All we need from Donald Trump is some sort of ‘enabling act’ and we will have our return to 1935 Germany. It’s true, he is puffing up as the grand cock, about to take control of the barnyard. The great orange cock is filled with hate. He may have no wacky little beard and we have no Charlie Chaplin to portray him but we do have Randy Rainbow and the comb-over hair. The first debate became nothing less than an incoherent shouting match, with a red-faced (under the orange makeup) sham of a human being assaulting civility. He proved himself all bluster and threat but he managed to take control, he forced us to pay attention to him. He is pushing, he is riding over civil behaviour and stealing the starlight. With the relentless aid of the Fox news propaganda machine grinding away at truth, we have all we need for a complete descent into chaos.
In a certain way, pushing through a further conservative Supreme Court justice may well prove to be what is democracy’s final undoing. Likely, that will be the last straw and enough to give Trump his ‘enabling act’. In the extremely likely case that Trump declares the election fraudulent and the decision goes to the House of Representatives, he has an advantage. Even though there is a Democratic majority of house members, each state gets only one vote to choose the president. There are 26 Republican state legislatures. The Republicans have proven themselves unwilling to do the right thing. It is probable that they will vote to doom the system.
No matter what, we can expect at least several months of rioting and police/right wing violence while the election moves ultimately toward the Supreme Court. There isn’t a legal process where Trump can declare himself ‘supreme leader’ yet but with control of the Supreme Court and control of the Senate, there easily could be. Yes, the election will be a sham. The result will have nothing to do with the will of the people. There is nothing to be done as long as Senate Republicans and House Republicans sit back and continue as they are doing. They are proving themselves to be most foul and lacking in any sort of moral decency.
Because of the relentless self interest of Republican legislators, the U.S. is going to go down in flames. That was unthinkable even a year ago. Now, it is almost a certainty. I know many folks think I am being hysterical, that I am over-thinking this, worrying too much. The debate proved me correct. I offer as example the fact the man exhorted a far-right extremist group to stand ready. He stood right there and spoke to The Proud Boys directly. The Proud Boy group leader almost spit out his beer in surprise at hearing the call, loud and clear. Beyond that, Trump openly dismissed the election as fraud and urged his supporters to invade the polls and evaluate the results. He has given us plenty of warning that his intentions are not honest. He made it quite clear that he will refuse to leave office.
So, what to do? I believe myself to be relatively safe here in Canada. That is, I am physically safe. My financial life is tenuous since all of my retirement income is sourced from the U.S. With Trump’s open war on Social Security, most of my income is at risk with no ‘safety net’. I do have savings outside of Social Security but they are dependant upon a stable U.S. financial system. With the coming battle over the White House, there is little to convince me the central banks, the insurance companies, the stock market will remain stable. It might take a while to crash but it is almost certain to be a wild ride. The thing that puzzles me is that with all of the uncertainty surrounding the government, somehow, the stock market didn’t crash? I don’t understand. What can the investors be thinking? Do they believe Trump is a saviour? That the system will prevail? Ha.
Indeed, what to do? The only rational thing is to stop worrying. There is nothing to do. The U.S constitutional authors didn’t forsee this. The great experiment failed and we are now on our own. Putin must be smiling! Kruschev was absolutely correct, my parents grandchildren will be living under what passed for communism. It wasn’t communism, of course, it was totalitarianism and bore little resemblance to the Ideas of Karl Marx. Donald is riding in on a red horse and nothing can be done. Sigh.
I voted, I did my best but I cannot allow the mess to soil me. I can step away from that scene and work on my stuff. I can write my blog, my books, my songs. I can play guitar and sing. I can bake a cake. I can exercise my freedoms, my rights as a human being and reject the fear these small folks are spreading. The best choice is to enjoy what I have while I still have it.
I have an approaching birthday, my 70th. I am in the shadow of my days. It is a low point, by the river where one can cross easily to the other side. It won’t take much more time. There is little to be gained with a backward glance at the fabled city. The city is in flames. I gather up my trousers for a bit of wading. It will take a while yet but the path for fording is clear. I shall chillax and continue. This is the way of it, then.
Robert On The Air 