With so much political vomit perpetually streaming out of Washington these days, it gets a bit hard to focus on what’s going on. It’s been busy lately, and it’s becoming hard to write entire articles on every separate incident, so here are a few observations on what exactly is happening in the politi-sphere at the moment:
In a moment void of self-awareness, Trump praised noted hater of Native Americans and slave owner Andrew Jackson as he laid a wreath upon his grave. In a bizarre speech sprinkled with subtle bragging, Trump mentioned Jackson’s position as an anti-elite outsider and likened his campaign to Jackson’s. He even acknowledged the media’s comparisons between the two with just more than a hint of pride. Uh, dude, they’re comparing you guys because you’re both power-hungry, racist fear-mongers. Also, Jackson was an orphan born into poverty, and you were given “a small loan of a million dollars” by your father. You aren’t anti-elite, you are the elite.
Republicans in the House have again proudly displayed their disconnect from the average person by drafting up a healthcare bill that has a darker outcome than Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Estimates include 24 million people getting taken off their current healthcare plan and premiums rising for senior citizens. In a turn everybody predicted, nobody likes it. Democrats don’t like, Senate Republicans don’t like it, and the elder don’t like it. Crazy move to do that to your voter base. If they keep moving forward with this plan, they might be saying goodbye to any re-election possibility.
Speaking of which, if we want to see a blue midterm election, maybe the Democrats can start proposing healthcare reform of their own. It may be shot down fast, but with the right publicity, it can invigorate the party again. Voters want to see action other than just finger-wagging from the Democrats. Saying what we’re against isn’t going to cut it anymore, we need to start acting on what we’re for.
Earlier in the same day I’m writing this, Senate intel on the subject assured the public that the Obama administration did not wire-tap Trump Tower like Trump himself said he did. Trump is still standing by it though. Can he just chill with the lying for a bit? It’s tiring and it’s shifting reality for a certain demographic. One side knows these facts, the other side knows other facts. Living in an alternate dimension is a good way to not make any progress.
Trump recites every speech like he’s reading from a picture book. His signature looks like it’s 10 letters too long. He eats dry steak with ketchup. The person we are dealing with truly lives in a realm outside politics, and sometimes it may seem worthless to talk policy when it comes to this guy. It may seem tedious to write and read so many articles on his mishaps. Unfortunately, we have to keep talking about him and making our discontent heard if we want to see any change. The problem is, policy talk will only take us so far and we need to openly say who he really is: an old, oafish, incompetent buffoon.
It really is difficult to constantly have disfunction on your mind, but complacency would be even worse. Everything going on right now deserves at least a smidgen of thought, because it’s thought that turns to action.
