What proved to be a pivotal year in the life of this American was his 5th. That’s when I discovered death for the first time with the passing of my grandfather. Later in the same year, I witnessed the separation and eventual divorce of my parents when my father moved out of our house. Finally, the assassination of our young president brought this year to a merciless end. While finishing kindergarten and entering the first grade, I was challenged to cope with having to permanently say goodbye to grandpa, experience the dissolution of my family and understand national mourning following a horrific public tragedy. Innocence was forever lost.
Finding meaning was beyond my comprehension. I was never again to sit on grandpa’s lap, enjoy Sunday breakfast with my mom, dad, and sister; but possibly finding the next JFK could prove the only solution that could provide solace.
As I grew older and my search more developed, I made it my mission: to seek answers to what politics and government are all about.
My experiences took me around the globe. I was lucky that my initiation into politics was working for my two heroes, Ted Kennedy and Chris Dodd. My journey also enabled me to interact with 3 presidents, 1 King, 2 vice presidents, several Kennedys and 6 Democratic presidential nominees including one I now consider a friend. I attended the inauguration of President Nelson Mandela sitting somewhere between Al Gore and Fidel Castro and met Muhammed Ali while he was in bed at the Waldorf Astoria, (another story for another time). I also helped a friend running for public office for the very first time, secure a seat on a small-town school board. She was the top vote getter, a novice prevailing over all incumbent candidates.
I hope I didn’t find out too much.
Through my experience I thought I had it all figured out. I found that politicians for the most part proved to be very insecure individuals (like most people who cross the public’s eye); that voters cannot possibly afford the proper amount of time to sufficiently stay informed; not if you work, study, love, marry or parent an offspring; and that Donald Trump broke all the rules.
First, I thought I had the real estate mogul figured out (worldly New Yorker who despite running in a conservative lane proves to be a centrist, at least on social issues), then I couldn’t figure him out at all, the meanness, the pettiness, the inattention, and indifference to any issue the most powerful world leader is obligated to ponder; unless it benefitted him economically, politically, or personally. Then I thought I finally figured him out. As I did, I discovered it’s the millions of Trump supporters that found me the most stymied.
The fact that 74 million supporters did not see what I see; the attraction to the most venal, lecherous, narcissistic misanthrope to ever cross the American stage. For this, millions cast away their political party, their personal value systems, their gift of democracy, their beliefs in freedom, their sense of humanity, the very notion of America, its government, the teachings of their religion and in the case of Christians, the benevolence of God and Jesus Christ.
The insurrectionist hauling the confederate flag shamelessly through the halls of Congress on January 6th in the name of Trump helps to capture this paradigm shift in one bizarre and troubling photo.
Countless times this country experimented with trickledown economics Each time it ended in catastrophe. In 2007 it happened again, causing the economic foundations to come crashing and burning, resulting in the Great Recession. As a result, the GOP platform found itself moribund and potentially in the ash heap.
Then the most effective political strategy in US history was unleashed.
The wounded and desperate GOP adopted strategies of curtailing voting rights, spreading audacious misinformation, eschewing democratic principles, practicing extreme gerrymandering, and trampling on state laws.
As the Democrats embraced inclusiveness and lifted out of the shadow’s entire genders, races, ethnicities, identities, orientations, and religions adopting the Constitution truly “for all” as an American dictum, the party was expanding. The Republican Party sensing doom as their numbers were dwindling, appealed to solipsistic policies that rejected inclusiveness.
Trump dummied down on this theory promoting tax relief (that truly only benefitted the .1% of Americans), vaccine mandates, trivializing climate change and further marginalizing the marginalized. His arguments were always based on conspiracy theories and creations of verisimilitude, truth and facts be damned. His aim, to divide us as a nation. By benefiting the .1% he found a natural ally, not only socially but economically, and most importantly, politically.
In the most un-American way, he made a mockery of American values. It’s not enough to hug a flag, you must exercise American mores.
This trajectory that we now inhabit as a nation is unsustainable.
Political violence is ubiquitous, insurrection is permeating, and the threat of civil war is redolent.
As a community making up the greatest experiment in the political history of humankind, we have no choice but to hop off this treadmill being forced upon us.
Look through the trees and see what’s really going on. Ever wonder why income inequality has never been greater? There is a direct corollary between the runaway profit of the .1% and the heating of our planet.
It’s not about defining and recognizing fellow Americans who have been forced to not live the lives they choose, pushing some that feel rejected to even contemplate suicide.
Most of us, including the most petulant among us, are benevolent, caring, and charitable. If we could only turn off cable television, tune out the internet lies and concentrate on maximizing consumer purchasing power for the middle class we can lift the less fortunate out of poverty and improve the lives of all of us.
After all it’s 99.9-.1
We can even further enrich the economic advantaged as more people consume more products.
It starts at the ballot box where we have the power to vote out or prevent any prospective office holder who crosses the line on advocating divisiveness.
If we see all of us as a diverse nation, opinionated and beautiful we can all pursue the American Dream while fulfilling the American Mission.