Trump is good for us, actually

Ok maybe that's an overstatement but stay with me...

Back in 2015, the first time there was existential panic and dread from my then-somewhat-newly found liberal political friends and media influences, a friend and I had a conversation that went something like this:

Me: OMG the world is about to end.

Friend: I kinda doubt it.

Me: But Donald Fucking Trump is the President of the US. How can you possibly resist panicking?

Friend: Because we deserve it.

Me: um…what?

Friend: He is essentially the mascot of what we have become as a nation.

Over the past eight years I’ve thought a lot about that observation and you know what? I think he was right.

Let me explain.

What you’ve seen over the past couple of months, I’m guessing, is a nonstop stream of headlines and social media posts with words like “king, dictator, fascist, end of democracy, camps for your enemies, new Hitler, etc.” Well, while it’s possible, I suppose, that one day soon I’ll be writing this either from or to a camp for dissidents I’m here to tell you that this scenario isn’t especially likely.

That’s the good news, I suppose. I don’t know if anyone recalls but this dummy was president for four years not too long ago. Did he suddenly transform to a petty, bombastic, know-nothing to the new very organized and focused Hitler in four years, as he nosed up to his 80s? I mean, again, I’m gonna say it’s unlikely.

Here’s the bad news though. Hopefully this doesn’t come as a surprise.

The Democratic Party is actually quite evil. Are you afraid that Trump is going to deport a lot of people? Good God he’s got a long way to go to match Obama and Biden in deportations.

Afraid of Trump destroying free speech protections? Biden’s justice department prosecuted a Black Communist organization, forcibly ejected journalists from press rooms, and while Julian Assange was freed from prison it was only after he pled guilty, essentially, to the crime of journalism. Meanwhile Edward Snowden remains in exile in Russia for the crime of exposing government surveillance on American citizens.

That’s not to even get in to somewhat controversial (and largely unpublicized) revelations of the administration’s pressure campaign of suppressing free speech on twitter.

Angry and afraid about a crackdown on women’s rights? The democrats have had control of the House, Senate and Presidency for a combined four years since the start of Obama’s presidency. They could have codified Roe v. Wade, but as Obama put it, it wasn’t a priority.

Afraid that Trump will bring us to world war? Biden brought us closer to nuclear war than at any time in the world’s history . Biden funded a disastrous, brutal war in Ukraine that has been essentially un-winnable (not to mention immoral) since the outset. Biden overthrew Syria’s bad-guy leader Bashar-al-Asad only to replace him with…the founder of Al Aeda in that country.

And let’s talk about Gaza for a moment, shall we? Biden’s shameful game of pretend diplomacy, accompanied by a blank check for destroying women and children. The stain of genocide will - and absolutely - always follow every member of this administration.

Here’s the thing. The absolute worst thing that Trump could visit on us all is the utter destruction Biden’s administration funded and cheerled (alone in the world, mind you) on Gaza.

Unless you buy into the idea that Palestinians/Muslims/Hamas/Innocent women and children are somehow different than, say white Christians from the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas, I’d be curious to hear a coherent explanation for what makes this different than firebombing our own citizens?

The reason we are being induced to fear Donald Trump is, as always, he gives a bad name to the establishment status quo. He’s an embarrassment as key-holder to the empire. He says the quiet part (that both parties believe) out loud. That’s why “never-Trump Republicans” can peacefully co-exist with blue-haired liberals.

But, lest we forget, it’s the same “never Trumpers” who are famous for being the same neo-cons who lied us into Iraq and Afghanistan. It’s the same maniacs who have been pushing for war with Iran since the early ‘90s. They are psychopaths who should absolutely never have been allowed to resurface from the swamps they crawled out of in the first place.

These neocons should never be listened to again. The problem is that they are. They are listened to by all liberals and even many on the left. It boggles the mind.

Friends, these people are not your friends.

And here’s where we get back to my somewhat overstated premise. Trump is good for us because he’s like a glass of cold water to the face for the sleepers. He’s a cup of God-forsaken truck stop coffee on a road trip. He’s a screaming siren as the flames come closer.

The mask is off.

And that’s a good thing because if you weren’t upset six months ago you were missing out. The world is not as it should be. Our tax dollars continue to be spent on making war. Vulnerable communities continue to be left behind. Families in what used to be the middle class are increasingly being left behind.

If you weren’t mad and in the streets before, well, now’s your time.

Only, let’s be honest about the real problem. Washington prioritizes war over free speech, over the rights of your trans neighbors, over the rights of women and children and even over your grocery bills.

That’s the problem, ya’ll. It’s not your Trumper family. It’s not even Trump himself. It’s our elected officials who wear different uniforms and pretend they aren’t playing the same game.

Might I suggest we reject both of them? A new world can be won, but these rotten war-mongers won’t win it for us.

So imagine Trump is a gift. Perhaps a gross, dangerous one you didn’t ask for, sure.

But if that’s what it takes for more people to wake up, then so be it.

In the meantime, let’s everyone take a breath. It was bad before. It’s bad now. But there are good people around you then and there are good people around you now. Lean in to your community. Trade fear and hate for love and mutual aid.

And don’t listen to a single war-monger from either side ever again.