Forecasting Trump’s Future

 

Like many Americans, I was dismayed and saddened to see so many American voters support a Presidential candidate who openly insulted other Americans, who mocked people with disabilities, who threatened to oppress an entire religion, who has screwed people over in business for his entire career, who insulted a Gold Star family and their dead veteran son, who bragged about fondling and kissing women against their will, and lied to his supporters 91% of the time. My conservative friends have defended their vote, claiming that Trump, a member of the .00000000001%, is a “Man of the People” and will bring back the values that “made America Great.”

I have refrained (mostly) from condemning these people, despite their making a choice that I believe is wrong for our country. I do not believe people who voted for Trump are stupid, or necessarily racist, but the avid support of his candidacy by the KKK and other White Supremacists should give us all pause. Trump’s failure to get a mandate from voters will restrict his ability to carry out his program. Considering most voters did not vote for him (or Hillary), he will have a hard time claiming that most Americans support the extremist policies he voiced during the campaign.

Donald Trump is not yet President, so I will not be criticizing him for his actions until he takes office. I will wait and see if he is able to accomplish ANY of the things he has promised his supporters. Even so, Trump made a number of quite clear promises during the campaign. These ten objectives seemed to be at the top of his to-do list: 1) Repeal ACA, 2) Build the Wall, 3) Deport “Illegal” Immigrants, 4) Ban Muslims from the country, 5) Give Massive Tax Breaks, 6) Bring back industry to the US, 7) Rebuild the Military, 8) End the Iranian Nuclear Agreement, 9) End Climate Change Actions and 10) “Drain the Swamp.” Since we do not yet have evidence of HOW he will accomplish ANY of these things, we are left to speculate on how things will turn out.

In case you didn’t know, like Carnac the magnificent, I have the ability to predict the future. I am therefore sharing my prognostications on our immediate political future. They are all my personal opinions, although my beliefs on the subject are shaped by the many statements made by Trump, himself. Given those statements, I have little confidence that ANY of these policies will actually be accomplished and, at some point, Trump may face considerable unrest when his extremist supporters turn on him for failing to get them a job, good health care or an inexpensive education. Let’s take a look at each of these 10 goals and see if they are achievable or not.

      1)      Repeal the ACA   Trump is certainly not alone in calling for an end to the health policy they call “Obamacare.” Republicans have done pretty much NOTHING for the last 8 years except pathetically pass laws repealing the ACA, despite there being no chance of doing so as long as Obama was President. Despite their obsessive hatred of a plan that was actually created by Republicans, they have been unable to craft ANY alternative, despite having 8 years to do so. My guess is they will not be able to do it in the next 50 days, either. Right off the bat, the new Republican administration will vote to repeal the health care plan on their first day but will be unable to explain why turning over ALL decisions about health care to private insurance companies will provide us all good health care. The 20 million Americans who will lose their care, will probably not be happy. Also, Republicans are going to be sorely disappointed when their Trumpcare premiums go up 40-50% next year. And, of course, since the ACA will no longer exist, its main features (no limits to benefits, no pre-existing conditions, free preventive care, and keeping young people on their parent’s plan) will disappear. 

      My Prediction:  I predict health care prices will INCREASE dramatically and services will be greatly reduced, once we put insurance company death panels in charge of determining who gets care.

2)      Build the Wall    This was one phrase Trump used at pretty much every one of his rallies. His gullible supporters obviously know nothing about the geography of the border and would most likely rebel at paying the anticipated $25 Billion cost, after we learn there is no way to make Mexico “pay for the wall.” Experts and government officials have all agreed that making it impenetrable would be virtually impossible, as is completely securing the entire 1,954-mile border. Most of the border is forbidding, remote and arid, and any massive construction project would be very difficult to pull off. And historically, we have found one thing that can be said about walls – they don’t work. The great Wall of China, the Maginot Line, and the Berlin Wall were totally unable to stop unwanted crossings.

 My prediction: Trump will symbolically construct an impressive wall in some short visible segments of the border and the cost will be paid by us taxpayers.

 

3)      Deport “Illegal” Immigrants    Trump’s conservative followers seem to believe that all immigrants are rapists, criminals and terrorists (probably because their candidate said so repeatedly). Despite evidence showing that immigrants are MORE law-abiding than other Americans, Trump has convinced many Americans that the promise made on our Statue of Liberty no longer exists. The US, according to them, no longer welcomes the oppressed, the hungry and the desperate refugees fleeing the wars that we are conducting in their homeland. The President-elect has already walked this one back, saying that he would only “start” deporting criminal immigrants –a small subset of what he calls “illegal” immigrants. It’s hard to see how he will explain this meager response to his supporters, who will be expecting to live in a country with no foreign people. 

My prediction: Trump will deport a few thousand “criminal” immigrants but will be unable to massively deport the 15-20 million people he would like to get rid of. Hopefully, his followers will be OK with his failure to carry out one of his main promises.

      4)      Ban Muslims from the country    Trump has said he will ban ALL immigration from any country that has terrorists in it until we can figure out “what is going on…” As you might guess, my trust that he will be able to determine what is “going on” is pretty low. Much of Trump’s support has come from religious groups, but they seem to have a hard time reconciling his characterization of ALL Muslims as terrorists with the Bible’s exhortations to “Love Thy Neighbor.” There are around 1.6 billion Muslims in the World – about 25% of the earth’s population. Over 2 ½ million Muslims currently live in the US. Most of the refugees seeking to enter the country are coming from the three countries we have been bombing almost constantly for 25 years, but it does not seem likely that Trump will recognize this fact. 

     My prediction: Trump will continue our engagement in perpetual warfare in the Middle East, creating MORE terrorists, and increasing pressure on the US to accept more of the victims of our bombing. 

       5)      Give Massive Tax Breaks   Republicans HATE the National debt. I know, because they have been telling me for decades. They remind me that President Obama raised the debt substantially and this is why they voted for Trump. Well, I hate to tell you, but so far, Donald Trump’s ability to decrease our debt is a fantasy. In fact, estimates are that his stated programs, tax breaks and corporate subsidies will cost us TRILLIONS of dollars in the next few years – ALL of it falling on taxpayers to pay for. We already learned from Ronald Reagan and George Bush that giving more money to rich people does NOTHING for the average American except make them poorer. We have heard the delusional claim that giving tax breaks to business will spur the economy and create more jobs. After 40 years of doing so, the EXACT OPPOSITE has happened. Still, Trump continues to make the claim that his “business-oriented” policies will bring a new era of economic prosperity to America. And, of course, Trump may also have problems raising even a minimum of tax money, given that he wants to lay off all the tax collectors and eliminate most of the taxes. Since the President is considered “smart” for not paying taxes, why should any American do so? 

      My prediction:  Instead of decreasing debt, Trump will INCREASE it more than any other American President, and the economic inequality that is strangling our nation will greatly increase.

      6)      Bring back industry to the US      I consider this pretty much a pipe dream. Other than weaponry (and the auto industry saved by President Obama), America no longer has a manufacturing capability. We have allowed corporations to turn their backs on the workers who generated considerable wealth for them and move to countries where they can pay workers a slave wage. Textiles are no longer made on the east coast. US steel production is at all but a standstill. The idea that trump can convince any significant number of corporations to return to the US, re-invest in new plant technology and pay a living wage is totally delusional. 

      My prediction: The corporate flight to Third World countries will accelerate and even low-level service jobs will disappear here and pop up in Vietnam and Pakistan.

 

7)      Rebuild the Military      Trump has consistently painted our nation’s military forces as dangerously ill-equipped, understaffed, under-resourced, and led by people that do not know what they are doing. He paints a dire picture of the world’s biggest superpower limping along with a puny military, and no ships, planes or weapons to back up our Imperialism. According to Trump, the world only respects military might and nobody will do what we tell them to unless we have the capability of wiping their nation off of the face of the Earth. Of all of his promises, this one seems the most possible, but our country is almost bankrupt now from supporting our bloated military budget, which grows exponentially every year with no end in sight. Our current military expenditures of around $711 Billion  are greater than the REST OF THE WORLD combined. 

My prediction: Trump will ask for “YUGE” increases in military spending and the Republicans who run Congress will give it to him. While this might make defense contractors wealthier, this money does NOTHING to make America great – it just makes us a rich bully.

8)      End the Iranian Nuclear Agreement    This one blows my mind. Everybody, both right and left, were concerned about the possibility of Iran developing a nuclear weapon. To end such a possibility, President Obama achieved an agreement with Iran that GUARANTEES they cannot build a weapon for at least 10 years. Iran had to destroy most of its centrifuges, fill in its main reactor with concrete, allow inspectors to go anywhere they needed to, and ship all of their nuclear material out of the country. Sounds good, right? Not according to my conservative friends, who assured me the agreement GUARANTEES Iran will have a nuclear weapon. They, of course, have no proof whatsoever, that such an outlandish claim is true, but that does not stop them from believing such an unbelievable idea. Trump seems convinced that he can just tear up an agreement made by the US and the P5+1 countries (the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council—the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, France, and China—plus Germany) and the European Union. 

My prediction: Trump will be totally unable to renege on the agreement, even though the Republicans in Congress will vote for massive sanctions on Iran – in violation of the agreement. The International community will fail to support ending an agreement that has already accomplished much what Trump says he wants to do.

      9)      End Climate Change Actions     At this point, the only people who deny man-made climate change are misinformed conservatives who believe we are entering a new ice age. Despite record-breaking temperatures every month, rising sea levels, more violent storms, prolonged droughts and disappearing glaciers, conservatives continue to protect their fossil-fuel industry idols, defending their rapacious practices, denying that they do anything to harm the environment and calling for massive burning of dirty fossil fuels. Republicans in Congress have pretty much already destroyed any government support for a movement towards clean energy, all while arguing vociferously for more subsidies of Big Oil. 

       My prediction: Trump will not be able to revive the “Clean Coal” industry (a fossil-fuel fantasy) and those coal miners in West Virginia will be sorely disappointed. Republican America will be ridiculed by the global community for ignoring the biggest crisis facing humanity.

 

      10)   Drain the Swamp    It became painfully obvious during the recent Presidential campaign that Donald Trump knew NOTHING about governance. NOTHING about legislating. NOTHING about compromise. Don’t worry, we were told by Republicans. “Donald will surround himself with “good people,” who will know the right thing to do.” Their candidate railed against “special interests” in every rally. He berated the lobbyists, policy wonks and Wall Street manipulators who put undue pressure on public officials. He criticized Hillary Clinton as a corrupt “pay for play” politician who demanded campaign donations in exchange for support. How surprised we were to see that, as soon as it was time to start finding those “good people,” Trump turned to those who he was criticizing. He placed many Wall Street lobbyists on his transition team. He appointed a White Supremacist as his right hand man. He appointed a Senator with racist baggage as his Attorney General.

Worse, he refused to separate himself from his business interests and it is this decision that will ultimately defeat him. Maybe nobody mentioned the “conflict of interest” thing to him when he was pondering his decision to run for President. Maybe he just thought people loved him so much, they would overlook his complex web of business relationships with the very foreign countries he will be dealing with. The fact is, his decision to let his family run the business while he serves as President is completely untenable. It will NOT WORK. His family is NOT a blind trust. He knows exactly what he owns and where, so he cannot insulate himself from the everyday decision-making. It is likely that EVERY move he makes in the foreign policy arena will be questioned. By letting his children sit in his face-to-face meetings with foreign officials, how can we be sure they are not acting in a “pay for play” situation? The ONLY way Trump can avoid endless accusations of corruption is to totally divest himself of his fortune. He must liquidate his assets, sell off the ones he owns and completely separate himself from the former Trump financial empire. I see the chances of that happening as zero to none. 

My prediction: The Trump administration will have more corruption charges than any past administration and many of them will result in criminal prosecutions.

I have to say that I hope NONE of these predictions come true. I DO want my nation to succeed, although America, as we once knew it, is DEAD. Once we became a one-party oligarchy, those quaint ideas about Democracy and personal liberty disappeared and it does not seem likely they will return. At any rate, I will probably visit these predictions a year from now and see how things have worked out. Maybe I will be surprised, and will find myself living in a country that respects all of its citizens, provides jobs for everyone, offers health care for all and maintains a social safety net, but I am not holding my breath. Like most Americans, I will be watching our next President’s actions with great interest and will be anxious to see whether his goals were anything more than empty campaign promises……….

Triumph of the Swill

In 1935, the German government released “Triumph of the Will,” a documentary rated as one of the most powerful propaganda films of all time. Produced by Nazi filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl, this glorification of Adolph Hitler and his militaristic government was incredibly popular with the German people who were humiliated after their loss in World war I and were desperate to support a politician who could “Make Germany Great Again.”

We all know how it turned out. Through the use of massive propaganda, intimidation and secret police, Hitler did, indeed, get the support of most German citizens, who actually believed in his promise of an Aryan “super-race” and the elimination of any group who opposed it. Over 6 million Jews, liberals and undesirables lost their lives in the massive ethnic cleansing and pogroms that followed the dictator’s rise to power.

As we once again witness a demagogue rising to unchecked power and promising to bring back the supremacy of the white race, it is obvious that history DOES repeat itself. Promising to deport massive numbers of immigrants, imprison his political opposition and use force to repress dissent, our new Republican Reichsfuhrer seems to be following Hitler’s playbook exactly. Now, all we need is for there to be some “terror” attack (the Nazis burned their own capitol building and blamed it in the Jews) and America will be plunged into a fascist dictatorship with no civil liberties, no dissent and no pretense of Democracy, whatsoever.

While it is common for liberals to blame Hillary’s loss on the “stupid” people who voted for a megalomaniac to lead the country, I do not hold his supporters responsible for what has happened. They, and everybody else in the country were the victims of an unprecedented propaganda campaign – one that makes Hitler’s look pale in comparison. For over 75 years, conservatives have worked hard to destroy the faith of Americans in their government. This was deliberate and was done with considerable malice. We were told that ANY policy designed to benefit (non-business) people was contrary to our national interest. We were told repeatedly that our government was evil, corrupt, inefficient, wasteful, and filled with jack-booted thugs who wanted to “steal” tax money from hard-working bigots and give it to the undeserving poor – you know, the hungry children, senior citizens in poverty and the homeless veterans that fill our country. Obviously, their campaign was successful. Who would have guessed that incessant repetition of anti-government rhetoric would create a generation of conservatives that HATE America? Who would have thought that constant vilifying and demonizing a dedicated public servant like Hillary Clinton would convince many Americans that she is corrupt?

The word “propaganda” is interesting. Most Americans, if asked, will recall that it was used by the Nazis but, after their defeat, was no longer a feature of politics. Nothing could be further from the truth. Just like when the Pentagon enlisted Nazi rocket scientists to build our space program, conservatives took the techniques used by the Nazi’s propaganda ministry and improved upon them. Their first target was the Communists, and for 70 years they carried out the biggest propaganda campaign in history to convince Americans that our greedy “Free Enterprise” system was far superior to the socialistic economies of the Soviet Union, Soviet China and pretty much any country with socialistic features. We, of course, accused the Russians of misinforming their people because, in our view, no sane person would submit to Soviet authority. According to conservative belief, the only way the Soviets could maintain control was through the use of widespread propaganda.
Which is probably why they adapted the technique for themselves. Most people are familiar with the concept of the “Big Lie.” The expression was coined by Adolf Hitler, when he dictated his 1925 book “Mein Kampf”, about the use of a lie so "colossal" that no one would believe that someone "could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously."
Hitler’s propaganda Minister, Joseph Goebbels amplified Hitler’s original idea and added this important insight: “The essential English leadership secret does not depend on particular intelligence. Rather, it depends on a remarkably stupid thick-headedness. The English follow the principle that when one lies, one should lie big, and stick to it. They keep up their lies, even at the risk of looking ridiculous.” It is obvious now that Goebbels and the Nazis used the Big Lie to turn long-standing anti-semitism into mass murder.



It is this constant disinformation that has turned our nation into a country unrecognizable by our Founding Fathers. They believed in the power of the ballot and thought that an intelligent person (sadly, they did not include blacks or women) could use their free will to cast a vote for the candidate of their choice. Reason and logic would determine the outcome of elections, in their view. The politician offering the most effective public policies would be elected and the political grifters, con-men and liars would be turned out by an informed public. This worked pretty well for the first 200 years or so but the whole concept fell apart with the rise of modern propaganda.

We now know, for a fact, that voters can be “programmed” to believe ANYTHING, even things that fly completely in the face of reality. Any message, even ones demonstrably false, can be turned into a “truth” if you repeat it often and loudly enough. Republicans discovered that, using propaganda, they could turn a war hero like John Kerry into a war coward. Despite improved metrics in EVERY category (wages, number of jobs, corporate profits, stock market, etc.), Republicans have convinced a significant number of Americans that President Obama destroyed the economy. Even though global temperatures have gone off the charts for the last decade or so, Republicans predict a coming Ice Age. Even though their political candidate was a habitual liar, sexual predator and business failure, they managed to convince us he is the white Savior and his opponent was the criminal.



As the mass media slowly gave way to the propaganda media, Americans have been “dumbed down” to such an extent that we can no longer be capable of critical thought on their own. Conservatives have so refined the techniques of disinformation and built a media landscape that broadcasts their lies so pervasively, that no American can claim to have “free will.” Our values, beliefs and understanding of how the world works have been so perverted by the incessant mistruths coming from the right, I no longer believe Democracy is even possible in this country. As all restrictions on campaign funding have disappeared there is no check, whatsoever, on the dark money being used to purchase the politicians making decisions for us. A message can be crafted, refined, and repeated endlessly until a significant number of people believe it.

The political beliefs of Trump’s many supporters show just how effective the tools of propaganda have become. When it is possible to infect the thinking of so many citizens with information designed to turn them against policies which benefit them, our system can no longer function.

Unfortunately, Republicans will fail to understand the cause of Trump’ s many upcoming failures. His obvious total lack of knowledge, his inability to control his temper and his eagerness to punish his detractors will not make him a successful President. Despite being in total control of every facet of government, Republicans will continue to blame Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton for the mess they are about to create. As the debt skyrockets, millions of Americans lose health care, and women begin dying again from back-alley abortions, the responsibility will be ENTIRELY on the Republicans.

Sadly, there is little we can do about it……

Deplorable Nation

Every generation has a significant moment in history, one that marks a dramatic change of course or a notable event. For my parents, it was Pearl Harbor, and for people my age, it is probably the assassination of President John Kennedy. Today’s generation will now have a new event to commemorate and parents and grandparents will have to answer the question “What were you doing on the day America died?”

Sure, we had a good run. For 240 years we had worked to create a nation that was different from the monarchies and colonial empires of the past. Although it took some years, we were able to create a multicultural society – one devoted to democratic principles, a fair justice system and widespread economic prosperity. Public education and a strong social safety nation allowed our citizens to find good employment and live without fear of going into poverty in their old age.

Sadly, all that is over. The nation we once knew as America no longer exists, and I will never say the Pledge of Allegiance or sing the National Anthem again. Our country has overnight become the nation of Trumpistan, a one-party oligarchy, dedicated to enriching its President and getting payback for the many perceived criticisms of our new corporate figurehead. Our allegiance now is to a system shaped to accelerate the flow of wealth upwards, dooming millions of Americans to a fate of no health care, rising energy costs, and a warming planet. To the rest of the World, our country is exposed for what it really is – a nation filled with hateful, ammosexual pussy-grabbers. A nation whose military will be used to protect corporate interests around the World. A nation that can no longer claim to be the leader of the “Free World.”

Republicans are gleeful, realizing that their dreams of outlawing abortions, ending public education, and cutting off the government “freebies” given to our hungry children and senior citizens will finally come to pass. Once Attorney General Guliani’s national “stop and frisk” law is implemented, no citizen will be safe from the coming pogroms and persecution of political enemies. Like Sandra Bland, it is likely the authorities will discover Hillary Clinton dead in her jail cell – obviously so ashamed of her many crimes that she could no longer face the future.

Well, I, for one, will refuse to Sig Heil the Republican Reichsfuhrer. This will, of course, mean I will probably end up in the internment camps along with the rest of the liberals, gays, Jews, Muslims and Mexicans. Trump has already made it quite clear what he would like to do to his political enemies and I believe him.

Once there is one-party control of the country, all opposition to corporate oligarchy will disappear. Our so called “Fourth Estate,” the guardians of truth and exposers of corruption, have been shown to be nothing but corporate lapdogs, lapping up every speck of pablum thrown out by the Koch Brothers. The media’s perpetual fawning over Trump, their free 24/7 coverage of his every move, and their constant reporting on the fake crimes of Hillary Clinton reveals them to be nothing more than shills for Big Business. Although they would certainly deny it, their idolization of Trump contributed greatly to his victory.

On a personal level, I am now MUCH more fearful of my fellow “citizens” of Trumpistan than I am any foreign terrorist. The gun-waving, profanity-screaming bigots who now represent the Republican Party have been VERY clear about what they would like to do to their perceived “enemies.” Indeed, our very foundations of decency have now been abandoned and females, blacks and other groups should be worried. If it is OK for the President to grab a woman’s pussy, it should be OK for any man to do so. If it is OK for the President to say Mexicans are rapists, should we be surprised when some “oath-keeper” shoots one at the border? If it is OK for the President to declare war on a religion, should we not expect even more mosque-burnings and religious persecution? If it is OK for the President to forcibly evict black people from his rallies, should we expect to see more Dylan Roofs?

Finally, it is the ultimate shame on our nation that we turned our backs on common sense and voted for a candidate with no experience in politics or the military. I would be surprised if Donald Trump could name the three branches of government, much less understand the complexities of legislation, budgeting, and running the Federal bureaucracy. The only positive thing I can look forward to is watching Trump blame his total failure to accomplish ANY of the things he said he will do on Obama and Hillary. Republicans have based their entire strategy for the last 8 years on blaming Democrats for all of the nation’s problems. It will be interesting when they see the National debt go up even higher than it did under President Obama. I look forward to hearing their excuses when health care premiums rise 20-50% after the ACA is repealed. This time, they will have no one to blame but themselves…….

Our Litmus Test Election

 

There is not much I remember from high school chemistry class, but I do remember being fascinated with litmus paper. Essentially, this is an absorbent piece of paper which is impregnated with a water soluble mixture of different dyes extracted from lichens. It is one of the simplest tests for determining acidity or alkalinity in a solution.

Litmus paper comes in two colors, red and blue. Blue litmus paper turns red under acidic conditions and red litmus paper turns blue under basic or alkaline conditions. What I liked about it was the simplicity of the test. There was no ambiguity, as there sometimes is in science experiments. While using litmus paper does not tell you specifically the exact pH level, it does give you a quick yes or no answer as to its alkalinity.

As we approach our next Presidential election, this subject came to mind. For several decades now, our political system seems to be mired in partisan gridlock. With Congress in the hands of one party and the Presidency in the other, both parties have a legitimate reason to believe their way of doing things is the best and the one desired by the electorate. Both Democrats and Republicans claim to represent most Americans, but of course, they cannot both be right.



National elections are the one way we have of determining who has the most voter support and this one will certainly do so. When Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected four times, it was because most Americans recognized the success of his New Deal policies and wanted them to continue. Winning the popular vote gives politicians a mandate and lets them know their policies are on the right path. In some ways, elections serve as a form of litmus test – after the votes are tallied, we find out right away which party’s philosophy is the most popular. Like litmus paper, we determine each state’s status by whether it turns red or blue.

With that said, if ever there was a time that we needed a simple measure of where the nation is heading – it is NOW. There have been many superlatives thrown around about this election – the most controversial, unprecedented, and nasty campaign we have ever witnessed. Indeed, it seems at times we are facing an existential crisis – a point where the very values our country were formed on have been abandoned.

My friends know that I am liberal in my thinking, so it will not surprise them to hear that I consider Donald Trump’s candidacy a grave threat to our democracy. His constant falsehoods, insults and over-the-top campaigning has stymied even veteran political journalists, who have no idea how to characterize his outrageous attacks on his opponents. He is mired in controversy, with numerous lawsuits filed against him for sexual predation and corrupt business practices. His vocal support for policies promoted by white supremacists and alt-right extremists has brought to the surface a wave of hatred, racism and bigotry we have not seen for 50 years. Fact checkers have looked at his many statements and have determined he only tells the truth or partial truth 9% of the time. The rest of the time he does nothing but LIE to his supporters.



It is this constant disinformation that shakes the very foundations of American Democracy. Every American citizen is free to vote for the candidate which most closely reflects their views, but, when one party seems to be operating in a totally fact-free environment, we have a serious problem. Republican voters repeat the lies being told to them without question. In their minds, giving more money to rich people creates jobs, Hillary Clinton is a criminal, President Obama is a Communist dictator, the Affordable Care Act has bankrupted America and Hillary Clinton founded ISIS. And this is just a short list. I do not recognize the America they describe – one which is forcing most Americans into poverty, where black people live only in wretched urban ghettos, where America is the laughingstock of the World, where black people are the racists and poor people cause poverty.. As their rantings get further and further away from reality, it has become clear that facts no longer seem to matter when people weigh who to vote for.

There was once a time when political affairs turned on FACTS. A candidate who presented false information to the public was scorned and corrected by people who knew better. Many policies were science-based and politicians sought out scientists, researchers and even journalists to help them craft better legislation. Sadly, today, it is all gone.

 

The elimination of the FCC’s Fairness Doctrine and the rise of Social Media has created a media landscape where people are only exposed to information that supports their own views. The loss of the media “gatekeepers” opened up the media to many more people, but, when journalists no longer fact-check their stories, we are being exposed to information with little or no grounding in reality. The responsibility for making sure the information we are exposed to is accurate now falls on individuals, who could care less about verifying the claims and statements they make. Essentially, many people now think that, if they BELIEVE it, it is TRUE.

Ever since FDR’s New Deal, Republicans have tried to destroy every one of the policies that created the middle class, brought racial and sexual equality, and provided inexpensive education for most Americans, including myself. We have been the victims of a 70-year-old propaganda campaign by conservatives to convince us that our government is evil, corrupt, inefficient, dangerous, wasteful, totalitarian, and dedicated to destroying the American people. Who would have guessed that endless repetition of those messages it would eventually make people believe such absurd ideas?

Despite claiming to “love” America and wanting to make it “great” again, conservatives appear to HATE America and almost everybody in it. Their condemnation of blacks, immigrants, women, college students and gay people runs counter to the welcoming message of the Statue of Liberty and the exhortations of Bible scriptures. Their fervent belief that Hillary Clinton (AND the President) should be imprisoned suggests the kind of pogroms and payback we are likely to see if Republicans get control of the entire government. Their claim that government is EVIL then becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

When I have challenged any of my conservative friends on these points, they respond by telling me that MOST Americans believe in their fake scandals and hyperbolic criticisms of government officials. Because they never see any information to the contrary on Fox “News”, they truly believe that most Americans are waiting to join them in their willful destruction of the United States government.

I sure hope not.

I grew up in a country that respected science. I grew up in a country that was working to make all citizens equal members of society. I grew up in a nation where ALL Americans were provided a social safety net and a full-time job earned enough money to support a family on. I still believe I live in that country. I still believe the majority of Americans DO NOT support the attempts to demonize, oppress and brutalize different groups in our society. In other words, I still believe America is a “blue” country, in that it is based on liberal values like fairness, equality and prosperity for all.

If ever there was a time to find out where America is on these issues, it is now. Republicans claim to represent the majority, as do the Democrats. Hopefully, our election will provide a “Litmus Test” on who we actually are. We are in desperate need of answers about where we go from here. This election will indicate clearly whether America is a red nation, composed mainly of haters, or a blue nation, composed of people who want to make life better for EVERYBODY, not just rich businessmen like Trump.