It has been several hours since Donald Trump ended his epic rant detailing the end of western civilization as we know it and I have finally captured my normal heart rhythms and can breathe normally again. What I think makes me madder than anything is that I could not help myself from watching this deranged caricature of a human being. Sort of like not being able to resist plunking down a dollar to see the five-legged frog at the carnival when you were a kid, or the bearded lady. We knew these were freaks of nature and in a sad way felt sorry for the fact that creatures were afflicted with such maladies and felt guilty for gawking at them but could not help but see for ourselves if they truly existed. Later in life we would discover the same morbid fascination with rubber-necking at an automobile accident. Guilt always settled in but only after we had succumbed to the need to see for ourselves. Donald Trump is a freak of nature.
And now here I was glued to a spectacle that I found so repugnant and yes so dangerous that it made me angry and sick at the same time. The justification that one must be informed on matters of significant import notwithstanding I literally found it difficult to breathe as I listened to this calculating con artist prey upon the fears of many who rightly and justifiably have every reason to be angry at their leaders and institutions of government. But the cruel irony is that those now questioning their decision to make him their nominee are similarly responsible for the dysfunctional state of affairs that made it possible.
How did we get to this place where irrationality bordering on almost anarchic distrust of the levers of a representative democratic system once revered throughout the world could potentially leave us on the brink of fascism? And this is not hyperbole or partisan political propaganda here, make no mistake about it Donald Trump is promoting himself not any particular ideology. And while I assiduously avoid likening public figures to monsters like Hitler or Mussolini it is getting more and more difficult to do so. Yes, Trump is having an effect upon all of us.
Well the answer to the above stated question is found in the redefining episodes of conservatism that have occurred in the second half of the last century. Slowly but surely, beginning with Goldwater in 1964 what had come to be known as traditional conservatism began a transformation. Nixon was forced to resign, Reagan began an historical debt binge, Bush ’41 tried “Read My Lips, No New Taxes” only to succumb to reality and the scorn of the new conservativism, Bush ’43 was a deer in the headlights and allowed Cheney to run the show, Romney had his 47 percent and now we have this!
But the watershed was the1994 mid-term election when Newt Gingrich helped engineer a Republican takeover of the House of Representatives with his Contract with America and a similar revolt within the United States Senate. Since then we have witnessed over two decades of increasing political polarization that has divided the country and the government. Closing down the Federal Government, misuse of the filibuster, abuse of rules governing cloture, or closing off debate to the point where a supermajority (60 votes in the Senate) is required where a mere majority (51) was previously enough to secure passage of legislation, widespread use of investigative and delaying tactics in both chambers of Congress, and outright proclamations of obstruction as a goal not a tactic have rendered our system facile with respect to addressing issues needing critical attention.
The success of a fanatical fundamentalist cult of far-right advocates wrapped around the Gadsden Flag (the one with a snake captioned with Don’t Tread on Me) and their quasi-hostile takeover of the Republican Party has largely been responsible for neutering any concept of compromise, the essential glue that has held our constitution and the form of government it spawned together. Now the Republican establishment, so-called moderate conservatives, are increasingly nervous at the monster they have created. But in fairness they were nowhere to be found as their party basked in the afterglow of electoral victories fueled by the fanatics that now control their party: namely the Tea Party movement.
The ultimate irony, of course, is that these very same establishment types most likely control the fate of the upcoming election. An unlikely coalition of minorities, educated whites, including large numbers of what used to be affectionately known as soccer moms, and what is left of labor unions just might be what is required and necessary to thwart a Trump victory. Hate has prevailed before. In 1968 Richard Nixon used fear and law and order to quell what was a decidedly frustrated revolt being led by disaffected whites and minorities. But Nixon was a product of a rather extensive political education.
What is so frightening about the current election is Trump’s ignorance and inexperience, perpetuated by his extraordinary ability to command attention in virtually every news cycle. No clearer example is his latest foray into Mexico City. Nothing but benefits for him. He is seen on an international stage with a foreign leader. No matter that nothing but a photo op was accomplished, but it is just another example where all the attention is upon him, regardless of his incomprehension of facts, issues, or the truth. His total obfuscation of details, seemingly endless contradictory policy approaches, including his now one-issue campaign on immigration, and his ability to shift on an hourly basis on anything remotely resembling a policy position is confusing to the most sophisticated analysts. To apologists it is merely a shrug of the shoulders and the admonition that it is Trump being Trump.
The prospects of a Trump presidency are so frightening that they simply cannot be exaggerated. It is to be expected that the polls will and probably are tightening. Placing all the money, to use a casino metaphor which is probably totally inappropriate, on the debates is a gamble and this is too serious an issue to gamble with. There is no doubt whatsoever that Hillary Clinton’s command of policy positions, political process, and ideological and temperamental complexion makes her supremely qualified to assume the presidency. But what if that doesn’t matter?
The media has monumentally failed to assume any responsibility for the current state of affairs and worse yet they continue to fuel an election process more renowned for its entertainment value than serious discussion of important issues. If entertainment prevails Trump has the edge. If policy is important Clinton wins hands down. Of course the American people play an essential role here as well but they are so insecure economically and politically and so deeply distrustful of the system they are struggling to survive in that a none of the above selection may seem attractive.
But we are left with what many consider a lesser of two evils decision and the tone of this election is going to get increasingly uglier as November approaches. For many it will be a test of who can stomach the process. The only thing I can say is thank the Lord for early voting and absentee ballots. But there is a reason that voter suppression efforts have been the major goal of the GOP for the last several election cycles, unless voter turnout is high the consequences could be unthinkable.