Like U.S.

We're back here again, somehow

By Roger Cormier

There’s an expression I’m fond of: “When people tell you who they are, believe them.” The United States of America told on itself this week, electing Donald Trump to serve as the 47th president, even after his, let’s call it controversial, twice-impeached tenure as the 45th. Even after he admitted to wanting to rule as a dictator on day one. Even after his invocations of Hitler expressions. Even though it was clear he was just running to get revenge on his enemies and to stay out of jail. Or maybe it was because of those things, because those things can be confused for confidence, for power. 

I’m aware Trump didn’t even get as many votes as he did in 2020, and Kamala Harris underperformed Joe Biden’s electorate by a lot. Running on Biden’s platform was a mistake, for sure. The economy’s supposed bounceback isn’t supported in reality for most Americans at the supermarket. The support of genocide on Palestinians, seemingly unable to tell Israel no. Walking back Tim Walz’s “they’re weird” rhetoric on the Republicans and actively courting the Liz Cheneys of the world instead. It put a lot of Democrats off, and they stayed home. To use one of Walz’s beloved football analogies, Kamala Harris was down four late but driving down the field with all of her timeouts, then threw an interception right at a defender. 

That doesn’t explain away the tens of millions of folks who voted for Donald Trump. Unless they happen to be rich, they did it against their best interests without knowing it. The many (and there apparently were many) young dumb boys who liked enough of what they heard of Trump on Joe Rogan’s podcast don’t realize Project 2025 is going to take their precious porn away, for example. Most of the electorate wants the immigration “crisis” to get resolved, without realizing a lot of legal, “good” immigrants are going to get swept up in the deportations and it might actually impact them. They might not realize Robert F. Kennedy Jr. running the FDA is going to lead to a lot of needless illness and death. But Trump has made a lot of things clear enough to know what you’re signing up for. A vote for Trump means you’re cool with authoritarianism, transphobia, racism, and a whole lot of other nasty bullshit. (Misogyny, don’t forget misogyny.)

So that’s where I’m at. I look around and I see I live in a country that, after nine years of this clown dominating the news cycle, gave Trump the popular vote honors for POTUS for the first time. I feel like an asshole for being someone who says “please” and “thank you,” for respecting my fellow citizens. For not being an asshole. I shouldn’t feel like an asshole for not being an asshole, is what I’m saying. Am I just a “bleeding heart liberal” for feeling empathy? The answer today seems to be yes. 

So now what? I feel more prepared today than I was the day after the 2016 election (I got out of bed at noon on Wednesday; in 2016 it was more like three in the afternoon.) The problem is Donald Trump probably feels the same way. I have these weird dueling thoughts. One thought is an anxious one: what if RFK Jr. decides antidepressants, of which I take four, are bullshit and should be banned? I asked someone, anyone, to try to talk some sense into me and say he wouldn’t do that, but nobody volunteered. I’m no good without my medications. A lot of people aren’t. And of course there’s the distinct possibility my insurance will go away.

The other thought is weirdly enough a serene one. For months I’ve had this nagging premonition that things will more or less work out, but I also didn’t think he’d necessarily lose the election. It’s hard to describe, but I don’t think this will play out the way our biggest fears say it will. Maybe he’s too lazy to bother with Project 2025 or with all the work that would go into mass deportations. Maybe he’ll throw RFK Jr. to the curb. Maybe JD Vance will invoke the 25th amendment and kick his senile ass out the door. (As bad as Vance is himself, “The devil you know…” expression would not apply there.) This feeling I would ascribe to naivete or copium if it wasn’t so prevailing and lasted for months now. I hesitate to bring it up because some might interpret it as I think I’m predicting he’ll come to a violent end. That’s not what I’m saying. I guess I’m saying I still believe the arc of the universe bends towards justice, because I have to.