So I guess I will have to write … something … about the election.
There’s a rule: When you want to write and don’t know what to write, you write. Consider this my “write” about the election.
Bleah.
It’s heartbreaking. Will there even be an honest election again? Am I afraid for my country? Maybe I am afraid for myself.
I don’t do well with all that to-do list promised by Trump. Or, wait! Maybe I imagined this list. I’ve been reading history books—WWI, WWII, and the lead-up in between, which led to people who voted for Hitler and then turned their cheeks to what Hitler and his government did. No back-talk allowed.
- No disagreement allowed.
- Lots of fear. No honest elections ever again.
Oops. Back to the subject — the 2024 election. Trump has an enemy list. It’s a big one, and it seems to be starting early.
Today, as I venture back into the aftermath, I read,
- “Trump’s lawyer, Mike Davis, just threatened to have NY AG Letitia James imprisoned for continuing her fight to hold Trump accountable for the 34 felony counts he was convicted of.
- “I dare you to try to continue your lawfare against President Trump … listen here, sweetheart, we’re no messing around this time, and we will put your fatass in prison for conspiracy against rights.”
Hmm.
One thing about Mike Davis is that he’s not subtle. Well, so much for entering the lead-up to the soon-to-be Trump presidency with an open mind.
Bravely.
I pick up The Washington Post. A couple of weeks ago, its owner, Amazon gazillionaire Jeff Bezos, burned the Post’s credibility (at the stake of no return?) when he stopped the Post’s Editorial Board from endorsing Kamala Harris.
I wonder whether he did it because he feared Mike Davis might call him after the election. Or maybe Bezos just found time to pay attention and play (meddle?) with The Post. Maybe “meddling” is his new fun game, like when we’re used to playing Solitaire on our phones and get tempted by some new game?
Settling in my chair, I look for headlines.
- For Trump and Republicans in Congress, ‘everything is in play’ on tax cuts by Jacob Bogage. Hmm? I thought we were worried about the national debt. I guess not. Bill Clinton passed a balanced budget when he was president, but I will bet Trump doesn’t even try.
- Pentagon fears upheaval under new administration by Dan Lamothe, Missy Ryan, and Alex Horton. Oh good — another thing to worry about: “The Pentagon anticipates major upheaval once President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House, amid fears that once and future commander in chief will follow through on vows to deploy the military domestically against American citizens, demand fealty from ey leaders and attempt to remake the nonpartisan institution into one explicitly loyal to him….” This would be really bad.
Ugh.
Maybe it’s too soon to read the paper. Yeah, tax cuts. This is no surprise. The real question is whether the plan can sneakily break the bank of Social Security funds while people think they are getting a tax cut.
Of course, there are the gazillionaires who will profit, too. In ProPublica’s research, Donald Trump Built a National Debt So Big (Even Before the Pandemic) That It’ll Weigh Down the Economy for Years. Journalists Allan Sloan, ProPublica, and Cezary Podkul researched this Jan. 14, 2021 story for ProPublica.
Oh, oh, for us. That national debt is bound to get bigger when we don’t even try.
Patience. And now we have Matt Gaetz, an accused sex-trafficker, anointed as Attorney General. One thing for certain, there will be plenty of HOT! news to write about. Trump picking Gaetz to head Justice sends shockwaves – and a strong message.
But these “bad news” stories may mean there is hope for The Post. Aha! Here is a bit of hope—page 8: Trump’s mandate isn’t as ‘powerful” as he suggests by Aaron Blake in The Fix.
Saving the Best to the End
And now Blake is cheering me up a bit. He says that Trump’s “big” mandate will shrink as the big Western states finish their count, and, likely more importantly, the new Senate majority and what may be the House majority will get lots fewer votes than Trump. This means these Republican elected officials might need to pay attention to their constituencies. This is known in the trade as “covering their buts.”
When Members of Congress “cover their buts,” they avoid controversial votes, e.g., hefty tariffs — hey, farmers? … are you paying attention? And mass deportation — got packing plants in your state?
Or how about vegetables to pick? I seem to remember voters were worried about grocery bills this election. They may not be kind when they learn their veggies are rotting in the field.
Sticky for Trump?
This could get complicated for Trump and his minions fairly quickly. Watching it might be fun — if only I had a sense of humor.
Some of this “watching” may fall into the category of “not a laughing matter, but it doesn’t matter if we laugh,” so let’s work together to find new ways to share the news.
Ideas? Please share. People make better decisions when they know what’s going on.W