for 4 years i have said the same thing, not that i'm a sage and a seer, because many others have said this. i recognized an anti-democrat when i saw one, and it was easy to see that trump did not care about democracy 4 years ago.
policies come and go. "accomplishments" come and go. what did jimmy carter do? what did gerald ford do? what were their accomplishments? what did bush 41 do? all these men were presidents during my adult life. it's hard to remember what they all achieved, that matters to us all now.
the luxury that our population enjoys - jharris, you, me, all of us - is the capacity of the citizenry to choose its leaders. this is what is at stake. certain smart men here, JSA as one notable example, have countered over the last 4 years that trump is a "buffoon" but not a threat. i think we see how weak that argument is.
donald trump enjoys american citizenship. but he is not an american by belief structure. trump does not understand what makes america different than russia, saudi arabia, or any other country. if you don't understand the institutions of democracy - if these are not sacred processes that set america part, that make it great, that make it a beacon for the world - then the instinct to protect it is not in you.
we can debate whether trump has actually accomplished anything positive over the last 4 years. but this question of accomplishments is analogous to whether a prospective spouse makes good macaroni. i'm you're marrying marilyn (or mark) because she (or he) makes good macaroni, we can debate whether the macaroni is in fact good but if marilyn/mark cheats on her intended; hocks the appliances to pay for his/her drug habit; does not understand and value commonly accepted axioms that make a family work; macaroni skill is quickly forgotten when the shit hits the fan.
the shit is hitting the fan. the fan has been broadcasting the shit for 4 years. the free world doesn't know whether to laugh or cry. what you will certainly NOT hear from trump supporters is a cogent, reasoned argument that champions the processes and institutions that have supported the american experiment for a quarter-millenium.
cue the false equivalencies, of course. but there is no "other side." there is no equivalency. what you need to know is this - and it's why jurist and generals, diplomats and career professionals, republicans all, have abandoned trump even as they still adhere to republican beliefs - if you support trump, the love of democracy is not in you. maybe it's because you just don't care about democracy - that you, like trump, believe that america is a physical place only, and its form of government is an unimportant detail. maybe it's because you haven't really considered democracy; that it's just an abstract notion on the periphery of your vision. that love of the american experience is, regardless of the reason, not in you. your vote and allegiance has been purchased by macaroni.
Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
policies come and go. "accomplishments" come and go. what did jimmy carter do? what did gerald ford do? what were their accomplishments? what did bush 41 do? all these men were presidents during my adult life. it's hard to remember what they all achieved, that matters to us all now.
the luxury that our population enjoys - jharris, you, me, all of us - is the capacity of the citizenry to choose its leaders. this is what is at stake. certain smart men here, JSA as one notable example, have countered over the last 4 years that trump is a "buffoon" but not a threat. i think we see how weak that argument is.
donald trump enjoys american citizenship. but he is not an american by belief structure. trump does not understand what makes america different than russia, saudi arabia, or any other country. if you don't understand the institutions of democracy - if these are not sacred processes that set america part, that make it great, that make it a beacon for the world - then the instinct to protect it is not in you.
we can debate whether trump has actually accomplished anything positive over the last 4 years. but this question of accomplishments is analogous to whether a prospective spouse makes good macaroni. i'm you're marrying marilyn (or mark) because she (or he) makes good macaroni, we can debate whether the macaroni is in fact good but if marilyn/mark cheats on her intended; hocks the appliances to pay for his/her drug habit; does not understand and value commonly accepted axioms that make a family work; macaroni skill is quickly forgotten when the shit hits the fan.
the shit is hitting the fan. the fan has been broadcasting the shit for 4 years. the free world doesn't know whether to laugh or cry. what you will certainly NOT hear from trump supporters is a cogent, reasoned argument that champions the processes and institutions that have supported the american experiment for a quarter-millenium.
cue the false equivalencies, of course. but there is no "other side." there is no equivalency. what you need to know is this - and it's why jurist and generals, diplomats and career professionals, republicans all, have abandoned trump even as they still adhere to republican beliefs - if you support trump, the love of democracy is not in you. maybe it's because you just don't care about democracy - that you, like trump, believe that america is a physical place only, and its form of government is an unimportant detail. maybe it's because you haven't really considered democracy; that it's just an abstract notion on the periphery of your vision. that love of the american experience is, regardless of the reason, not in you. your vote and allegiance has been purchased by macaroni.
Dan Empfield
aka Slowman