Darkness Visible
“A stake was driven through the heart of American democracy on January 6, 2021, and our democracy today is on a knife’s edge.” J. Michael Luttig, retired federal judge
I don’t need to be told how dangerous Donald J. Trump and his misguided allies are to America. The memory of how Trump and Co. bungled the federal response to the pandemic is still as fresh in my mind as January 6. Trump normalized stupidity, graft, greed, incompetence, and disregard of expertise. But he did something else that is playing out right now in the Republican Party: he made loyalty to Him more important than loyalty to the Constitution. This is dangerous new territory for the United States, a cult of personality that elevates one man above the rule of law. MAGA-world will ignore the warning of Judge Luttig, but Republicans who haven’t completely sold their souls and minds to Trump might find reason to pause because Luttig is no weak-kneed liberal; he’s about as rock-ribbed a conservative as they come.
Imagine if Trump manages to regain the White House in 2025 (in a country with a functioning, accountable political system this wouldn’t be possible). What caliber of people do you expect Trump will surround himself with? The best and brightest or the worst and dullest? Judging by the cast who orbited Trump in his failed, disastrous and treasonous first term, it will undoubtedly be a motley, ragtag collection of spineless, incompetent and ethically-blind loyalists. The grifting will make that which took place during the first term appear mild by comparison. Trump will run roughshod over the Executive Branch and slowly gather more and more power to himself. The radical Supreme Court just might aid and abet him, and of course the GOP will sit by, silent and complicit.
If I hear someone refer to Mike Pence as the savior of American democracy one more time I’m going to vomit. Let’s be very clear: Pence did nothing more than uphold his oath of office, which is the bare minimum we should expect from a Vice President. He carried out his largely ceremonial role, but he didn’t alert the FBI or Department of Homeland Security about Trump’s pressure campaign or John Eastman’s bonkers legal theory, nor will he testify before the House committee. Pence is a coward, and for four years he was one of Trump’s most reliable lackeys. The only reason Pence’s action on January 6 seems remarkable is by the contrast with Trump’s willingness to smash the law in order to retain power. By now it should be crystal clear to the entire country that Trump believes that no law of any kind applies to him, which is why he’s still ranting and raving and disparaging Pence.
This season of American decline, which is still in the early stages, has seen the demise of honor, shame, ethics, fidelity, conscience and duty. All the 4th of July platitudes about the greatness and exceptionalism of America have been sundered. Most Americans act as if consumption of gimcracks and gadgets is the purpose of citizenship. The ruling class has made a travesty of government of, for, and by the people. If you happen to be rich, you will likely be able to ride out the dark days that are coming. But if you’re working-class, without property, the future looks bleak. The less you have, the more precarious your future will be. My deep sense is that Americans will wage war on one another before joining political forces to battle the oligarchs, the billionaires and hedge fund moguls who are the true source of our misery, insecurity and anxiety. Not gay marriage, abortion, Black Lives Matter, immigration or any of the other “culture” nonsense that is rolled out to distract and divide the public. Money and power is what it’s about. The capitalist logic of never enough, where a tiny minority takes more and more while the rest of us get shafted, nickel and dimed, and sucked dry by rents, fees, surcharges and co-pays has made possible a massive, unprecedented transfer of wealth from the have nots to the haves, supported at every turn by Democrats and Republicans alike.
Writing in the first American Gilded Age in 1894, Hamlin Garland said, “We are about to enter the dark. We need a light.”
If you see any light in the distance, let me know.
