To alter a phrase from the ’90s, Trump’s shocking win was not, as many pundits want us to believe, about the economy. There will be much to say about what happened yesterday over the next few days. But a critical point that must be understood is that Trump’s complete domination of American politics did not result from his positions on the economy.
The sad, simple truth is that a majority of people who voted yesterday are sexist, racist, and selfish not to mention not very smart. I can write these truths because I’m not now nor will I ever run for office. I don’t need to pretend to make everyone feel good about everything–even things that are flat out morally wrong.
Whether people like it or not, Trump has torn the bandaid off. There shouldn’t be any more delusions as to what America has been, what it is now, or what it will be in the future. America was established as a nation to protect and serve wealthy, Christian white men at the expense of everyone else. Now, more than at any time in at least the last several decades, America is living up to what the so-called founding fathers hoped America would become.
Inflation is affecting all of us and really hurting some of us. High interests rates are crushing families. There is no question that Biden, because he is unwilling to oppose corporations in a meaningful way, damaged the economy and hurt most people. But some economic pain should never be a justification for ignoring character, integrity, and morality.
Donald Trump is intellectually and morally unfit for office. Donald Trump has no integrity. Donald Trump is a bully with no regard for most people–even most of those who voted for him. Donald Trump doesn’t even pretend that America is a democracy or that he cares about democracy. Donald Trump is a spoiled child who lacks any of the traits that should be present in an American president.
Donald Trump won a landslide victory and led Republicans to control of both houses of Congress, because a majority of those who voted are sad, weak people who are more comfortable being told what to do and having someone else take responsibility for their lives than they are capable of putting themselves in the best position to succeed. And, of course, Donald Trump won because there is no way an overtly racist, sexist electorate was going to vote for a black woman when the alternative is a wealthy, spoiled, white man who is more racist and sexist than the electorate.
If people make the mistake of believing Trump’s win was based on his handling of the economy, Trump will wind up keeping most of his truly terrible promises. If people don’t understand that Trumpism must be fought with everything those of us with decency have left, people will watch the stock market rise while the lives of millions of Americans (most of them black and brown) are destroyed. Sadly, a majority of those who voted would be happy if black people, brown people, those of us with disabilities, those in the GLBTQ community, and women have few rights and little say in the direction of America.
Keep pretending it’s about the economy. While you are doing so, Trump and his radical supporters will use your being distracted to ensure that by the time you realize what has always been their agenda has taken the rights you have and made it so they rights you have never been able to realize are out of reach–maybe forever.