And I was tentatively hopeful we’d see the good guys win. Wrong on both counts.
Four years ago, after Trump won his first term in the White House, TYG and I looked very seriously at emigrating. I could qualify for UK dual citizenship, we could move. However the quarantine restrictions on dogs coming into the country made that a non-starter. That may prove unfortunate though it was still the right choice. Though of course, TYG and I are relatively well-off, white, straight — many people will have it far, far worse.
What’s coming will be ugly: the next four years and who knows what after that? Trump is an unhinged egomaniac toddler who wants to get revenge on everyone who has ever pissed him off or implied he wasn’t the bestest widdle baby ever. Vance is a cold-blooded misogynist who will happily take on the nuts and bolts of establishing the right-wing fascist state.
The Supreme Court has already declared the president cannot be prosecuted for any official acts. That would be a dangerous gun lying around even if Harris won (nobody should have that kind of power) but it’s much worse with Trump and Vance.
Given Republicans already pushing against democracy (and free speech, freedom of religion, and the rights of anyone who isn’t an outwardly straight WASP man), I don’t know if or how things change. We fight—and probably pay a price for fighting—but it will be long and hard. And as we’ve seen may not work.
The results of another Trump term will be horrible: for human rights, for medicine and health, for women’s rights, gay rights and POC rights, for climate change. Innocent people will die. Innocent people will be thrown in cages.
And horribly, that’s what a lot of Americans voted for: a dictator who wants to shred ACA, embrace anti-vaxxers, deport immigrants, strip women of their rights. I suspect down the road many people will say there was no way of knowing how bad it would get. But yes, there was. Trump’s words alone made it clear. They heard and chose not to believe it. They lived through his first time and said yes, more of that. They may not have voted for Trump because of the fascism, misogyny and white supremacy — though many did — but they’re willing to accept it.
I think John Rogers may have nailed part of it on BlueSky: “they were voting to remain in a fondly half-remembered 20th Century instead of the scary difficult future. Doesn’t matter who you run, you can’t beat people’s ‘s fear of the future.” Nostalgia for a time when white men’s position in the social hierarchy was secure, there were good-paying manufacturing jobs here, everyone was happily married and there wasn’t so much tension about women’s rights, gay rights, black rights, etc. It’s an illusion but it’s an appealing one.
Then again, others have pointed out that every time the established hierarchy has been shaken — Reconstruction, for instance — there’s always a backlash, time and again. We’re doing it once more. Though Rogers covers that in one of his comments on the post: “”My point is, we’re basically only one generation into anything resembling a multi-ethnic democracy, and a janky one at that. This is a combo of backlash and also future shock. A poisoned media environment. Undifferentiated nationwide anxiety. Oh and of course a fuck load of racism and misogyny.”
I hope I will have deeper thoughts next week. I don’t know they’ll be any more cheerful.
