Shame

Well, no one said it wasn't possible, and I can say this without equivocation, for the first time, I am ashamed of my country.  I have been embarrassed by certain actions in the past, but this presidential election goes beyond embarrassment into shame.  It is ironic, and I appreciate the irony, but in a perverse obverse way, I now understand how the worst red-neck bigot felt when a black man was elected president.  I have said before, and I will say again, Trump represents everything I loath in a human being -- uncharitable greed, narcissism, bigotry, thoughtlessness, the glorification of sanctimonious anger -- and now my loathing has extended to those who helped elect him.  I see them as a reflection of him.  I cannot help myself.  My own loathing and anger is right there, and I really want nothing to do with that half of the nation that could bring themselves, for whatever reason, to vote for Trump.  I really want now to move to Washington or Oregon, and for the western seaboard to succeed from the union.   The red states can all follow their own path to hell, but please, please, please don't take me with you.

Here are a two predictions for the first hundred days of his presidency:

• Despite a conciliatory victory speech, Trump will demonstrate again his vindictiveness, and he will take aim at those who have been critical of him.  My greatest fear, of course, is for the "media."  They have been hugely complicit in the debacle of the current election, but those outlets that didn't engage in the horse race of false equivalencies, who actually "fact checked," who reported the narcissistic bombast and falsehood, the racism and misogyny, are at risk of his retribution.  I am not sure exactly what form his "vindication" will take, but I'm sure he will have it, and it puts the hallmark of our "democracy," the first amendment, at risk.   Moreover, one can hope, but one really cannot expect him to actually be gracious in victory.  He has promised to put Clinton in jail, and I have no doubt that the largely conservative innovation of "government by investigation" will continue with the full force of the "monopoly of power" behind it.  Whether they find something, or manufacture something, is a question to be determined, but I have no doubt that the investigation will continue, which now overtly weaponizes our legal system.  It puts not only due process itself, but also our confidence in an impartial "rule of law" at risk.

• This will not be the last election, and we can expect another in two years, but this very likely will be the last "meaningful" election.  Any healing of divisions will not take place by reaching out or reaching a mutual understanding.  It will occur as it occurs in most nations throughout the world, with the consolidation of power into a single party.   Voting districts have already been gerrymandered to the detriment of the democrats, and no doubt steps will be taken quickly to extend those victories into the last urban democratic strongholds.  Moreover, with the ability to appoint and confirm appropriately conservative supreme court justices, steps will be taken to inure that voting rights legislation will be rendered ineffectual and new legislation to suppress the voting rights of minority populations will be passed and go unchallenged by the court.  In short, steps will be taken to insure that elections produce more predictable "conservative" results.  Trump wasn't right, but he WILL be right, and the elections will be further "rigged" to simply affirm the one "true" party.   Ineffectual dissent may be tolerated, as it is in Russia or China, but effective dissent will be quashed.  

Beyond that, of course, it is anyone's guess what Trump will actually do.  Trump did not run on a republican platform -- at least that much is obvious.  He did pander to the red-state predispositions, adopting their position on the bread and circus issues of abortion, gun rights, religion, and the like.   He also adopted the core republican position on "tax cuts," which will have the knock off effect of increasing the deficit enormously, which in turn will be used as justification for severe cuts in spending.   Beyond that, however, he played to the crowds at his rallies and ran on a platform of "personal exceptionalism."  Do not mistake this for "American exceptionalism," despite the sloganeering, it is the personal exceptionalism of Trump by Trump and for Trump, and whether he can or will make good on his promises to the people remains to be seen.  I very much doubt it.