gave me an instant wave of nausea. At one point, there were 22 or 23 Republicans hoping to become the candidate, and yet, the single-most uniquely unfit and odious candidate had pushed his way into the White House and I knew at that moment that America was facing a challenge we cannot afford to lose. If we do, the price will be unimaginable to many. With four more years to continue destroying our government, he will fully succeed in doing so. He's like an insane person on a bender; every single safety net, including financial and medical, as well as environmental protections...will be laid low. His goal is to have a government that is modelled after Putin's in Russia, where the leader can actually (and frequently) get away with having his opponents murdered, and the oligarchs can plunder on, until the cupboard is empty and we are a lost nation of miserable souls. How ironic that his rabid base of followers, (now known to me as "Kool Aids", because, yes, they did drink it), think he actually gives a flying fuck about them. He's using them and they don't have a clue that he is.
The Kool Aids are going to have one helluva surprise when he's finally in a position where he doesn't need them to maintain his office anymore. He'll throw them a few bones, and he'll enjoy their mindless adulation because he does, after all, have to feed the monster that lies within....his gigantic ego. But, in the same breath that he tells the American people that he has (for example) a health plan that is, "....far better, so much better that you won't believe it, and cheaper too." he will know it's a lie. There is no evidence at all that he has anything remotely resembling a 'health plan'. He does not. It's all bullshit and it has gone on since before he took office. Reporters have looked high and low and can find NOTHING. It doesn't exist. Wouldn't you think that people might look at such a blatant lie and think to themselves, "Hey, this guy is a liar and a rip-off."? Nah, too easy.
That is just one example of how he's playing all of us....or, at least, the people still willing to listen to his lies and believe them. At this point, a sizeable slice of Americans know exactly who this Idiot is; we've had four years to find out, eh. And, now we read...or see....that a quickly growing number of people are fascinated by QAnon....the all-time champion of idiotic conspiracies. It is so moronic that it's hard to imagine anybody being willing to believe it....but, many thousands of people are, in fact.
And, that is very scary, folks.
So, what are we to do? If you haven't already voted, you might want to get that out of the way. The earlier you vote the better the chance it will be counted, and if you run into problems with your absentee ballot, most election commissions are willing, if not eager, to help you get it straightened out. Believe it or not, most of the Americans who are responsible for having an honest and fair election really do feel a strong sense of how important it is and are dedicated to seeing that it happens. Yes, there are some bad apples who are willing to act immorally because they think that is just fine in the Trump era. Most are honest and dedicated to the principles that have maintained our democracy for almost two and a half centuries.
When you have your voting accomplished, it's time to try and let go, let the process take its course, and maintain a vigil over the voting practices in your area. Some places are going to have 'poll watchers' sent by the Idiot to watch over the election. This is a fallacy. You cannot stand or sit in a polling place and have the least idea if the voters you are watching as they come and go are doing anything improper or illegal. C'mon, let's get real here. The Idiot is hoping that sending out 'poll watchers' will serve to deter some people from voting, specifically in the poorer districts where the vote is traditionally for Dems.
I have found that I am getting too wound-up with worrying about the outcome. This is where borrowing from Alcoholics Anonymous is worthwhile. In the Serenity Prayer, one of the primary supplications to the Higher Power is that the one saying the prayer needs help in accepting all that which they cannot change. This is wisdom in action. For starters, it acknowledges that there are indeed some things that are beyond our reach, and the only way to be at peace with that is to practice 'acceptance'. Of course, this is light years easier than actually accepting it. That is the part that requires determination and practice.
So, once your vote is in, it's time to loosen your grip.....at least a little...and work on accepting that we will somehow find a way forward. No matter how the election pans out, we need to keep on being Americans and find a way to practice our ideals, even if it happens that we are headed into our great national nightmare.
But, you know....I just am not feeling that it will go that way. I have a certain kind of calm in my gut that tells me we're going to pull it off and the Idiot will be out. Yes, I could be wrong, but I have spent 75 years listening to my intuition, and I have learned to recognize when it's bringing me a message worth hearing. And, I am of a mind that we're going to be okay.
God willing, eh
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