I wrote this last night and this morning I read the latest post from Heather Cox-Richardson. I would, once again, strongly recommend that you read her regularly. She is much more eloquent and knowledgeable than I, but it seems that we both view the world through a very similar lens. The link to her blog is at the end of this post.
Tonight will go down in American history as the first, and hopefully the last, time a candidate for the office of President of the United States will use the White House as a political backdrop to accept a party nomination. It is a dark day in American history. The words of all of Trump’s supporters and enablers, when they talk about how much Trump loves America and will stand up for the Constitution, ring hollow with hypocrisy. Certainly, any discussion of Law and Order is a joke given that Trump’s actions put every Federal employee who participated in this White House extravaganza in violation of the Hatch Act. Then again, we all know that laws don’t mean anything to Trump. We are officially well on our way to becoming just another despotic regime rather than a beacon of democracy around the world.
Just for a little thought exercise, imagine what the country would have been like had Trump been the president during the Civil Rights era of the sixties, or during the Vietnam protests? I shudder to think.
I am currently reading, The Captive Mind, by Czeslaw Milosz, a Polish writer and Nobel prize winner, who wrote this book in the early 1950’s as Eastern Europe was in the grips of Stalinism. I read a passage today that struck me: “If the world is divided between Fascism and Communism, obviously Fascism must lose since it is the last, desperate refuge of the bourgeoisie. The bourgeoisie rules through demagoguery, which in practice means that prominent positions are filled by irresponsible people who commit follies in moments of decision. Just as follies were Hitler’s ruthless policy toward the Eastern peoples, or Mussolini’s involvement of Italy in the war.”1
If one uses the term ‘bourgeoisie’ in the Marxist context to mean ‘the capitalist class who owns most of society’s wealth and means of production,’ it seems strikingly appropriate for the situation we find ourselves in today. Trump and his wealthy and primarily white supporters find themselves in a changing America and they are in a desperate effort to stop the demographic and societal changes that are occurring. It’s a futile effort. As I stated in a previous post, biology and demographics will ultimately win.
But what is even more ironic and tragic, is that so many of the people who so fervently support Trump will be some of those hurt the most by his policies and those espoused by his wealthy enablers. Trump and his wealthy enablers don’t need Social Security – many of his supporters do. Trump and his wealthy supporters don’t need Medicare – many of his supporters do. Trump and his wealthy supporters don’t need a good public education system – they can send their kids to pricey private schools. The ballooning national debt and Trump’s plan to cut taxes even further will ensure support to these programs will all be on the chopping block if he is reelected. If he says differently, it is just another lie.
Trump cares about Trump. Trump cares about money. Trump cares about TV ratings. And sadly, Trump only cares about those American people who can help bolster those things. And when they are no longer needed, they will be tossed to the side. Loyalty for Trump is a one-way street.
The Constitution, the White House, words like ‘democracy’, ‘law and order’ are just props for Trump. They are just staging for his reality TV show that we are all unwitting cast members of. We are just all ‘extras’ and will be cast aside and booted off the set when we are no longer needed. Some sooner than others.
As a reality TV persona, Trump knows very well that perception is everything. In TV, reality is what you create it to be. And Trump is a master of creating his own reality, as are those around him. Gaslighting in the Trump administration has been honed to a fine art.
The Republican convention was a gaslighting extravaganza! The country, with over 180,000 American lives lost to the pandemic, is one of the worst performing nations in the world. Unemployment is a disaster. Racial unrest is a major issue. And multiple regions in the country are being hugely impacted by natural disasters. The speakers, in general, at the Republican convention barely touched on any of those issues. Instead they tended to rewrite history and convince the American people that Trump did a fantastic job managing all of these crises. If that isn’t major league gaslighting I don’t know what is.
The really sad thing is, people will buy it. That’s the thing that concerns me the most. I am scared to death that Trump will once again lose the popular vote and litigate his way to a ‘win’ via the electoral college, possibly the House of Representatives and whatever foreign help he can solicit. Of course, that is exactly the kind of dramatic, made for TV, ending a reality persona like Trump would like. I can only hope that sufficient numbers of Americans are tired of the ‘Trump show,’ and will vote to ensure it is not renewed for another presidential term.
- The Captive Mind, Czeslaw Milosz, 1953, (translated edition, Vintage International Edition, 1990
- https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/people/4875576-heather-cox-richardson
Excellent article. Unfortunately, fascism, like a disease, has to run its course. Cults, like fascism, are almost impossible to break because they come about through mind control. It is a drug that to its followers is very attractive, but very addictive. Not until the reality of fascism starts affecting their lives ,like drugs, in a dramatic way they will not change. Hitler’s Germany is an excellent example.