Pre-Inauguration Perceptions on Eve of Trump 2.0
Photograph Source: Office of Congressman Mike Johnson – Public Domain
Beyond the massive trust deficit of the dominant political duopoly in America, many thought Trump 1.0 was an aberration. Then, the election of Trump 2.0 was a confirmation that Trump 1.0 was not a fluke and is now a coronation.
Yet many people in America are actually hoping he can really effect positive change and break this duopoly stranglehold without breaking America in the process.
What’s possible with Trump 2.0?
As pie in the sky as it might seem or appear (and chances that admittedly approach zero), the incoming Trump 2.0 Administration does have a golden opportunity to reform the federal government, the administrative state, the ‘deep state’ and truly re-make democracy in America for, of and by the People — without dismantling or demolishing it in the process.
Yet what will more likely happen than not?
While recognizing and realizing a plurality of voting Americans did cast their lot with Trump, I am afraid Trump and company will just gild the lily, consolidate oligarchy, and just screw up America even more for sport, revenge and maximum grift and corruption — for the decided benefit of the rarified very few —whether the rest of America wants it or not.
They will simply replace the heart of the Republic with an unleashed, massively hyper-normalized corruption racket using the levers of government to push the peddle of raw, abusive power all the way down and in the process accelerate the demise of American democracy hurtling hellbent toward autokleptocracy with little or no constraint.
This dismantling of democracy by blowing it up from within will no doubt take place with great applause — leaving the rest of America in the rear view mirror and too many more people ending up in the ditches and in the dust.
At a minimum chaos will ensue, disorder will reign and America may just have an event horizon meeting with history’s reckoning. But am quite sure for many the prospect of just watching it all unfold will provide maximum entertainment and daily drama — until it doesn’t.
Smashing and deconstructing the village of American democracy from within only creates the conditions for collapse instead of a re-birth and reconditioning of the village after clearing out the debris, waste, fraud and abuse — unless the intent is to sell the village out and sell off what’s left — leaving a ghost town of grift and gain with a new sheriff in town packing his power and enforcement ‘peacekeepers’ strutting around like a performative peacock entertaining their flock in a hyper inflated memeTV unreality show.
But going back to re-generating a real democracy is probably just too hard. Trump decidedly did NOT run for democracy, nor did he take a stand for democracy or even fight for real democracy for the everyday working American.
He ran on himself, for himself and by himself and his worldview and democracy is in the way of his brand and stamp of federal autocracy through oligarchical consolidation and control that he wants to impose on America.
He’ll just recast the American Empire in his own image while keeping most of what doesn’t make America all that great!
It is probably a bit too early to prognosticate, but perhaps the return of a New America post-Trump — after the central gov’t is captured and co-opted — hinges on and relies upon the states and the people coming out of the morass and hot mess of America increasingly getting by in name only.
What a country!
Meanwhile one can still at least rage against The Machine — even when it transforms into The Terminator and turns its targeting on democracy as the enemy within.
And the scourge of oligarchy will no doubt increasingly bend government to its will by exercising control in their own interests and especially for corrupt and selfish purposes.
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