Wednesday, November 16, 2016

8 Days After


Rather than posting a bunch on fb, I've collected my thoughts on the recent election here.

1. People were hoping for the election to get over with so that we could get back to normal. The election happened, but social media is probably more toxic than ever.

2. Wow. That result was surprising. I was pulling for third party candidates the whole time, but I really thought Hillary would win. I didn't believe Trump could. I thought that his supporters were merely a highly-vocal fringe of the right wing; Fascists who are too dumb to know they are Fascists. (google Umberto Eco's description of Ur-Fascism to see what I mean.)

3. But a lot of people voted for him, probably not because they liked him, but because they Hated Clinton. And what's not to hate?

4. Goes to show; you rank and file Dems should have supported Bernie in the primaries. I'm going to take a moment to rub the noses of the all-along Clinton supporters in it. That's what you get for supporting the establishment, you gutless sheep.

5. Still, Clinton won the popular vote. People are talking about the failure of the electoral college.  I have doubts about the institution.  I was always told that its purpose was to prevent the "tyranny of the majority." It seems to have done its job and somehow left us with a tyranny of the minority. They said "every vote counts." But apparently not.

6. The fact that Trump is facing prosecution for rape next month will probably come to nothing. Money and power have a way of undermining justice and decency.

7. All my queer and colored friends are carrying on like they are about to be led to the box-cars any minute. It's a little dramatic. I'd like to think that any serious roll-back of civil rights couldn't happen at this point in history.

8. But I've been wrong. Perhaps they should do like Jesus said and sell their cloaks and buy a sword.  FYI. You can embrace your 2A rights without registering as Republican. 

9. You remember the bunker-building, ammo-hoarding hysteria that some right wingers were going through because they were sure Obama was going to impose martial law and send all the True Patriots to FEMA run Death Camps?  Some liberal elements are starting to feel what that is like.

10. Even a minimally critical review will reveal the tremendous hypocrisy of both Conservative and Liberal elements. Whatever indignity or smugness is going on now, the shoe was on the other foot 4/8 years ago. 

11. Trump is going to go back on many of his campaign promises and disappoint his supporters. This is because he is an oligarch. He was never one of the "regular, hard-working folks." who he appealed to.

12. Trump and his people are going to atleast undermine Civil rights, and continue the assault on the middle class and the environment. So his detractors will not be disappointed.

13. This is what happens when you let a reality-TV villain become president.

14. I think Putin could actually hornswaggle Trump into complying with a coherent strategy in the middle East. I joked before that we should be so lucky as to have a leader like Putin. Looks like I may get my wish.

15. You all need to get off the internet and go outside. Please look around, and notice that she sun is still rising and the grass is still growing.