That's the sound of my head exploding!
The day Mr. Trump first called for Obama's birth certificate, the lowness of my opinion for him was confirmed. I already considered him a self absorbed, humorless, task master. Then the Birther bombast suggested minimal education and racist leanings. President? Was he joking?
Yet, they clamored, calling for Trump, even after his histrionic mimic of the disabled reporter. Were they joking?
That should have been enough. But even after:
- Muslim registry and/or deportation (and now, possible registration)
- Wall along 2000 mile Mexican border, paid for by Mexico
- Pussy grabbing privilege
- Climate Change = Chinese hoax
- Blacks lazy
- Mexican illegals rapists and murderers
- Must I go on?!?
And, strangely, I understand why. In a misguided belief that Trump would, somehow, bring about the change that Bernie Sanders outlined in his campaign, a lot of these people looked past all of the ugliness, with an ends-justify-the-means mentality. They believed in a kind of magic that would, somehow, transform this egotistical, bigoted, misogynist, tyrant into a savior and champion of the underprivileged and forgotten masses.
It's said you can cook a frog, in a open pan, by increasing the temperature of the broth so gradually, the frog expires before it realizes it's being boiled alive. The so called "1%" has been turning up the temperature, under the middle class, for decades. The fire, in this case, consists of special interest lobbyists, news media propaganda, heinous supreme court decisions (such as "Citizen's United"), and all the obfuscation that money can buy.
I experienced some of this first hand. During my engineering career, I was, as time went by, asked to do more for less pay, asked to work overtime for regular pay, and downsized more times than I care to remember. When the industrial age began, workers were pushed to their physical limits. People were literally worked to death. Any objections were met with termination--after all, there were plenty more stiffs out there, vying for a job. It wasn't until the working class grew a pair and organized, that conditions improved. It was the Democrats, led by the likes of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who ushered in the middle class. Social reform, it was called. A chicken in every pot. Basically, human decency.
A slice of Corporate America has, since, eroded some of that away. The Trump administration, if implemented a promised, will dissolve most of the rest. There is a fine line between actual slavery and the kind of employment dreamed of my the common, greedy industrialist. The Trump supporters think Trump will bring back the middle class. Really? Why? He's a billionaire (allegedly), born with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth. What's in it for him?!?
