Ghoulish Fascination

 

"Ghoulish fascination"--that phrase popped into my mind tonight. I think it explains one strategy I am going to apply in order to preserve my sanity over the next four years of Trumpian anti-government. I say "anti-gov." because it seems to me that the mission of the Trump regime will be to dismantle the American government in as many ways as possible to make American society as dysfunctional, angry and cruel as possible, so that our billionaire overlords of the tech, finance and oil companies can create a new version of medieval feudal society where the great lords rule in splendor while the lowly serfs that form the bulk of the population suffer and squabble and the climate and environment turn more and more unstable and toxic. I see no effective resistance to Trump any time soon. He has control of the Congress and the courts, the media and universities are trembling with fear, and the tech tycoons are lining up to lick his anus. This horrible monster has won America, for now at least. I am finding it hard to watch the news. I watch some, and read some, every day, but I find I have to turn it off and put it away after just a few minutes or pages. This is where the "ghoulish fascination" comes in. I am trying to reset my mind to think of all of this as a movie that I am watching: "America--The Disintegration," or maybe "The American Story: from Shining City on the Hill to Shadowy Circus of the Damned." Free guns for everyone! I know there is little I can do to prevent this tragedy from unfolding, so I will watch, observe, and amuse myself with grim little jokes, when I can. 

 

I take inspiration from those in Eastern Europe who had to spend decades under the cruel absurdities of Soviet rule, who had to develop a kind of dual identity, one, an outer self that would play the part required by an absurd and violent government, and the other, their inner self which could rarely be expressed openly but had to be kept out of sight and shared only with those that they could trust. Jokes became a secret language of hope, like "They pretend to pay us, and we pretend to work." Someday the absurdity will run its course. Someday the Berlin--I mean Trumpian--wall will fall. Someday the madness will end, but what will be left of America? I am not sure. It does make me angry to know that Americans voted for this monster to be our monarch, even after they had been through his misrule once already, even after they had witnessed so many proofs of his unfitness, cruelty, ignorance, and absurdity. Well, as it is said in a famous book, "Forgive them, Lord, for they know what they do." But they did it. They embraced Fascism. "The land of the free?" Now THAT is a good joke! I will watch this shit show with ghoulish fascination, and try to laugh when I can.

The Political Pagan Performs A Political Autopsy

Well, dear friends, I was quite wrong in my prediction that Kamala Harris would win the election and ascend to the presidency of the United States. Instead, the worst case scenario has materialized with Donald Trump en route to a second term which looks to be even more cruel, stupid and destructive than his first one.   Many have been offering their ideas on what went wrong with the Harris campaign, so why shouldn't I offer my own diagnosis? 

I think the campaign suffered most of all from a lack of boldness, offering a bland but positive message of progressive values and a grab-bag of helpful but small-scale programs to help this or that group. These were some good ideas of how to make life better here and there, in various small ways, but lacking a larger narrative of why the American economy is not working well for many people. A little Bernie Sanders perspective might have helped: "I know you are hurting because we have an unfair economy of massive corporate profits for the few and bare survival for the many. I will stand with you and fight against this unfairness and inequality." 

I also think Harris should have spoken more about two particular issues, Covid-19 and Climate Change. By ducking discussion of Covid, Kamala Harris allowed people to avoid thinking about how chaotic and horrible Trump's "leadership" was during the Covid crisis. She also lost the opportunity to explain that the terrible price inflation that has been so hard for many people over the last three years was not caused by anything Joe Biden did, but resulted from the global, Covid-related interruptions in manufacturing and shipping that caused a worldwide inflation crisis--not only in America. In fact, Biden handled the inflation quite well, as it never got as bad as in many other countries, and has been on a steady downward trajectory over the last two years. Biden's team steered the American economy to a safe landing without causing a recession, as many had feared. 

By not placing more emphasis on the literally "burning issue" of Climate Change, she let Trump get away without having to defend his absolutely horrible environmental policies of the past and equally terrible proposals for the future, and she missed the chance to speak loudly and proudly about the very impressive achievements and forward-looking policies that she and Joe Biden put in place. As a college instructor, I know that even conservative students with a sweet spot for Trump do not like his lack of concern for Climate Change and are not enthusiastic about his awful environmental policies. 

I think if Harris had talked more about these issues, it would have given a lot more substance to her campaign, and while it might not have been enough to win it would have laid down a good foundation for future Democratic candidates--including, possibly, her. I think Kamala Harris is a very good speaker and campaigner with real charisma, and I would happily support her again, though I would of course require that she embrace all my political ideas 100%!

The Political Pagan predicts...Harris victory!

 

Friends outside the USA have been asking my view of the election about to take place. Here is why I think Kamala Harris will win this election--though I know I could be wrong:

 

1. Trump is no longer a new, exciting, political figure. Many people are very sick and tired of all the Trump-related drama and stress, and though many of his followers are extremely loyal, some percentage may be dropping away and may come over to Harris. All she needs is for 1% of Trump supporters to give up on the Orange Fuhrer and she will be the next president. There are signs that this may be happening.

 

2. Harris is a fresh, exciting political presence, and she has run a very skillful, disciplined campaign, succeeding in distinguishing herself from Trump, showing herself to be thoughtful, intelligent, warm and positive, and also warning people of the dangers of Trump. She has struck a good balance between offering something positive (herself and the kind of ideas she has for programs that could really help people) and warning about something very negative (Trumpian chaos and Fascism).

 

3. The abortion issue is a huge problem for Trump, and a huge advantage for Harris. In case you don't know this history, Trump made clear in the past that he wanted to put in place Supreme Court Justices who would overturn the Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion in the USA in 1973, and then went ahead and did exactly that, with Trump-appointed Justices overruling Roe in the 2022 Dobbs Case. In every election since 2022 where abortion has been an election issue, it has meant victory for the Democrats, who want to restore abortion rights, versus Republicans who have opposed abortion rights. I think this trend will again be a factor in this presidential election, and I expect that women upset about this abortion situation are going to turn out in large numbers to support Harris.

 

4. Trump's horrible rally at Madison Square Garden (MSG) last week was full of many awful, mean, insulting and racist statements toward many groups in America made by many speakers, and one in particular is proving hugely damaging to Trump. A comedian named Tony Hinchcliffe called the U.S. Territory of Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage," and though he and others have tried to defend this as "just a joke," many Puerto Ricans and also other people of Latino descent are very angry, and this could shift hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of votes away from Trump and toward Kamala Harris. In the critical state of Pennsylvania, there are 300,000 to 500,000 Puerto Rican voters. If they all decide to vote for Harris, this could give her victory in the state, and then in the election overall.

 

5. Having spent time canvassing for the Harris campaign in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, I have seen the amazing, well-staffed campaign organization the Harris campaign has. I have heard that the Trump team does not have anywhere near the "ground game" that the Harris campaign has. I know that in some states, the Trump Republicans have outsourced their campaigning to outside groups such as Elon Musk-related group. I hear that these groups are not professional, not experienced, while the Harris campaign is highly professional and staffed with experienced pros. I think that this better campaign organization at the local level across the country will be a major plus for the Harris campaign, and could be decisive.

 

So, those are my reasons for optimism. There are also factors which could lead to a Trump victory, but I do not even want to mention them right now. I want to remain positive....

The Strategy Behind Trump's Lies

I write this on Sunday, September 15. Since doing poorly in the debate with Kamala Harris on Tuesday, Sept. 10, Donald Trump has not been not backing away from his outrageous lies about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, eating pets, but actually doubling down. Same with his Vice President nominee J.D. Vance. This is NOT the way to attract undecided voters, as this stuff is clearly both crazy and racist. So what is Trump up to? Here is my gloomy prediction. He is no longer trying to win the election. He is just trying to rally his right-wing, racist, anti-immigrant, xenophobic forces so that they will be filled with maximum anger and be ready to again attack when he loses the election and starts shouting, again, that the election was unfair, that it was stolen. Prepare for a Jan. 6 type event, or maybe multiple such events, all over again. Fortunately, Joe Biden will be in charge of American security forces to put down any coup attempt, but this could mean months or years of violent right-wing activity. I hope I am wrong about this, but I fear I could be right.

The Wheel of Time and the Will of Nature

Like many Americans of a liberal-progressive political disposition, I am feeling greatly relieved as well as inspired by the wise decision of Joseph Biden to step down as the Democratic party's presidential nominee and to instead call on Vice President Kamala Harris  to step into the role. Her performance in the two days since the baton was passed to Ms. Harris has beautifully demonstrated the qualities of forceful energy, verbal sharpness and joy in battle that had become so sorely lacking in Joseph Biden due to his advanced age. I now feel hopeful that the terrible Fascist juggernaut of Donald Trump and his antidemocratic forces can be stopped in its tracks, and a brighter horizon beckon.

There is something so poignant in this turn of events: the old giving way to the young, the turning of the wheel, the acceptance of time and season. To put this in Jungian terms, it is the elderly Senex giving way to the youthful Puer. Now Donald Trump, the sociopathic Trickster whose narcissistic confidence and red-faced bellowing gave him the appearance of vigor in relation to the frail and feeble Biden, has been exposed as an aging clown whose bluster and blather are no match for the moral clarity, righteous anger and laughing confidence of this far more youthful and quick-witted contender. The tables have turned. Of course, no one should underestimate the power of American racism and misogyny to boost Trump over Harris, but I am hopeful that some kind of cosmic re-alignment is taking place that will indeed result in the victory of Kamala Harris.

From a more specifically Pagan point of view, it may be that Mother Earth and the forces of nature are rising up to block the return to power of a man who has very clearly proclaimed his willingness to allow the heedless exploitation of natural resources to proceed with no limits, no regulations, no restraint, a man with absolutely no concern for all the devastation this will cause, all the suffering, all the scarring and degradation of our beautiful earth. Well, Mr. Trump, you thought nature was helpless: it may now be rising up against you.

This is my prayer today. May it prove true tomorrow and in November when the election takes place!

The War on Reality

One of the greatest dangers of Trumpism is that it it is a war on reality. Trumpers reject most news media reports of Trump's misdeeds because they just want to believe what they want to believe, which is whatever pumps up them with the angry adrenalin that they have become addicted to. If we cannot start to agree on basic facts, Trump will go down in history not just as a destroyer of democracy, but as an assassin of reality itself, and we will be in a very dangerous, unstable world led by mindless but highly emotional propaganda.