Jackie Wilson Asheeke
In the American media, the only subjects are Donald Trump and the Covid-19 vaccine. In all the Trump/vaccine verbiage, Santa is lost.
As I sit in my mom’s house in Delaware during this strange run-up to Christmas and New Year’s holidays, I have been in 14-day self-isolation. During that time, I was able to rest, read and watch media reports from a variety of sources. I was also able to shout my love down the hall from my bedroom to loved ones who came to my wing of the house to say hello.
Usually, by this time in the holiday season, I’m singing about Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, and following Mariah in All I want for Christmas is you. Instead, I am losing my mind seeing how Donald Trump is baiting the lunatic fringe of his supporters. These people can easily subscribe to violence on his behalf. Worse, Trump is sowing the seeds of discord for President-Elect Joe Biden (who defeated Trump soundly and is a good, honest man). He is poisoning his presidency! The most unforgivable thing is that Trump is pouring acid on the constitution of the United States of America.
Today, at the end of my isolation time and with a negative test in hand, I was able to hug my 83-year-old mother for the first time. That makes it a good day! But I cannot underestimate the reality that the pandemic is serious here. Feel blessed in Namibia that 3,055 people did not die of the pandemic on December 9th as did in the USA.
Constantly hearing about Trump and COVID depressed me. But, with the vaccine rolling out to healthcare workers and those who are at the highest risk, I am hopeful on that front.
On the saturation of news about Trump’s attack on democracy, I am not so hopeful. I am frightened.
I wonder if Trump is so convinced that American presidential elections can be stolen because he stole the 2016 election and got away with it. “The [man] doth protest too much, methinks” are the words of Shakespeare could apply here.
But that line of thinking presumes Donald Trump is sane; I am now convinced that he is not. That is the scary thing. He is violating the oath of office he took. He loves himself more than he loves the constitution and the country.
Go online and look at black and white footage of Benito Mussolini, the WWII dictator of Italy. The man is standing on a balcony speaking to masses of cheering people. Look at how he struts, postures, nods he head with his lips pursed and chin held abnormally high. The similarity with how Trump struts across a stage, will shock you. Mussolini had a political movement that was passionately behind him, even after his fall.
Look at Senator Joseph McCarthy from Wisconsin who ran the hearings that called people “Reds” in a Cold War-frightened America. He destroyed freedom in the process and yet, he had a rabid base that believed anything he said, even after he was discredited. He was a Senator from 1947 until 1957 and wielded incredible power in his heyday.
Now, look at how Trump and his base of fanatics and lost, angry, gullible, or hate-filled people. Hearing their interviews is unreal. Trump convinced them (because they WANT to believe) that he is the Second Coming. These people are armed and see ‘dying for Trump’ as a near-religious experience.
Trump knows that when he leaves the immunities of the Office of the President, he could be arrested. Certainly, he will be sued from dozens of angles. This is a major reason why he is hanging on and considering giving himself a Presidential Pardon.
Out of office, Trump will still wield serious power in the Republican Party. Do not forget that he won 74 million votes! (Biden won more than 80 million.)
The Republicans in the US Senate know the power of 74 million votes. They are afraid of Donald Trump. In two short years, the mid-term elections will happen.
If Trump is a kingmaker, the Republicans will be forced to place their party above their duty to the citizens of the country. They will not pass laws that help the nation. They will follow Trump’s instructions.
Trump may well control the purse strings for Republicans running in the mid-term elections in 2022. A word from Trump against a Republican running for political office is bad news. It can mean blood-thirsty mobs outside of people’s homes, death threats, and the loss of Party support.
I’m done with vaccines and Trump! It is Christmastime and I want to have holiday fun! As I prepare for the yuletide and auld lang syne and make sure I do nothing to make frightened, macho cops shoot me, I want to keep the joy of the season in my heart.
