End of an Era?

I feel increasingly confident that the Donald Trump presidency is done for. 

 I know, I know…many people were sure he wouldn’t be elected in the first place, and yet here we are. But things are different now in a couple of ways. In 2016, a lot of voters thought, “Well, I wonder what it would be like to have a selfish and ignorant bigot in the White House. How bad could it be?”

 Now we know. Those of us who have survived so far understand just how bad it can be. And, frankly, it may be far worse by November.

 So, I think Donald is a dead duck. On top of his disastrous responses to the pandemic and to the Black Lives Matter movement, there is his apparent inability to change. He proudly relies on his instincts which, surprise, surprise, are telling him to spew out idiotic tweets ranging from the mendacious to the inane. But fewer and fewer people believe anything he says. Backing up the tweet-rants are the usual rallies, now enhanced by their Covid-spreading effects. He is incapable of not being who he has always been and this, I believe, will spell his doom.

 But let’s not forget that the horrors of this presidency were made possible by the complicity of all too many Republican senators. He could not have wrecked the country as he has without the cooperation of Mitch McConnell and company. 

 It will be interesting to see how a future McConnell will try to excuse his support for Trump’s catastrophic and unpatriotic policies. I suppose he could go with the classic “politics ain’t beanbag” defense. For example, he might say, in his low-key, I’m-a-sober-serious-dude voice, “Well, sometimes you have to break eggs to make omelets. Like, if I want Trump to help me suppress voters and funnel more sex offenders onto the Supreme Court, I may have to help him with the jobs Putin has assigned to him.”

 

The 1950s gave us McCarthyism, maybe the late 2010s will be known as the age of McConnellism. 

 How, in the years to come, will McConnell's senator colleagues justify their enabling of Trump's destructive and unpatriotic behavior? Maybe like this: “People may say I’m selfish and corrupt, but…look over there everybody, red velvet cupcakes!”

One of the most disturbing aspects of Trump’s White House tenure is the very fact that he managed to occupy this honored office at all. So now his occupancy will have to be officially memorialized. His portrait will adorn the White House wall. 

 But what will this portrait look like? I propose that we demand Congress make future presidential portraits subject to popular vote. Particularly now, we, the victims of Trump’s presidency, should have the right to decide how he will be officially remembered. In line with this proposal, I hereby offer you an opportunity to vote on your preferred Donald Trump official portrait composition. Please select A, B, C, D, or E below:

                             A

                             B

                             C

                             D

                             E

And, oh yeah, don't forget to vote.