Here We Are Again

Here we are again. The village idiot has wandered back into town on a wave of bullshit and a sack full of prejudice and villainy. You know who I am talking about, I don’t need to mention his name. He’s the graceless grifter who we all thought – hoped – would wander into the Florida sunset to spend his days admiring himself in the glow of ultra-rich admirers who refer to themselves as “the right people.”

The man is clueless about how the world works. He thinks it’s all an extension of New York real estate development, where lies, broken promises and ruining the lives of others are just another day at the office. And insults, we can’t forget the insults. He even used his inaugural address to insult the man who, despite his declining faculties, displayed grace and honor to the last minute.

Joe Biden may have lost a step or two but he showed to end that he has a grasp of the unstable and dangerous world we live in. In an interview on MSNBC he displayed a nuanced understanding of America’s place in the world and the need for alliances to counter the malignant forces arrayed against us and our values. The village idiot doesn’t understand such things. That’s why he threatens our friends in Canada, Panama, and even Greenland, as he openly admires the management style of Putin.

But the real tragedy is what is likely to happen here at home. It’s not only the prospect of camps for people he considers undesirable; immigrants, mostly, but who knows where it will stop? He’s good at finding people to hate. Transgender people are on his list. Anyone who isn’t kissing his ample ass is likely to make the list. It’s sickening to watch the tech billionaires line up to humiliate themselves to gain his favor.

The sobering reality is that the government is now openly for sale. The billionaires are falling over themselves to get face time but where are the civil rights leaders? The women’s rights leaders? The people who devote their lives to making the lives of others better? The people who care about the environment? Where are the people who lift us up, make us better?

We’re stuck looking at wealthy white people circling their luxury wagons to fend off human advancement and fairness. There’s no room for people who struggle to get through life. No room for the single mom who works two jobs and still lives in a shelter. No room for the pregnant teenager who wants to terminate a pregnancy.

I live in Maryland, one of America’s bluest states. My neighborhood reflects the country. White, Black, Asian, Hispanic, Christians, Jews, Muslims, atheists, all are welcome, or at least tolerated. Our over-the-fence conversations for the past year are along the lines of “no way he can be re-elected.” We’ve been in denial, apparently.

God help us.