Watching the News

On April 4th, a former president was indicted for reporting “hush money” as a legal service when he sought to silence a woman he had had an affair with because he was running for president. In November of 2020, this individual called the officials of the Board of Elections in Georgia and asked them to “find some votes” that would change Georgia from blue to red. A case is being made against him for election interference. On January 6th, this individual encouraged a group of enraged men to storm the Capitol with the intent of stopping the count of votes to elect Joe Biden as president. A case is being made against him for sedition. There is a commission studying whether to press charges. Just sticking to the facts.

When this individual was on television, running “The Apprentice”, I didn’t watch it – I was rarely watching television at the time, and I did not realize how popular it was. Or how popular he was. I think I saw the speech Obama gave at the Correspondent’s Dinner in which Obama crucified this individual and had the entire room laughing at him. I did not think it would lead to anything. But in 2015, this individual decided to run for the presidency. Again, I was sure it wouldn’t lead to anything. I think we all were. But no one reckoned with the voice of the white electorate, tired of having their position as number one questioned. This individual mocked the handicapped. Evicerated refugees and immigrants, especially Mexicans, and came up with ideas like building a wall and getting rid of politicians in Washington… and his supporters grew in number. His misogyny was celebrated. I remember seeing a woman wearing a shirt that said “He could grab my p*ssy any day” or something to that effect. He won the nomination. When Democrats and Independents did not rally around Hillary, he won the election.

I did not like what this said about America. Ever since Obama ran in 2008, there has been a white backlash. It started with the Peacekeepers. Then morphed into the Tea Party. Neo-Nazi’s and KKK groups grew. Hate crimes grew. Re-electing Obama in 2012 was a miracle, and Congress and the Senate blocked every single plan he had for the country. It was small wonder that the fervor had grown so completely that a racist, misogynist billionaire who had only become a Republican because he knew he could fool his constituents into voting for him… won.

And if not for COVID (he didn’t actually tell people to drink bleach, but it was too close), he would have won again. I predicted that only a straight white Christian (Catholic) man could beat another straight white man. Liberal Democrats thought I was being racist, sexist, anti-LGBTQ. Nope. I was just watching the electorate, and the fact that, even though this individual had affairs, 3 wives, didn’t attend church, supported abortion when it suited him… his Christian base loved him. Even though this individual engaged in the most extreme nepotism by placing his children in positions of power, and placed corporate moguls in Cabinet positions designed to keep corporations in check – no one put him in check. And when, in the midst of the George Floyd protests, he authorized the gassing of protesters so that he could walk to a church for a photo op, his base cheered. He actually said that police should be rough with the protesters. This was our president.

Since the announcement of this individual’s indictment, his campaign has raised $2 million/day. His base is strong. And the slate of candidates who will oppose him in 2024 is horribly scant. He could win the nomination again. And unless he runs against a YOUNG white, straight, Christian male, he will be back in office.

So, I am sending out my prayers to the universe. That he is in jail by the time the nomination/election comes around. Or that a superior candidate, most likely: young, straight, white, Christian, male, beats him. Our country, our melting pot country, is becoming filled with hatred and intolerance toward the non-whites who make up 25% of the United States. This individual embodies that hatred and intolerance. We must not let him win again.