We Cannot Hide From Who We Are

As of this morning a majority of Americans have chosen Trump to be president again.

Trump incited an insurrection and watched on TV as his followers attacked congress, assaulted police officers, and sought to kill his VP. He promised to pardon them and to release them back onto the streets sure in the knowledge that they will be protected again. Police unions still backed him. Because he promised them immunity too.

He called for terminating the constitution, and being a dictator. And Americans voted for that.

He has promised to run a “bloody” crackdown on immigrants, declaring people Alien Enemies, sending in the military to our cities and building mass camps to hold those they seize, and giving anyone who leads the attack. The children and grandchildren of immigrants voted for that.

He brags about comitting sexual assault, insults women, minorities, the disabled, and he brings far worse in his wake. A majority of men said that is what they want their sons to follow.

Almost half of women said that is what they want for their daughters and for themselves.

He has promised to levy massive tarrifs which will raise the cost of basic goods for everyone, most especially for the poor, and trigger massive inflation. Voters who complained about high prices now voted for that.

He has promised to give even bigger tax cuts for the rich so that Amazon, Twitter, Tesla and more can continue to pay nothing while the rest of us pick up the tab. Taxpayers voted for that.

He has promised to end environmental protection, cut funding for children, education, and consumer protection, eliminate federal weather reporting and climate monitoring and even cut support for disaster aid. Parents looking to the future and disaster survivors voted for that.

He promised to raise the price of insurance and prescription drugs, while cutting funding for medicare and medicaid. Patients and the elderly, voted for that.

He has promised to remove all restraint on Netanyahu’s murderous rage in Gaza and has supported plans to make criminals out of anyone who advocates for palestinians. Many of their fellow Arabs voted for that.

He has called for shooting peaceful protestors, and his own staff say that he wants violence and seeks dictatorial control. People voted for that.

He has promised to hand over “women’s health” and public health agencies to a man who claims that vaccines and flouride are more dangerous than polio, measles, or tooth decay. Parents voted for that.

He has criticized unions for getting raises, brags about firing people, and appointed an anti-labor NLRB. Union workers voted for that.

He sold 100,000 watches, launched his own stock and cryptocurrency, made open promises of corruption, and put himself in open hock to the world’s richest man who will get to gut government services we all depend on and line his own pockets. People who claim to oppose “big tech” and “the billionares” voted for that.

In the end, this is who we are. A majority of Americans have voted for this and handed Trump, or to be more accurate the Stephen Millers and Musks of the world who hide behind him, a mandate to go to their extremes with noone holding him back. Whatever damage they do will take a generation to rebuild.

In the years to come many will ask, “how did this happen?” “How did we get here?”.

For some the answer will be: “you did not vote, you had your chance and did nothing.”

But for a majority, the answer will be: “You voted for it.”