There’s an old saying that if you want to keep your friends, never discuss religion or politics. – or something like that. Yeah, I can definitely see how that would be a bad idea.
When it comes to politics, I don’t consider myself left or right; I’m right there in the centre. And that isn’t some kind of cop-out, it’s just that I think if you wander too far on either end of the spectrum, things get a little crazy.
Up until Trump, I liked the previous Republican presidents over the past few decades. Regan, Bush (senior and junior) all did a decent job in my opinion. The same goes with the Democrats, Clinton, Obama, Biden.
But that was when things were normal.
Today’s Republican party has morphed into something ugly and shameless and is in the grips of a pathological narcissist; that is, if you believe mainstream news. I personally like to give people a chance, but every day that passes makes that assertion a little more likely.
2024 is going to be one for the history books and I think we are going to see things that would have been inconceivable in the past. The problem is that this outlandish behaviour is being normalized. Are we so apathetic that we don’t care, or is it that half the population has actually been brainwashed by Trump and his acolytes? I tend to believe the latter.
Sure, a logical and reasonable person knows that the shit show in congress and amongst the far right is nothing more than performance theatre for a minority audience. It’s not like these congressmen and others are poorly educated; they know the truth, yet they are too afraid to upset the base. It’s Trump’s base that holds the power in all of this. The politicians are putting on a show to appease to the base. They feel there is no other option if they want to keep their jobs; sad, really.
Anyway, I’m getting off track here. Suffice it to say that while I haven’t always agreed with Republican policies in the past, they at least had a sensible agenda and were able to govern for the entire population.
Trump’s platform is one of vengeance. He is going to make his second term all about retribution. The only thing crazier than that, is the fact that half the population will vote for him, knowing what’s in store.
I think the US has always done right by being politically center (roughly speaking). It’s when we drift too far to the right or left that we end up in trouble.
I can’t wait for the age of Trump to be over so things can get back on track. The Republican party needs to rebuild and step away from the fringe. They need to get their reputation back and become a sensible solution for not only the MAGA base, but moderates as well. Congress needs to be purged of the crazies in the coming elections, thus allowing the adults to take control again. As it is right now, the adults are being held hostage while the MAGA movement wreaks havoc.
Thankfully, the Democrats are running things normally while everything else seems to be falling apart. Biden isn’t perfect, but he’s a “traditional” president and it’s comforting to know that we haven’t relinquished control to the radicals on the right. His policies are right in the center or just to the left without being too liberal and will appease the majority of the population. I’m sure, deep down, many republicans are relieved that the US is still in the hands of someone who is actually presidential and is doing things according to the law.
In contrast, another Trump term could expose us to a situation we’ve never experienced or imagined before.
These are not just Democratic scare tactics; there is a 5-alarm emergency and the world’s largest democracy is in jeopardy. Americans need to wake up and see what’s really happening.
Anyway, that’s my two cents.
