Ours is an upside down America under siege. And it’s not from war-ravaged Syrian refugees, Muslim adversaries, or even Russian spy ships lurking off our eastern coast. Rather it’s from a dispassionate political party for whom facts are malleable and a self-aggrandizing man who is, at best, a delegitimized president and, at worst, perhaps the most effective Russian operative to ever infiltrate American politics. Trump and the GOP have created a blueprint on how to spread hate from the top down whilst trampling all over the tenets of our democracy. Brace yourself: America’s undoing has begun in earnest.
Many argue that our perilous times were foreshadowed with ringing bells and blaring whistles. Trump, after all, breathed life into voter’s anger, giving their resentment a pulse and their fear a heartbeat. Now, Trump and the GOP are set to lead a fascist movement that will send America careening off its axis, ushering in an era replete with tragedies of Dickensian proportions. From wire-hanger abortions and state-sanctioned discrimination, doom and gloom are headed our way. To wit: in January atomic scientists advanced the doomsday clock closer to an apocalypse, in part due to Trump’s rhetoric and the fear that he’ll escalate an arms race. Through willful isolation, plans to create an affluent oligarchy, the promise of protecting white privilege, and misinformation warfare, they’ve already begun repealing rights and politicizing the absurd.
“Having a defiant and derogatory leader, intent on creating a new world order, will weaken our alliances and embolden terroristic elements.”
A master propagandist, Goebbels Trump is at his best when he peddles in fiction, distributing demonstrably false news and repeating a lie until it has the look and feel of the truth. (He continues to baffle with the ridiculous claim that millions of illegal immigrants voted for Hillary Clinton, and he implied there was a terrorist attack in Sweden when no such incident occured). The media, which he tries to delegitimize, and who are already taxed with having to report fairly on a candidate encased in secrecy—is he heavily in debt to Russian banks and why won’t he release his taxes—now has to dispel ridiculous conspiracy theories from an incoming regime that believes in “alternative facts” of the “Elvis is alive” type. The scope and depth of his nescience is staggering. And while Trump diverts the media’s attention by lashing out at everyone from swanky department stores to the Pope, he is simultaneously agitating our allies, debasing the judicial branch and sparking constitutional crises. American stability impacts much of the world. Having a defiant and derogatory leader, intent on creating a new world order, will weaken our alliances and embolden terroristic elements.
It’s in America’s best interest if there is a unified Europe. As such, Trump and the GOP’s plan to willfully isolate America and her interests should be more alarming than the “war on Christmas” or entrusting a woman to govern her own uterus. From slighting China (who must remain an ally if we’re intent on impeding North Korea’s nuclear ambitions), German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Mexico, NATO members, and those countries involved in brokering The Iran Deal, to suggesting that America pillage from her allies in wartime—a violation of international law—Trump continues to prove that he has a dangerously dim understanding of national and international policy. Speaking to congress, General Petraeus recently weighed in, warning that Trump poses a “threat to global stability,” more a highly plausible prediction than sheer partisan hyperbole.
“Race matters. And the preservation of white privilege and fragility were as much a campaign promise as erecting a ridiculous wall on our southern border.”
Further, how can Trump master international relations if he—ignorant to domestic legislation—can’t complete the elementary task of culling together a cabinet? His controversial picks—a gaggle of grossly unqualified billionaires who’ve bankrolled dozens of Republicans—prove that he’s solely focused on creating a caste system, deregulating Wall Street and creating policies that are a boon for America’s elite. If all are confirmed, his cabinet will also be the richest and whitest administration in our nation’s history. (Ben Carson, while black, doesn’t count in the same way that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas doesn’t matter). What does matter is having a cabinet that is out of touch with much of the country it plans to govern. Lest we forget Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell—whose own home state happens to be the food stamp capital of the country—voted a half dozen times to raise his own pay while he and Republicans routinely voted against raising the minimum wage. And if the middle class is vulnerable then the working poor are in grave danger, including those who voted along racial lines. Their skin, no matter how white, won’t curry favor from a cabinet only interested in matters they can privatize and monetize, to ridiculous effect.
Race matters. And the preservation of white privilege and fragility were as much a campaign promise as erecting a ridiculous wall on our southern border. Contrary to conservative thought, Mexicans aren’t raping and pillaging entire communities. And blacks aren’t languishing in super ghettos, their illegal guns pressed to their chests. Yet Republicans have spent years delegitimizing and marginalizing minorities by upholding a justice system that is inherently biased and engaging in voter suppression. The confirmation of Jeff Sessions as Attorney General—he once argued that those registering black voters should get a 200-year prison sentence—is concerning in the same way that far-right ideologist Steven Bannon having a seat on the National Security Council is both frightening and maddening.
ISIS isn’t threatening to take away your healthcare. They aren’t suppressing U.S. voter rights, sitting idle as residents of Flint, Michigan drink contaminated water or denying global warming. They aren’t enemies of America’s public schools, nixing programs aimed at helping struggling veterans, or making homeownership costlier. America’s greatest threat, aside from radical white nationalists, has elevated himself atop an imagined, tacky gold-plated throne at our nation’s capital. And he and his party pose a far greater risk to American democracy and liberty than any radicalized, brown-skinned, boogeyman could ever be.
