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It used to be that elections were won and lost on simple factors.
“Are you better off now than you were four years ago?”
“It’s the economy, stupid.”
If that were the case today, this election would already be over. Because in 2020, the economy, like Kanye’s Grammy, is in the toilet and getting pissed on on a loop.
In a rational world, “The Trump Depression”—caused by the absolute incompetence of a President who has killed 200,000 Americans (and counting) in “The Trump Pandemic”—would have already sealed Trump’s fate and he and “The Trump Crime Family” would all be booking their one-way flights to Moscow already.
But this is no longer a rational world. It’s a world shaped by decades of Murdoch and Koch Brothers-sponsored climate denial. It’s a world so dumbed down by Fox News and Rush Limbaugh and Alex Jones that “QAnon” is no longer just a fringe conspiracy theory—it’s looking to win seats in the US Congress this November.
Trump may be on the ropes. He may be down in the polls. But he’s still got a loyal “base.” And a psychopathic desire to do whatever it takes to stay in power and out of prison. As @LOLGOP told me recently: “He could win. We may never have a President not named Trump again.”
To win, of course, Trump will have to commit a lot more crimes and do a lot more cheating. But that’s exactly what he’s doing. He’s already had people dismantle Post Office sorting machines to make sure they won’t ever work again. And the Department of Justice isn’t just not stopping him. It’s actively helping him to cover up past crimes and commit new ones.
An All-Out War on Democracy
Trump’s waging his all-out war on democracy against a backdrop of unprecedented death, despair and devastation in the America he once promised to “make great again.” Things are so bad that even President Pathological Liar could no longer say his 2020 slogan “Keep America Great” with a straight face. Because instead of making America great, he’s undeniably turned it into a Shithole Country.
Because of Trump, America is sicker, weaker and poorer. Instead of leading the world in coping with the worst pandemic in 100 years, we lead the world in death. Instead of leading the world in combating climate change, Trump is still calling it a hoax and suggesting we simply use more rakes and paper towels.
Trump is creating a perfect storm for US democracy at a time when much of the country is literally ablaze, with smoke from the devastated Western states polluting the country from sea to swiftly rising sea. Hurricanes are battering the US at a pace never seen before. And within a few short years, Propublica now reports, much of America will be too hot to live in, crop yields will be decimated, and millions now living in Southern States will be migrating north “in search of better economies and a more temperate environment.”
Trump Has Made Everything Worse
Quite literally, Trump has made everything about living in America worse. The economy. Unemployment. The environment. Poverty. Income inequality. Healthcare. Education. Race relations. Mass shootings. Domestic terrorism. Hate crimes. Urban violence. LGBTQ equality. Immigration policy. National security. The deficit. The debt. Right now, he’s fighting in court to take away coverage for pre-existing conditions. And even before the pandemic caused the debt to skyrocket even faster in 2020, he was already trying to slash Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.
Even if you’re a greedy rich person who used your deficit-exploding Trump tax breaks to buy a new private jet, in 2020, you couldn’t even fly it where you wanted. And if you’re a “pro-lifer” who applauded all the new religious extremists who became judges, your support for Trump is condemning those innocent fetuses to a life of hardship, woe, exposure to toxic chemicals and future medical bankruptcy.
I’ll open the comments up on this article, so anyone still supporting Trump can tell me if anything I’ve written here isn’t true. (I’ll delete your racist rants, so feel free to spend a long time writing them.)
It seems that many MAGA voters are desperately clinging to conspiracy theories and Russian propaganda because they don’t want to admit they voted for a conman in 2016 who has ruined their lives, and possibly sickened or killed their loved ones, all while turning America into a global laughingstock. Newsflash to all you MAGA voters: Trump isn’t playing 4-D chess with the Deep State. He’s tweeting, golfing and watching Fox News all day. Meanwhile, the country is falling apart and every single aspect of your life is getting worse.
While many people may still choose to vote for Trump, just know it’s a vote to “Make America Worse Than It Already Is.”
The good news is that there are many millions more ready to support Joe Biden, a candidate who actually has a healthcare plan he’s willing to share right now—and beyond that, a vision to Build Back Better that’s just been endorsed by Trump’s own alma mater, Wharton.
The election is just weeks away. In the midst of the pandemic and the economic crisis, it’s an “all-hands-on-deck” moment for US democracy. Not everyone can afford a subscription to a newsletter like this right now. That’s why I’m making all issues free until the election. But if you can afford to support on a month-to-month or annual basis, today’s a great time to subscribe. Thanks!
P.S. If you’d like to support with a one-time donation, I’ve added a “buy me a coffee” option, too:
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