Scary times...

As the time approaches for the change of power, I feel an overwhelming sense of dread for our country.  I'm still in shock that Trump managed to hoodwink more than half the country.  I did not think he had a snowball's chance in hell to pull it off, yet here we are.  

Because I still can't seem to wrap my head around it, I go over and over in my head how we got here.  I never knew much about Kamala and really didn't have an opinion about her when Biden chose her as his running mate.  My only real thought was, "hm, probably smart to pick a woman of color - he hit two segments of society that are not typically in one of the highest positions of power in this country."  I knew she was a lawyer, practiced in Cali, which of course made her liberal...maybe more liberal that I would like, but I'll take someone who leans a little too far left over someone leaning a little too far right any day. 

When Biden stepped aside and she stepped up to campaign, my first thought was "I sure wish the Pubs had come up with a better candidate!"  I really liked that Haley lady who ran in the primary and if she had been their candidate, I think that unless she proved to be different than she seemed, there's a good chance I would have voted for her.  But then as Kamala campaigned, I felt better about her.  And with the exception of one Trump-loathing friend who said he didn't like her and would simply not vote, it seemed like all the people I was talking to were rallying to support her.  But I will concede that her "popularity" may have been simply that she is "better than Trump."  

When she lost so pathetically, I was in shock!  The blue dot campaign had me feeling so positive!  I thought, I had no idea I had so many neighbors that were... well, not necessarily Dems, but on that side in this election.   I'm not a Dem.  I am an independent.  I have voted both ways.  I voted for both Bush's, both times.  I voted for Clinton and Obama, both times.  And I probably would have gone back to voting Pub this time if it was someone else.  But I was so sure that Trump had offended every single demographic, and sure that everyone but his most extreme supporters were sick to death of his vile attacks and crazy diatribe that the landslide would be the other direction.  I was so sure that many of the people who gave lip service to supporting him would quietly (and never admitting it) vote for Kamala.  It didn't even occur to me that this could happen!  That over half our country want this kind of man running the show, representing us to the rest of the world. 

Like I said, I think I'm still in shock.  I hate to use the "D" word, because I've never understood it, but I wonder if I might have just a touch of depression over the whole thing.  I'm so scared for what's ahead.  I just keep telling myself "the universe has my back - all is well."  But I feel paralyzed and have lost enthusiasm for the things that usually give me pleasure.  My plants are suffering.  I'm unenthusiastic about going to work.  I just need to get some of this out so that maybe I can relax about this a little...

My first thought after Kamala's overwhelming loss was, "How did she fuck this up so bad?"  I mean, really, with that P.O.S. as her opponent, she could be a freakin' monkey and win.  She chose a good running mate - that guy is totally likeable, and (in fact) I'd vote for HIM for prez!  Not a lot of experience, but a good president governs well by surrounding him/herself with smart, informed, competent people and LISTEN TO THEM.  But here we are...

And what does Trump do but go in and fire all the smart, informed, competent people and put a bunch of "yes men" in their places.  The crazy shit he's done just in the last couple months is enough to make you wonder where we'll be in another 6 months.  Make Canada the 51st state?  "Take over" the Panama Canal and Greenland?  Who the fuck does he think he is?  Can you image what the world is thinking?  This is what I read he said in a press conference yesterday:

Ok, that last bit at the bottom is mean, and I would have removed it, but he does sound demented.  I'm so proud to live in a country where half the people think this is even remotely lucid. 😔

I remember back when Clinton was in office and the whole Monica scandal broke.  The Pubs were aghast that a lot of Dems weren't condemning Clinton for his shenanigans.  "He's a terrible example for our youth!" they said.  "A man in the highest office should be honorable, should be faithful to his wife!"  And my thought was "this is a matter of privacy in a marriage.  He will pay the consequences as all cheating men do. But it's really nobody else's business because there has been no law broken - only one of the moral variety." The Pubs have come a long way, baby!  Here's a good rendition of where we're at now, what... 25 years later?... (It was put out there in July 2024)

I have a question for MAGA bunch —

You say you want trump back in office.

You say you liked his “policies”.

That things were “better”.

That he “fought for you”.

And I want to know why you think any of that.

 

Because he told you he would lower the cost of your prescription drugs, and didn’t. But Biden did.

 

He said he’d bring back manufacturing, but he didn’t. Joe Biden passed the CHIPS Act - allocating tens of billions in incentives for companies to construct & expand manufacturing facilities in the US.

 

For four years straight, he said every week would be “infrastructure week”, only that week never came. President Biden signed a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill into law during his first year in office.

 

He said he would boost economic growth by 4 percent a year. Nope. The economy stalled, and unemployment soared to the highest levels since the Great Depression. Joe Biden has created 13.2 million jobs and unemployment has been under 4% for 17 months in a row — the longest stretch in over 50 years.

 

He promised to eliminate the federal deficit. He increased it by more than 60 percent. Joe Biden cut the deficit by more than $1.7 trillion in his first two years – the largest deficit reduction in American history.

 

He said he would hire “only the best people.” He’s since called his AG a “gutless pig”, his National Security Adviser “one of the dumbest people in Washington", his Sec. Of Defense “the world’s most overrated general” and he’s said that people were right to want to hang his VP. Joe Biden has seen very little turnover in his cabinet and hasn’t so much as criticized anyone in his administration, let alone wanted to see them hanged.

 

He promised he’d build a wall and that Mexico would pay for it. He then took $15 billion from our Defense Department’s budget to pay for less than 500 miles of construction. Joe Biden got Mexico to pay us $1.5 billion for border security.

 

He promised to lock up Hillary Clinton for using a private email server. He’s now been federally indicted with 37 charges related to his intentional mishandling of national security documents. Joe Biden… hasn’t.

 

He said he would “unify America”, and then told his supporters to attack our Capitol. He was impeached twice, lost re-election and has to date been indicted 71 times, with more charges likely to come.

Oh, and that money you’re sending him for the 2024 election… that’s being used to pay his personal legal bills.

 

So, given all of this… my question remains the same — what was “better” under trump? What “policies”? If it wasn’t healthcare, infrastructure, border security, American manufacturing or the economy, what was it?

 

And if he’s “fighting for you”, why is he using your campaign donations on his personal legal woes? I would really love to know.

 

Yes, and I don't hear any Pubs worried about the bad example our president is setting including (but not limited to...) cheating on his wife, soliciting sex from a sex worker, assaulting women, grossly characterizing women as "letting you do what you want if you have power and money"... inciting violence, screwing small businesses over, name-calling, telling outright lies and then denying his lies, and of course there's all the law breaking.  If you think having a generation of kids who think oral sex "isn't sex" is bad, imagine what's coming!  

Twelve days to our 4 years of God-knows-what.  Like I said, I'm scared.  But if the Pubs are right, at least my money will make money.  At what price?  God help us all!