Trump Supporters can’t have it Both Ways
In the Obama years, the president had detractors that suggested he was unpatriotic or even traitorous for not wearing an American pin on his lapel. Yet, in the last few weeks (and four years for that matter), I’ve seen seemingly reasonable people support a president that has strong ties to Russia, exhibits plays right out of the authoritarian handbook, and is currently trying to overturn a legitimate election with baseless facts and outright lies. I’m left with the only reasonable conclusion I can come to. Trump supporters are traitors to democracy, and in fact, they represent a clear and present danger to the national security of our country. We should declare them as such.
Let’s be clear. I’m white and I’m privileged. I benefit from both. I’ve never supported the GOP nor their oligarch leaders and while I’m not a Democrat, President Obama was absolutely and undeniably one of the most effective US leaders history has ever seen. His influence around the world, and his ability to accomplish his agenda in the face of overwhelming adversity and outright hate, whether you believe in his policies or not, is without parallel. He is the stuff all American presidents should aspire to be (policy differences notwithstanding.) Yet, as we indulge a president not elected by the majority of Americans, in his absolutely irresponsible and criminal bid to overturn democratic elections, a large portion of the country supports his efforts. Let’s look past that important fact for a second and concentrate on what should be made more clear. Currently, many elected GOP leaders are backing this president’s folly causing needless delay to Covid and economic relief. If you support this assault on American democracy I would encourage you to move to another place where free elections don’t decide the leaders. There are many tropical places to pick from. Some will even provide you with that pickup truck, flag and gun that you all are so vehemently opposed to giving up. Please, for the sake of reasonable people, take your show on the road.
If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.
The elected leaders of the GOP are both approving and complicit of this disastrous, criminal and treasonous action of this assault on Americans. It is the responsibility of leaders to do the right thing whether their constituency agrees or not. That is supposed to be an American trait but we are seeing the dissolution of American values happen right in front of our eyes and many of us are happily participating in its demise including those elected to protect its very essence.
Revolution will not happen with guns. It won’t happen when people simply stand by and have hope for change. It will change when we take responsibility for our decisions. It will change when accountability takes the form of pain to those responsible for betraying the duties they were elected to support. The only way for most people to realize that it hurts when the dog bites is to feel the dog bite them.
Let’s have an experiment. Split the country down the middle. Build a wall. (Yep; a wall :) ) Those that support the style of ‘democracy’ on the right side under Trump. Those that support actual democracy on the left side (mostly because I’m partial to California weather.) In just a few years, the right side will be completely bankrupt, in so many wars they can’t count, will have unbreathable air, unlivable, completely fracked land, no resources, no healthcare and will resemble a third-world country. To the West, on the left, we will have higher taxes but we will have clean air, beautiful green nature spaces, nice roads, mass transit, a complete and bustling healthcare and education system, few or no world conflicts, good trading relationships, and thriving economies built to last. Our major expense will be manning the wall. As defectors come to the wall, they will be denied entry. We will disallow all immigrants from the Eastern right side. This will be a condition of agreement to split. Because we never ever want that mentality to pervade our democracy again. Within 10 years, the Right will have no money to make wars, no healthy citizens to wage wars, no military to defend against war and will suffer the inevitable conclusion that must befall such an idiotic and short-sighted way of thinking. Then…we can tear down the wall and begin the process of assimilation into an actual democracy. Until then, they must feel the dog bite. Let’s not deny them such a valuable lesson.
