I am not grim, and I am not gutted. The American people spoke, and the results couldn’t have been clearer.
For too long, Democrats have tried to be the adult in a room full of republican toddlers throwing food and poop against the wall. Maybe sometimes they’ve been a bit too much of a schoolmarm, but someone had to do it. Shit needed to be done to keep the American economy going and to keep our standing in the world. But what did they get from that competency? Nothing.
The overwhelming takeaway from our general election, at least for me, is that American decency is dead. It matters to nobody. The way to get ahead in American society is to be an asshole. Lie, cheat, break laws, bully, denigrate any and all who disagree with you, and never back down. Maybe even add a dash of racism and sexism for good measure.
I’m not kidding.
Our president-elect has been impeached twice, the second time for attempting a coup to stop the peaceful transfer of power. He has declared bankruptcy 6 times, yet is viewed as a successful businessman. He was found guilty by a jury of his peers and convicted on 34 felony counts (and has yet to be sentenced in that case). He was found guilty by a jury of his peers and convicted of sexual abuse. He was labeled as being unfit and a clear and present danger for the office of the presidency by nearly everyone who worked with him in his previous administration.
What does that all mean? It means that the American public doesn’t care about any of the values that used to matter. Hard work. Decency. Honesty. Loyalty. Fair play. It’s all crap now. None of it matters. The only thing that matters is talking tough and bullying others to do your bidding and to get your way.
That’s not to say that I’m going to start walking around being an asshole right away. It’s not in my nature to be anything but a decent human being. But there have been times that I’ve held my tongue when things have been said that should have been confronted and shut down.
Earlier this year, I had a discussion with someone about the state of the country. They mentioned something about gathering firearms for the upcoming civil war. I looked at them and said nothing other than “No, there isn’t”, but I left it at that because this was a person I had to deal with for other purposes. I felt like it was best to not go down that road.
That won’t be the case going forward. I honestly have no fucks left to give. I will go down that road and drag them with me.
That is my takeaway from this election.
There are some others, but I’ll stop with this one for today…