The major problem—one of the major problems, for there are several—one of the many major problems with governing people is that of whom you get to do it; or rather of who manages to get people to let them do it to them.
– Douglas Adams, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
To summarize: it is a well-known fact that those people who must want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it.
To summarize the summary: anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.
Four years ago, an inveterate liar and conman managed to convince his cult followers that the Democrats were stealing their democracy. These unquestioning dunces then went on to stage an insurrection at the nation’s Capitol.
Ironically, democracy was indeed under threat (it had been for decades already), but not for the absurd lies reasons that outgoing President Donald Trump articulated at the time. It took another three years for the nature of the deceit to become more evident. The truth about American politics was already reasonably well-known, but gradually, over a year, the veil on the stunning level of duplicity and corruption was unceremoniously lifted for the entire world to see.
We now know there is little to no difference between Republican and Democrat politicians. The differences were manufactured, the divide, an illusion designed to keep Americans engaged in petty cultural wars while the political elite from both parties dipped their hands in the cooky jar.
Around four years ago, many Americans were already disillusioned with their government and rightly so. Trump, however, provided a false impetus for them to riot on January 6th. They could have staged the revolt for plenty of good reasons but were duped into doing so for all the wrong ones – to be honest, one or two might have been marginally valid.
As it stands, on the fourth anniversary of that shameful day, Trump is poised to be handed the keys to what Americans may consider to be the citadel of democracy. This time, he doesn’t need to steal it. It was handed to him, packaged in generous but garish gift wrap that some estimate cost the Democrats over $1 billion. That’s not even the overall cost of the election, which is obscene by any standards.
Meanwhile, the wealthy elites represented by Lex Luthor types, like Elon Musk, have bought shares in the Trump presidency. Already, they are interfering with governance in many self-serving ways. That will intensify as the de facto Plutocracy evolves over the coming years.
This time, Trump’s supporters are resting easy with the false knowledge that they have won a significant battle. But have they? They don’t realize just yet that they have contracted the devil to lead them out of hell. As Caitlin Johnstone, one writer on Substack observed recently in her New Year message:
But because we live under a system that’s designed to benefit the rich and powerful at the expense of ordinary people, we’re all acutely aware that the way things are isn’t really working. As the abuses and injustices inherent in capitalism become more and more egregious, this sense that something is wrong gets more and more widespread and acute. This discontentment is currently being funneled by the powerful into faux populist movements designed to herd the public into supporting the status quo while allowing them to feel as though they are waging a brave revolution against the establishment.
It remains to be seen if Democratic supporters will fight for their democracy. Will there be a dramatic re-staging of the January 6th insurrection? I have left my popcorn out in the forlorn hope that something will happen.
Maybe Americans will meekly accept the inevitable Plutocracy. America is, after all, the home of the brave.
lenny unencumbered 