I forced myself to watch Trump’s Inaugural address today. It was possibly the longest 17 minutes of my life. And (possibly) the first time I had heard Trump use complete sentences. I didn’t believe that much of it was sincere or realistic or coherent; however, it dawned on me that in the midst of this insane historical period, Trump has indeed benefited us in some ways:
* Putting his offending perspective in a place of power has spurred a large percentage of the U.S. populace into action. Many people that were not interested or involved in the governance of our country have been outraged just enough to get them to notice and act. The tremendous turnouts at all the inspiring Women’s Marches around the country and world are the most recent example. Many of the women and men that marched were new ‘marchers.’ This renewed energy in addressing and demanding our civil rights is a refreshing, hopeful sign, despite the cause. It’s already building community where it didn’t exist before.
* Somewhat related is the fact that people’s concern over what Trump will do to our nation has inspired more financial giving to causes. Time magazine reports that the ACLU and Planned Parenthood have received almost 80,000 donations since November. Other groups like the Anti-Defamation League and the Council on American-Islamic Relations have seen rises in volunteers and donations as citizens bolster their resources against potential anti-Muslim acts by Trump (according to the Atlantic). It’s unfortunate that our apathy or indifference waits until times like these, but it’s also encouraging that there still is a line that can be crossed; a line where we take matters into our own hands and act.
* Trump has made the office of President attainable for most anyone…with money. While it’s scary at the same time, his ascent to power points out the fact that most any (con) man can get there. It’s a call to (mostly white) (mostly male) hucksters to raise their bars. In a recent Miami Herald article, Carl Hiaasen addressed this issue head on. He wrote that “The surprise triumph of the Big Orange Trumpster is very much a story of hope. The message is simple: These days, anybody — absolutely anybody — can become president. You don’t need facts. You don’t need experience. You just need a good act.” (If you have the stomach for it, this is also the link where I watched Trump’s speech)
* Trump continues to be excellent fodder for Saturday Night Live (find their You Tube page and subscribe). We will need to laugh — often and to excess — if we are to survive the next four years. As long as Alec Balwin stays healthy, I plan on using SNL as my drug of choice. Trump may privately have stock in NBC…why else would he continually put his foot in his mouth so that the SNL writers have an easy job?
* Theoretically, Trump is inviting us to be involved in his presidency. Something called “We the People Petitions” are up on the White House website. We can each create a petition on the White House website on an issue that’s important to us. If your petition gets over 100,000 signatures from others concerned about the same issue, then the White House will “respond.” I’m not sure how they will respond or if it will have an affect on anything, but it’s something. The first petition to reach 100,000 signatures had to do with Trump needing to release his tax returns so the American people will know the extent of foreign influence on him due to his financial interests.
I worked hard to come up with those benefits of Trump’s existence in our lives. The costs are a bit easier to see:
* The President is often seen as a role model for our youth and Trump is a terrible role model. He works hard to characterize himself as an egotistical bully. That sort of person doesn’t respect others or listen to others. That’s not the role model we need in office.
* Trump is a foreign relations nightmare. His insistence that the Mexican government will be paying for a wall between us is ridiculous and demeaning, as is his suggestion that we may withdraw from NAFTA (I believe its pros outweigh its cons). He’s not a welcoming presence in the world and most newspapers around the world reacted to his inauguration speech with a defensive shock which included reminding him that he’s the son of an immigrant.
* He acts like facts don’t exist…when they really do. Even since he became President, his staff is already attempting to spread this mis-information virus. They couldn’t even agree with estimated numbers from his inauguration. I loved that Dan Rather spoke up about this, calling on the media and Republicans to defend fact-based news. Rather said
“So here is what I think everyone in the press must do. If you are interviewing a Paul Ryan, a Mitch McConnell, or any other GOP elected official, the first question must be “what will you do to combat the lying from the White House?” If they dodge and weave, keep with the follow ups. And if they refuse to give a satisfactory answer, end the interview.”
I’ll be curious to see if the press answers his challenge. It’s way past time to call Trump on his insistence to invent his own reality. Somebody has to stand up and shout that the emperor has no clothes.
Here’s a visual that may help in fighting fake news. It helped me. Some news is reputable, some is skewed, some just isn’t reputable.
* Trump has surrounded himself (if/when his Cabinet nominations go through) with an out-of-touch, billionaire club that will probably not help him “see” situations more clearly. While the advisory role of the Cabinet is a bit out-dated, picking experienced, fair-minded folks would seem prudent.
* ____________ (I’ve left room here for you to fill in your own “cost of having Trump as President.” Enjoy.)
I wrote the following poem a couple days ago. It gets at the shock and anger I’m feeling these days.
Since November
So this is how history happens —
Complete shock
Unable to take it all in,
I am a witness
To the downfall
Of the United States of America.
One tweet at a time
The dominoes fall
In an unbelievable series
Of unexpected events
That keep hitting me.
That bat just keeps hitting me.
Everyday I wake up to
A bat hitting me in the face
With the reality that
Our country has been
Dumbed down
From the top.
We have been hijacked
By terrorists from within,
Holding sanity hostage,
Holding logic for ransom,
Without a timeline
Without a clue
As to the ramifications
Of a vote
An untruth
A garble of nonsense
Coming from the POTUS
Of a minority sect
Who lounge in their idiocy.
This new America
Guided by a ring leader
Of mis-information
Can’t see the rabbit hole
Or understand the allusion
Or grasp the big picture
Of Mother Earth
Living the Scream painting.
We’ve kicked our own feet
Out from under us.
We’re falling and
It’s a
Long
Way
Down.
———-
P.S. Here are two more gems that fit the topic. First, Taylor Mali performs his latest poem. For me, it speaks to the mood of our time and the way language has been altered/perverted to get around facts and convictions. Also, here’s a classic from John Lennon — “Nobody Told Me” which speaks to the mirrors that are being used these days to present false realities. “Nobody told me there’d be days like these…Strange days, indeed!”