This past week has been, for me, an exercise in staving off depression. A majority of those who cast a ballot on November 5 wanted Donald Trump to resume the presidency and wanted nothing to do with Kamala Harris. Even white women who voted to protect their right to abortion care voted for Trump—the architect of the nationwide abortion ban. White women voted for a man who brags about assaulting them, right before he calls them “liars,” “pigs,” and “dogs.” White women voted for a man who vowed to take care of them “whether they like it or not.”
This white woman would rather be cared for by a flesh-eating bacterium than be cared for by Mr. Trump. My chances of survival would be better.
Given that we have seen exactly how well Mr. Trump has protected the rights of women in the past, it is gobsmacking that any woman would think he intends to do so going forward. But there you have it: Alice has stepped through the looking glass.
The plain fact of the matter is that Democrats and left-leaning independents, including me, utterly failed to read the room. Low-wage workers, especially non-union workers, experienced no “Bidenomics” bump; Biden’s border policy was a disaster; the price of groceries continued to plague everyone in the country, even those who could afford to pay a grocery bill that had doubled under the first Trump presidency and never came back down; Biden let Benjamin Netanyahu walk all over him; and Biden, notoriously inarticulate, failed to adequately communicate his domestic accomplishments, even though many of those accomplishments were significant.
Perhaps most importantly, Republicans have become exceptionally skilled in media manipulation, aided by Russia, AI, and internet algorithms designed to amplify the fears and biases of their constituents. At the same time, it seems that Americans are largely uninterested in fact-checking the information they consume. I have a friend, a highly educated friend, who gets all of her news via Facebook and YouTube, and she accepts everything that she reads there at face value. We cannot have an informed electorate when voters accept every bizarre conspiracy theory as the gospel. It appears that Americans have become lazy, or incurious, or indifferent to truth, so that we are now living in a post-truth environment.
We are still in early days, and Trump has not yet taken his oath of office. Yet even at this early stage he is previewing the character and tone of his triumphant return to the presidency. He has already begun to select some of the most inexperienced whackadoodles in America to assist in his ongoing attempt to turn America into a Trump dictatorship. For those who still harbor a shred of natural curiosity, you may find it interesting to read the biographies and backgrounds of Trump’s newly nominated cabinet members.
If you don’t have time to investigate their backgrounds for your own edification—perhaps because you are hastily packing to flee the country and don’t have a moment to spare—I will be happy to investigate on your behalf. Over the next several weeks, I will be introducing you to what appears to be the new Team Trump, and you can download the columns and peruse them on the long journey to wherever it is that you are going.
For what it’s worth, I would stay away from Eastern Europe, since once Trump hands Ukraine over to Vladimir Putin, the latter is likely to march straight into Poland as he attempts to reconstitute the former Soviet Union. I would stay away from the Middle East as well, since it won’t be long before there is nothing left of it but rubble. I would vote for Northern, Western, or Southern Europe, but refugees often have no choice: They go to whatever country will accept them.
America used to be that beacon of hope and freedom for refugees, but those days appear to be drawing to a close.
The population of American expats and self-deporting Latinos is gaining momentum even as we speak, and while the MAGA movement will be only too eager to tell you not to let the door hit you where the good Lord split you, they might eventually discover that the drain on American innovation, expertise, and talent created by the exodus of “coastal elites” and immigrants may leave the United States unable to avoid intellectual and economic collapse.
On the plus side, for anyone who just can’t seem to find a job, there will be robust opportunities for those longing to work in the agricultural sector, since there will be vacancies galore. All of the migrants who stole your jobs as day laborers and vegetable pickers will be leaving the country in the very near future, whether they want to or not. Congratulations in advance on your brand-new careers in brand-new fields (pun absolutely intended).
Have a good week. Take a walk. Breathe deep. When you turn on the television, consider watching PBS to accompany Rick Steves as he travels through Europe.
Take notes.
