Time to chime in again. Like many of you, I needed a respite from politics, time to recharge the battery. It’s going to be a hell of a four years, so pace yourself.
Let’s start with two absurd ironies.
The Don will be sworn in as president on January 20th, which happens to be Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Take a beat and let that sit with you. Has the phrase “turning over in one’s grave” ever been more apt?
It’s been more than 60 years since King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech, which took place at the Lincoln Memorial. It was a passionate call for freedom and justice for Blacks. Most famously he said: “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. ‘”
Witnessing The Don be sworn in from his grave would be heartbreaking, but his deep understanding of the Black experience and White Supremacy would make this moment imaginable. After all, the deep stain of slavery and Jim Crow makes the struggle for freedom a daunting (near impossible) task. Freedom for Blacks means being treated as true equals; freedom for White Supremacists means the freedom to treat the “other” as subjects of their control, often dehumanizing them, in order to maintain their position of dominance.
These opposing definitions of freedom are part of the DNA of this country and are irreconcilable. The Don’s re-election, despite all his transgressions, is damning proof of this American reality. From his grave, Dr. King, the voice of freedom for all, will be watching someone who embodies White Supremacy become the most powerful man in the world for a second time! Once wasn’t enough for America. Despite The Don’s racist, xenophobic, anti-woman, and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, he prevailed.
Irony number two is that we have somebody who is a convicted felon 34 times over, putting his hand on a Bible to swear an oath to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” The Don is not only a convicted felon, but someone who in civil court was found guilty of sexual assault (and fined millions of dollars.) If that case had been brought within the statute of limitations, he would have been put in jail for a minimum of three years! The Don has no compunction about breaking the law to get what he wants; he has been doing it his entire life. He is a man who wants to be king. He is a man who has openly said he wants to dismantle the constitution he is swearing to protect. Has there ever been a more apt usage of “putting the fox in charge of the hen-house?
For four years, we will face the consequences of these awful ironies.
How much of his rhetoric come to fruition is hard to predict. Is there a bridge too far for Republicans? We keep asking that question and every time we think someone will stand up we witness the deafening silence of collusion.
In the swirl of The Don’s world, there have already been some fireworks.
The conflict between Elon Musk and his antagonist Steve Bannon has a WWF ring to it. Musk, who believes more HB-1 Visas should be approved in order to find highly skilled engineers and tech people to keep the U.S. competitive in the world. A food-fight broke out between Musk and Bannon placing The Don in the crossfire. Bannon ripped into Musk stating that Americans should have those jobs. Bannon called Mr. Musk “truly evil” and vowed to “take this guy down.” It will be interesting to see what happens. Bannon sees himself as a true MAGA warrior but he may face the reality of being marginalized as The Don smells money in his relationship with Musk and in reality he doesn’t give two shits about his supporters. The Don loves his adversaries fighting over him. Maybe he will set up a betting ring where people can bet on who will be the last man standing? Makes for great TV.
The Don also ramped up his rhetoric on acquiring Greenland, to take back control of the Panama Canal, by military force if necessary (the canal was officially turned over to Panama in 1999, following a treaty signed in 1977.) He also floated the idea that the Gulf of Mexico should be renamed the Gulf of America. For shits and giggles he toyed with President Trudeau of Canada taunting him that Canada should become the 51st state. Let’s call this: B.B.B.B., the blustering bully bellowing bullshit. Listening to him ramble on about this conjures up an image a two year old’s tantrum: “I don’t want that stupid truck. “I want Greenland. Now get it for me or else. If he were to really pursue taking Greenland, it would give license for Putin to continue its pursuit of annexing Ukraine (and more?) and Xi to pursue Taiwan. It may even spur another reality TV show called “The Great Land Grab.”
Speaking of Greenland, do you know about the absurd public relations venture to Greenland on behalf of The Don led by Don Jr. and two other MAGA players? The goal was to create media opportunities that showed Grenlandians championing their love for the U.S. So what did Don Jr. resort to? Danish media reported Thursday that a series of photos featuring Kirk and Greenlandic residents in MAGA hats was staged. The MAGA cohort reportedly rounded up homeless people from the area—including one person from under a bridge—promising them a meal at the Hotel Hans Egede in exchange for their participation in the pro-Trump photo circuit.
His comments about the hellscape of fire destroying entire towns in California are not surprising, but despicable. He ranted on “Truth Social” calling California governor Gavin Newson, Gavin Newscum. Shadow president, Elon Musk, decided to use this cataclysmic event to blame D.E.I. He helped circulate screenshots of the Los Angeles Fire Department’s four-year-old ‘racial equity action plan’, writing “They prioritized DEI over saving lives and homes.” The right wing media decided to amp it up stating the fires were not the result of climate change or an extraordinary wind event meeting an extraordinary drought, but the responsibility of Gov. Gavin Newsom of California and Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles and the city’s fire chief. The Don is apoplectic: “The fires are still raging in L.A., the incompetent pols have no idea how to put them out.” Some of his Republican cronies have even threatened to withhold funds from California! I’m waiting for him to say: “When I’m president the fires will be gone on day one, just like the Ukrainian-Russian war.”
A few legal victories are worth noting. Eileen Cannon’s attempt to block the release of Jack Smith’s report was overturned and has been released to the public. The Don also lost the battle to throw out the Stormy Daniels election fraud case, making him the first president convicted of a felony Sadly, Judge Marchand did not give him any jail time, or for that matter, any consequence for his actions; this just emboldens The Don and his followers to blow the whole thing off as a joke of justice. With all the cases against The Don falling apart (though the Georgia case could proceed after he finishes his term as president) the history books will have an asterisk next to his name, tarnishing him with the F word (Felon.) Even the most powerful man in the world can’t remove that stain.
January 20th 2025 is a dark day for America. What will actually transpire over the next four years is hard to predict. One thing is for certain: The Don’s presidency will be chaotic and marred by incompetence. Retribution and cruelty will be features and our country will be moving closer to being an authoritarian nation ruled by oligarchs. We can only hope the battle to stave off The Don’s attempt to dismantle our democracy will be met with resistance that will temper the worst of his impulses.
The Grand Offal Party 