In Trump’s Kingdom
The presidency is a public service- Did Donald Trump know?
Trump has been accustomed to answering to no one. He ran his businesses as an autocracy. As a businessman, the very belligerence, and peculiar slippery charisma (endowed only to the super wealthy), that got him out of many tight situations, seems to be landing him in hot water as President.
Amongst the plethora of reasons that renders Trump an incompetent president, the starkest and increasingly apparent reason is his incompatibility with public service. The man who thought he had become King- has found himself a servant. Shackles caress the skin that was expectant of a crown. A self-serving man in selfless servitude- in this untenable personal dichotomy rests the destiny of American democracy.
How democracy arrived here is a tale in its own right. The backbone of the narrative can be found in the unhealthy pursuit of power by politicians. The great American narrative of personal liberty and deep suspicion of governmental intervention has been morphed into the grotesque sociopolitical philosophy that is modern American conservatism.
The same preposterous logicians, who at the time of the civil war were advocating reductionist interpretations of the constitution by peddling the paradoxical notion of the ‘liberty to own slaves’, are today leaning on the constitution to undermine and subjugate healthcare, education, and justice, for the most vulnerable in society.
Make no mistake, the saga of Trump, and the ensuing listlessness of Republican politicians has clearly highlighted the opportunistic hypocrisy that has infested these obsequious vermin masquerading as representatives and lawmakers. It may well be that this hypocrisy is bipartisan but Republicans, hitherto the self-anointed guardians of American morality, have pathetically stood aside and watched Trump grab the sanctity of American democracy by the metaphorical pussy.
Inebriated with power, Republicans have attempted to pass bill after bill, each one uncompromisingly pulverizing the poor, the weak, and women, whilst simultaneously rewarding the superrich. Considering Republicans have spent decades perched on their high-horse, this cowardly lunge to the gutter has been all the more galling.
Speaking of gutters, Tillerson helpfully reminded us of where we stand as a nation today- if our values compete with national and economic interest then the former must go. In that vein, Putin, Erdogan, Duarte, are our new international allies, in favor of age old NATO members that align closely, both politically and culturally. These autocrats make for uncomfortable bedfellows- and their appearance in White House serve as a constant reminder of the sewage that constitutes our foreign policy. If Idi Amin were alive today, no doubt open arms would welcome him to the White House to feast on American values, if not Americans themselves.
But let’s not forget this is a new, great again, America. In today’s America, we get to see peaceful protestors, many of whom were American citizens, being brutally assaulted in Washington D.C. by foreign nationals who are the guests of the President. In almost any other context this would have constituted an act of terrorism, if not an enemy invasion. Given the relentless stream of controversies, this incident barely registered as a story.
In 2017, Republicans are seemingly happy to condone foreign nations interfering with our values of peaceful protest, free-speech, and fair elections. The question must be asked, why? Racism, sexism, misogyny, xenophobia, hatred, and anger- any, if not many of these values, have embodied the hidden foundations upon which GOP has built its political mandate. With Trump, the chickens have finally come home to roost.
Often, the economic and social anxiety of those disenfranchised by globalization is used to justify Trump’s victory. That their savior of choice was a narcissistic Billionaire who epitomizes garish style over substance makes this argument increasingly absurd with each passing day. On closer evaluation one can only conclude that sympathy for their anxieties have largely been overwhelmed by frustration and bewilderment at their dubious sense of self-preservation.
That these are uncertain times we live in, is in little doubt. The advent of social media has somehow replaced the “right to free speech” by an army of people who believe they have a “right to be correct”, regardless of facts. Non-urban America has long been a breeding ground of anti-intellectualism. Crumbling education systems have nurtured acceptance and assertiveness rather than curiosity and dissent. Those that are curious, often migrate to cities, leaving behind a Petri dish of the ill-informed, ripe for infection by the likes of Fox “news” and social media echo chambers.
It is unlikely that the Billionaire Betsy DeVos is in anyway motivated to change the system that would educate and cultivate free-thinking. Herein lies the problem. Trump vacating the presidency would be akin to merely resecting the metastasis. The underlying malignancy, would remain. Should he leave, an equally repugnant line of individuals would start queuing instantaneously to replace Trump. The required urgency of Trump’s early departure, however, should not be under played. At its current rate, the damage done by him and his cronies may take a generation to undo.
Long-term solutions to these problems may be complex but they are not insurmountable. The political system needs rapid modernization. Going forwards, education must focus on comprehension of the burgeoning wealth of data and information that can now be beckoned at the slide of a thumb. Political awareness must be inculcated and politicians need to be held accountable. The silver lining of the dark cloud that is Trump, has been the popular re-emergence of Town Hall meetings as a means to hold representatives publicly responsible. Political activism is truly alive again in America.
Politics, like society, needs a divorce from blind ideological beliefs. An informed and more engaged generation are hopefully emerging that will willfully and successfully continue the task of building a more perfect democracy. Here is to hoping that history will see President Trump as a momentary blip when half the voters lost their bearings. Here is to hoping that this episode marks the birth of a new conservative movement that fights for all individuals and not just the rich. Here is to hoping that Republican can clearly see that the swamp has never been murkier and they do the right thing by America and its constitution.
