As the writer of a blog, occasionally I claim a point of personal privilege. I chose to do so at this time. My writing has made it clear that I am not in favor of the actions of this administration, nor in favor of the personality cult leading it. I am showing in this message that I have been consistent in my denunciation of the leader of the Republicans. The following post was written as a letter to the editor in my hometown Charleston Gazette-Mail on July 24, 2016, immediately after the Republican convention where Donald Trump accepted the nomination of his party. I sometimes hate it that I saw so clearly what was about to befall the nation, but I commend it to you as a look back to those innocent days in 2016, when we thought we would probably avoid being subjected to a Trump presidency. Would that we could have had that alternative reality come true.
Here is the link to the original letter in the paper:
Editor:
A nation bereft of hope, buffeted by demographic changes and societal upheaval that made us an impotent caricature of our former glory. A nation divided by those who are evil and who are actively working with our enemies to weaken us further. A nation that teeters on a moral abyss, ready to irreversibly tumble into said abyss. A nation who needs the strong hand of leadership to restore our grandeur and prosperity. A nation that must retreat within its borders, and make those borders impregnable to hold back the Visigoths and Huns and cannibals who are attempting to overwhelm our weakened wimpy forces.
That is the vision presented at this week’s Republican convention. It is a vision of hopelessness and despair supposedly brought on by the administration of the last 8 years. It is a vision that thrives on petty name-calling. It is a vision that is the climax of the campaign created by Donald Trump and enabled by his legions of worshipers. It is a vision crafted in bites of 140 characters or less, matching the attention span of this reality TV-addicted nation. It is a vision that evokes revulsion and hatred among its adherents — revulsion against the society that is stacked against them, and hatred of those viewed as responsible for the conditions these champions of the American way have had to endure.
I, too, feel bereft of hope. But not because of the issues enumerated above. No, I am bereft of hope because I have seen our nation devolve into such a state that a total sociopath could hijack one of the two major political parties in my nation. I despair due to the shallowness of thought that causes my own demographic (white male in my 60s in a red state) to form the core of Trump’s army. I despair due to the knowledge that during the upcoming campaign, the real issues facing this country will not be addressed. Instead we will be subjected to a seemingly endless string of negative tweets, PAC-sponsored media messages, and scenes of angry mobs attacking angry mobs representing the opposing party.
But mostly I despair due to the real possibility that a charlatan such as Donald Trump could ascend to the leadership of this nation. That our nation is so foolish that we could ever be suckered into believing the lie that is the story of Donald Trump, and that his brand of evil will be foisted upon this nation and the world. If that were to happen, I can only pray that we are able to avoid the apocalypse he could bring down upon us.
2020 update: This was what I saw coming down the road back during the days of the election. Sometimes I hate to be correct. I have learned that those who believe in this sham of a president, still do so unabashedly. Accordingly, I do not believe that any words in this forum can change the minds of anyone. Still, it feels good to vent, and sometimes it is good to look back in time and see if the feelings expressed then still are current. They are in this case.
Even A Broken Clock 