I know this is a rough day and time. We have time to prepare and build strong before Trump takes office. One should reflect that most well off white folks living in Trumpian Florida, Texas, and Oklahoma for the last 8 years have not felt disruptions. There will be for many some space to continue life. Likely, Trump on a national basis, is likely to be more firmly assertive. Unfortunately, given his self-centered, destructive and perverse response to the pandemic and medical science generally, as well as MAGA’s hate for government health insurance, public health, and facts, not to mention women’s autonomy, the coming years are likely to have a tragic and horrible impact on the health of Americans.
For better or worse my big picture thoughts —
Today is a very sad day. It is a fact that in an open fair vote (within the confines of gerrymandering and voter suppression) vast numbers of the American people are upset enough about their personal circumstances to jump ship from the democracy and its traditions that we (mostly) upheld for almost 250 years. I am bereft - the world I valued and worked to support and expand may disappear.
Benjamin Franklin said in 1787 “We have a republic, if we can keep it.” It seems we have lost it and need to start rebuilding a humane society. I am beyond sad that I have left this hard task to my children and grandchildren.
While the next days will be spent dissecting the election I want to call your attention to 3 important factors (2 mostly unacknowledged) that set the stage and fueled this tragedy. These are the deep undercurrents that progressive (mostly Democratic) politicians and pundits have mostly ignored and MAGA exploited. This election result proved these 3 factors to be very real:
(1) USA is not ready for woman or another colored president. We now have proof that massive misogyny and racism still percolate through America. (2). WEALTH INEQUALITY In the 1950's the CIA popularized the Gini Index (named after an Italian economist to describe the distribution of something among a population, where "0" means everyone has an equal amount and "1" indicates it it all concentrated in one person/unit's/country's hands) as a measure of a country's stability. The CIA determined an index over 40 portended civic unrest. For years the USA hovered over 35 (close to Mexico) and far above the Scandinavian countries (e.g. Sweden is at 30 in 2024). Obama with his tax on stock transactions and the ACA was the only President since the 1960's to lower our Gini. Since then especially with the Republican minimization of estate (“death”) taxes and the Trump tax cut, the USA Gini Index is now 42. Three Americans have more wealth than the bottom 50% of the population. Both American families and American government are being starved and the very rich have unprecedented raw power. The rich own the Supreme Court. Wealthy billionaires threw unprecedented gobs of money at Trump. As for Dems - under “neoliberalism” Clinton with NAFTA and Obama with failure to protect homes in the 2008-9 recession (itself the result of Republican and neoliberal deregulation) destroyed, alienated and ripped the heart out of middle America and the less wealthy who are still in pain. For the last 10 years, and on an accelerating basis, we have been watching massive wealth inequality playing out in real time - producing civic dysfunction and disorder whose engine is wealth inequality. OUCH! More than anything else this explains the panoramic dynamics of the MAGA movement. Watch Elon Musk, Betsy DeVos and Peter Thiel take over the country. The relatively peaceful domestic and world order may well collapse. (3) POST PANDEMIC TRAUMA DISORDER - COVID-19, like most major pandemics in history, produced more individual, family and systemic insecurity, demoralization, fear and anger,(all of which have been historically repressed). These feelings were mostly individualized and sub-rosa and not publicly dealt with or admitted (although Biden gave an incredibly wise and great shot at relief.) This malaise percolates on.
VOILA the USA - a failed democracy and fascist country by a huge popular vote!
We have been fortunate to be able to live and thrive in our imperfect democracy. The future will challenge us to preserve it as best we can. With your help and wisdom we can rise to the occasion.
I'm with you, Doug! The possibility became the probability and then, he won! I was anxious this morning, but like you, came to the same conclusion. The strategy of the Dems has not changed and it's a losing one that needs to be traded in. I stand ready to hear your suggestions and I will offer mine to you. Thanks!
You hit the perfect. note, Doug. TY
I know this is a rough day and time. We have time to prepare and build strong before Trump takes office. One should reflect that most well off white folks living in Trumpian Florida, Texas, and Oklahoma for the last 8 years have not felt disruptions. There will be for many some space to continue life. Likely, Trump on a national basis, is likely to be more firmly assertive. Unfortunately, given his self-centered, destructive and perverse response to the pandemic and medical science generally, as well as MAGA’s hate for government health insurance, public health, and facts, not to mention women’s autonomy, the coming years are likely to have a tragic and horrible impact on the health of Americans.
For better or worse my big picture thoughts —
Today is a very sad day. It is a fact that in an open fair vote (within the confines of gerrymandering and voter suppression) vast numbers of the American people are upset enough about their personal circumstances to jump ship from the democracy and its traditions that we (mostly) upheld for almost 250 years. I am bereft - the world I valued and worked to support and expand may disappear.
Benjamin Franklin said in 1787 “We have a republic, if we can keep it.” It seems we have lost it and need to start rebuilding a humane society. I am beyond sad that I have left this hard task to my children and grandchildren.
While the next days will be spent dissecting the election I want to call your attention to 3 important factors (2 mostly unacknowledged) that set the stage and fueled this tragedy. These are the deep undercurrents that progressive (mostly Democratic) politicians and pundits have mostly ignored and MAGA exploited. This election result proved these 3 factors to be very real:
(1) USA is not ready for woman or another colored president. We now have proof that massive misogyny and racism still percolate through America. (2). WEALTH INEQUALITY In the 1950's the CIA popularized the Gini Index (named after an Italian economist to describe the distribution of something among a population, where "0" means everyone has an equal amount and "1" indicates it it all concentrated in one person/unit's/country's hands) as a measure of a country's stability. The CIA determined an index over 40 portended civic unrest. For years the USA hovered over 35 (close to Mexico) and far above the Scandinavian countries (e.g. Sweden is at 30 in 2024). Obama with his tax on stock transactions and the ACA was the only President since the 1960's to lower our Gini. Since then especially with the Republican minimization of estate (“death”) taxes and the Trump tax cut, the USA Gini Index is now 42. Three Americans have more wealth than the bottom 50% of the population. Both American families and American government are being starved and the very rich have unprecedented raw power. The rich own the Supreme Court. Wealthy billionaires threw unprecedented gobs of money at Trump. As for Dems - under “neoliberalism” Clinton with NAFTA and Obama with failure to protect homes in the 2008-9 recession (itself the result of Republican and neoliberal deregulation) destroyed, alienated and ripped the heart out of middle America and the less wealthy who are still in pain. For the last 10 years, and on an accelerating basis, we have been watching massive wealth inequality playing out in real time - producing civic dysfunction and disorder whose engine is wealth inequality. OUCH! More than anything else this explains the panoramic dynamics of the MAGA movement. Watch Elon Musk, Betsy DeVos and Peter Thiel take over the country. The relatively peaceful domestic and world order may well collapse. (3) POST PANDEMIC TRAUMA DISORDER - COVID-19, like most major pandemics in history, produced more individual, family and systemic insecurity, demoralization, fear and anger,(all of which have been historically repressed). These feelings were mostly individualized and sub-rosa and not publicly dealt with or admitted (although Biden gave an incredibly wise and great shot at relief.) This malaise percolates on.
VOILA the USA - a failed democracy and fascist country by a huge popular vote!
We have been fortunate to be able to live and thrive in our imperfect democracy. The future will challenge us to preserve it as best we can. With your help and wisdom we can rise to the occasion.
Well said, Jeoffrey.
I'm with you, Doug! The possibility became the probability and then, he won! I was anxious this morning, but like you, came to the same conclusion. The strategy of the Dems has not changed and it's a losing one that needs to be traded in. I stand ready to hear your suggestions and I will offer mine to you. Thanks!
We're leaving the country. My husband's great uncle ran the trains for Auschwitz and we know what comes next.