America is in Civil War II. It's not a Hot War with two immediately recognizable, uniformed armies, but it is happening. When you -- in 2016 -- have a portion of the population that says Slavery should never have been abolished, you know there's a problem.
We can discuss all day about Today's Fort Sumter -- was it the day Donald Trump announced? Election night 2008? The 1994 Midterm Elections? Nixon's Election? The Signing of the Civil Rights Act?
Or was it April 10th, 1865? The day after Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox? It is clear to me now that just like WWI left many dangerously dangling loose ends (seeds were laid for the rise of Hitler, Franco and Mussolini; the breakup of the Ottoman Empire turned out to be a spectacular failure) as did WWII (the Soviet domination of Eastern Europe; the breakup of Korea) nothing was settled at the conclusion of the physical portion of the Civil War.
The ideologies of white supremacy and emancipation from “Northern Aggression” still beat within the hearts of many Americans. They're not all from the South. They're not even all White. But there is the feeling that they are puppets on a string being manipulated by a variety of forces: The Media. The Corporations. The Universities. The Jewish Bankers. The Feminists. The Hippies. The Intellectuals. These Guys. Those Guys. Whoever. Everyone Who Doesn't Look Like Me.
I have talked with friends often this past year about Elizabeth Warren and why she didn’t run for president. Usually, the conversation always runs back in the same direction:”She knows she’s immediately get tagged as a Massachusetts Liberal. Look at Dukakis. The Kennedys. John Kerry. Hell, look at Mitt Romney.” And then we all sigh knowingly and go back to into a fan fiction discussion about what if John Oliver was legally able to run for president. (Along with more discussion about who would win in a fight between Superman and Thor. )
But the more I think about it — what IS wrong with being a “Massachusetts Liberal” ?? I mean, I admit on a sheer superficial level, this New Yorker sneers at the residents of the Bay State especially Bostonians in particular; but facts are facts: Massachusetts rates highly in almost every positive State metric you care to name, and low in almost all the negative ones. Who wouldn't want to live in a state like Massachusetts with high employment rates, a large percentage of college-degreed citizens, exposure to the arts, and a generally well-run economy?
Well, as it turns out, holy shit, LOTS of people. Our reddest states — West Virginia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Kansas, Alabama, Georgia — are states that consistently rank in the bottom 10 of positive state metrics. For years, liberals have labored under the perception that we have a story to tell, that we have a duty to -- like the old religious hymnal goes -- let our light shine. But lo, and behold, that story is one that doesn't travel well. One would have better luck trying to sell suntan lotion to Inuits. A monastery would do better to set up a recruitment booth at FSU. Obama spoke of conservatives clinging to bitterness, guns and religion, and was met with a hearty, "Yeah, so What?"
By the same token, Andrew Cuomo probably didn’t run because the only thing the South hates more than Massachusetts elites is the New York elites. Or maybe the San Francisco elites.
This is the country we live in. A country where they worship the image of a 1950s America that never was, or worse, an 1850s America that really was. For years, they've waited for someone like Donald Trump who would be their bold avatar. Hate Trump all you want, but the truth of the matter is, all he's done is turn the lights on, and revealed all the roaches in the kitchen. He didn't create them. Fox News didn't create them. Neither did Newt Gingrich, David Duke or Joseph McCarthy. They've Always Been There. It's like that horror movie whjere the lady receiving threatening phone calls finds out the calls are coming from inside the house.
It is apparent that we have reached a rubicon in this country. There's no going back. If a failed uprising from 150+ years ago hasn't been consigned to the ash bin of history by now, then it never will be. It is now apparent that we've simply been lucky in this country to not have the so-called "legitimate" extreme Right Wing forces take flight here as opposed to, say, National Front. But is also apparent that it was only a matter of time. Win or lose, Donald Trump has exposed an ugly truth: it's OK. Intolerance is OK. Rage is OK. Spite is OK. It's more than OK, it's your right as an American! Does this silver spoon clod really believe what he's spouting? Probably not, but that's OK too!
Trump has simply harnessed the collective anger that's out there, and it really wasn't hard to do. One reason why conservatives do so well in election is that the Base has a mania that equals religious fervor. They buy the books, the listen to the talk shows for hours on end, they watch Fox for hours on end, they scour the internet, they join clubs, they march and go to meetings and above all they run for office and vote in greater numbers than liberals. Sure they claim they hate all politicians and say the Republican party has let them down in so many ways, but at the end of the day, they pull the lever for the "R", just to be sure.
We will start to see more Donald Trumps appearing in state legislatures, and in Congress and in the governor's mansions. Look at Paul Le Page of Maine; it is now obvious from hindsight, that he was the ur-Trump. He spent his entire first term being hateful, ugly and despicable --- and he got voted back in again! Sam Brownback pretty much destroyed the economic well-being of Kansas -- and he got voted back in again! And Scott Walker appears to possess Keith-Richards-level. What are liberals and progressives supposed to do with that kind of attitude?!?! In a future diary, I will talk about why I’m for Hillary and partly its because, while I respect the hell out of Sanders, a revolution like the one he’s suggesting doesn’t stand a chance against such blinding, white-hot rage.
I personally believe we are closer to seeing President Donald Trump and Vice President Sarah Palin than any reasonable person can possibly imagine. If not now, then twenty years from now for certain.
The War's not over yet. However, the cease-fire may soon be at an end.