By Mildred Robertson
The revelation of Trump's vile profanities toward people of
color in this world is not an “ah-ha” moment for those of us who have been
paying attention. It comes as no surprise to black and brown people that the
President of the United States participates in hateful, vile and racist
speech. But his speech is the least of
our problems. Trump has rolled back protections for children, single parents,
veterans, the elderly, and people of color; and continues to chip away at the
very fabric of our society.
While we are raptly watching for his next text and respond
to the various idiotic statements he makes on an almost daily basis, his
compatriots in Congress are deftly dismantling the social safety net that has
stood as a beacon for the rest of the world regarding how government should
service its constituents. The attack has been precise, targeting those
safeguards which have protected our democracy from its founding. Trump and his gaggle
of anti-democratic lawmakers first targeted the media, then the courts, then
peaceful protestors, labeling them un-American, biased or both. While they join
in his attack on these American institutions, they remain silent in the face of
his vile remarks, his un-presidential tweets and his confused and confusing
political agenda.
His attacks have left his adversaries weary as they face a
full assault on all sides, not allowing the resolution of one conflict before
another equally or more dangerous assault is launched. While I agree that the
president is a fool, there is, it seems, some clever strategy to his madness.
He has kept his opponents off balance; both Republican and Democrat.
Democrats do not know whether to work with him to push
through a DACA strategy or shut the government down because they know he is not
negotiating in good faith. Does he really want a wall, or will the appearance
of fulfilling that campaign promise work? And if it will, would it best serve
the Democratic constituency, or would it look like caving? Does he understand the peril of playing with
politics in the Middle East, or the imminent danger of nuclear war with Korea?
Would he really launch a nuclear attack on a whim? Or is he even engaged in any
of these real-life threats other than to respond to Fox News reports about
them?
It is really too much to consider. There is too much at
stake. There is no underlying policy to attack or support. It is governance
atop shifting sand.
While democrats and progressives are trying to find firm
footing, Republicans are standing in the midst of this upheaval, systematically
deconstructing our nation’s underpinning. They either remain silent, or tacitly
support his foolishness while systematically carrying out the desires of that
small minority of Trump supporters who want to destroy our current system of
government. They call it “draining the swamp.”
What it actually represents, however, is the institution of
authoritarian government policies that will benefit the few while decimating
the masses. They are snatching away the safety net represented by programs such
as CHIP, attacking social programs like Medicare and Medicaid. They are
targeting immigrants who provide an invaluable service to this nation, and
without whom our economic system would falter. They are giving life-long
appointments to young, un-qualified conservative judges who can negatively
impact our nation’s social and political trajectory for years to come. Their
attack on the judicial system targets the only system that has to date
safeguarded us against Trump’s madness.
It is imperative that we take a breath…focus…and take a
long-range view of the options to save our nation from sure destruction if we fail
to wrest power from Trump and his followers. We cannot afford infighting among
the opposition. Dominance among factions cannot be our goal. If there has ever been a time when we must
learn to compromise among ourselves, that time is now.
Whether you are just slightly left of center, or you are
hanging on the edges of the progressive left…you must know that we MUST do
better than we did in 2016. We have to realize that we have to make the BEST
choice, even if we don’t like any of the choices. We have to know that a
failure to vote is a vote for the person you would least like to win.
If we do not show up in 2018, I am not sure where this
leadership will take us. It is surely a place that I do not want to go. And if
they accomplish their goals of deconstructing our nation’s underlying
principles, I do know when we would be able to reclaim them, or if we ever will.
Is the 45th President of the United States
hateful, vile and racist? Absolutely. But that is the least of our worries.
2 comments:
Until the multitudes of haters in America (which is now) are being hated by the system, i.e., the poorer whites, getting ss cuts, food cuts, welfare cuts, housing and they are becoming less and less, they will begin to slowly change....as now with the revelations of their wrong voting decision is hurting/hating them.
The interesting lesson, still not learned, is we are all in this together. Many still feel that they do without because "others" are taking their share. We are all "others" unless we are Native Americans.
America has enough bounty for us all to have a decent quality of life. Our nation will remain in turmoil until the masses accept that and support (elect) a government that protects the well-being of all its constituents.
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