We’re in Trouble
Who will save us?
Hitler made German nationalism sound so reasonable and right that Germans responded to his speeches with their version of “hell yeah,” just as Trump’s fans respond to his speeches the same way.
Trump is good at fanning the flames of nationalism, unrest, and white supremacy, and he’s only getting better. He studied Hitler’s ways. He knows what he’s doing. He is not as stupid as he sometimes seems.
He’s learned that his numerous lies have no consequences. It is as he has said, he could shoot a person in cold blood in the middle of Times Square, and he would not lose his base.
He blurts out hateful words closet racists have wanted to say out loud for years; he talks about how he’d like to punch someone in the mouth. And the crowds at his rallies love it. He’s putting words to what they’ve secretly thought, but didn’t say because it was once unacceptable.
Trump says to American women of color, “go back to your own country,” and the white men who secretly want both women and minorities muzzled become more devoted to him.
They’re elated that someone is saying what they’ve been thinking and wanting to say and he is the president! He’s given them license. He’s validating their misogyny and xenophobia (although they probably don’t understand those terms), and helping them to feel they’re in control again. No wonder they worship him.
Trump discovered there’s only a thin membrane suppressing the racism running through too many American veins. And he has capitalized on it. Just as Hitler tapped into German suspicion and unrest; Trump has found his fans among people who ache for “the old times” when white men ruled, and women knew their place. The good ole boys — who want things to be just as they were in their grandparents’ time — have an advocate.
It is one of Trump’s biggest accomplishments that he has forced us to accept violations of human rights on our own soil. It’s likely we would have intervened diplomatically, if not militarily, if another country did what we are doing.
I am afraid he won’t be stopped before it’s too late. He defies the judicial branch and congress, while controlling the senate. We have no reason to expect a fair election. No doubt the Russian hackers stand ready.
Who will stop them?
Our situation is so much more dire than most realize. Families are being torn apart because so many good people are blinded to what’s happening. And they are angered if anyone, even someone they love, tries to open their eyes.
The stock market has been soaring, so I understand why very rich investors love him. They are profiting from Trump’s presidency in numerous ways. Having and hoarding a bunch of money is all they care about.
But why are the working poor and the disappearing middle class supporting him? All we’re going to get out of this economy is higher prices. The cost of a gallon of gas, a gallon of milk, and a loaf of bread have all been increasing. Inflation is happening. Yet his fans like what he says, so they ignore the changes sure to hurt all of us. And sometimes, even when they dimly perceive that his policies are hurting them, by God, they like what he says, so they ignore the facts and keep supporting him. They think he will, in the end, take care of them. They believe he is on their side, and they really think they are his priority; right after he walls off the southern border, straightens out the commie liberals, and sends people of color back where they belong.
He knows what to say. He correctly reads the resentment of many, and makes them feel justified when he voices their outrage.
Certain sectors in the Democrat party, meanwhile, continue infuriating moderates almost as if they’re trying to alienate potential voters. They preach, they correct, they practice ageism and elitism, and show contempt for all who aren’t 30 or 40-something urbanites. Centrists in their own party are treated as if they are dinosaurs. Who likes that kind of behavior? Who likes being looked down upon and treated as if one is irrelevant, inferior, or dumb.
Worse, these same Democrats keep mocking Trump. Every time he misspells a word or butchers the language, (which is admittedly often) they’re onto him. It’s easy to make fun of him and Democrats continue despite the fact that it only makes his supporters identify more closely with him.
The nation has a serious problem named Trump. He is making propaganda work for him in the USA, just as Hitler made it work in Germany. It’s only going to get worse.
I don’t know the answer. We must somehow get rid of him. But how? The House can probably impeach him but the senate will not convict him. And if an attempt fails, we’ll be worse off than we were before we tried. He would gain immense strength from such a situation.
The United States of America is in trouble. We face a most serious threat to Democracy. And no one seems to be doing anything about it.
We need help. We need patriots. We need leaders who will stand up to him. We need a hero. Several heroes. Or we are apt to find ourselves with a capricious and willful dictator.
