It’s difficult to settle on which is worse: the fact that one of the two major political parties in this country has willfully abandoned its powers of critical thought, or the fact that so many millions of Americans have chosen to follow that party as it leaps off the cliff, into an abyss of ignorance.
Witnessing our fellow Americans succumb to the cult of personality that Donald Trump has spun around himself, as he has scurried about, collecting in his web some of the worst human specimens this country has produced—people with no sense of moral obligation toward the nation, people who countenance the betrayal of the country’s founding principles, people willing and almost desperately eager to believe any lie, no matter how outrageous or self-destructive—is a dispiriting experience, to say the least.
Watching a convention made of up venal sycophants and self-interested grifters like those put on display Monday (and now Tuesday) night is to painfully bear witness to just how degraded this nation has become, in such a short period of time. That we are forced to watch the likes of Donald Trump, Jr., his girlfriend, that lawsuit-happy, race-baiting couple, and Eric Trump, among others—human beings lacking any visible merit—paraded in front of screens as creatures somehow worthy of attention, admiration, and respect is, for many of us, nausea-inducing.
And tonight, and the next night, it will get worse, as the parade of these people continues with its toxic spew of lies and its crazed, worshipful obsequiousness toward the worst human being ever to occupy the Oval Office, if not any elective office. By the end of the week any person possessing even a hint of decency would feel more than a little soiled by the whole experience. It is depressing, yes. But mostly it is downright embarrassing. Being forced to endure such truly bad people in positions of relative power makes us embarrassed—for a moment—to be Americans.
But the reality is that these people are not the majority. We are. And Joe Biden gets that.
From 11:22 PM, Monday night:
So as Trump’s shitshow of indecency continues tonight, just remember that we all have work to do. Donate, call, write, and contribute your time and energy toward getting out the vote (voting starts in just a few weeks, you know). Don’t be distracted by this garbage convention or its garbage people. It’s intended to demoralize us, but if anything it really should strengthen our resolve to kick these people out of office for good.
As Vice President Biden says: “Just stay focused.”