Ichabod's Kin
A place for politics, pop culture, and social issues

          So we’ll own our disappointment, rest up and wait till the dust clears. But no whining and no quitting. Crisis always includes opportunity.

          And no finger-pointing. If ever a political campaign was done well and deserved success, it was the one that had the farthest to go in the briefest of time. Better to embrace the alternative that keeps its head high and makes by far the fewest mistakes.

          Kamala’s remark on “The View” that she couldn’t think of anything she would change in the Biden administration, was a misstep. And maybe calling Trump a fascist should have been he “talks” like a fascist, which he does. Strike both of those and he still would have won.

          The country is in thrall to a cult leader, he won, and I say to them: get back to me in a year and see how that’s workin’ for ya; live with what all he said and promised and ask, can a nation really thrive on vitriol, vulgarity, violence, book banning, enemies’ lists and a Clown Car of a cabinet? I think not. Sadly, all of us will pay the price for it, but there will come a reckoning.

          There’s a long view to history. Lose democracy and the world will turn to darkness. For now, Trump can do no wrong—until he will. He’ll go farther than we imagine. But free reign comes with the biggest pitfall of all: Aristotle’s notion that those who have all they need to own the world, ultimately do themselves in. I.e., pride goeth before a fall. And those who have a Bible with his name stamped on it are reading the wrong book. Regardless of his current triumph, he’s everything that is wrong with America, and he will disgrace it all and voters will learn the lesson of the choice they made.

          The lean to the right by certain Latinos obscures that the majority remains Democratic and progressive, and macho-men will soon be reminded wherein real strength resides. The Black male cohort that feels a woman of their own color is unfit to lead forget, when the foot of the White oppressor was on their necks, humiliating and killing them, who it was who held their heads, picked up the pieces and kept the people together. And young men who feel threatened by feminism and hope for a return to the world of Mad Men will not see strong women disappear; that cat is out of the bag.

          All whom Trump called names, insulted their spouses and families, and ruined their careers—are rushing back to his good graces. Some minorities simply want to go where they think the opportunity is, that’s human nature, but they’re selling their souls to do so. The man who lost the respect of those who filled his last administration will repeat his blunders, and worse, to the amazement of his followers. A leopard does not change its spots.

          Don’t fault Kamala. And don’t blame Joe—he saved the day last time and did so well it was plausible that he should try again, but the vagaries of age intervened at the worst possible time: a fateful, undeserved intrusion on the political moment.

          Yet everything needed to restore sanity is already in place—all the movements large and small, the surge of woman-power, the nonprofits and charities that came into being since Trump’s first accession, are there. There was and is nothing wrong with all of that. MAGA world did everything wrong in 2020, said, “Hey, that didn’t work, so let’s do it again!”—and won the day.

Women especially will continue their rise in influence and power, and those who disrespect themselves and will put up with lesser men are free to endure abuse, neglect and second-class citizenship. It’s their choice, and a bad one. Let the dust settle and next steps will become clear. But apathy, discouragement and the blame-game must find no harbor. Stand up for all we’ve long believed in; be strong allies to minorities who will suffer right-wing fallout and join voters of the future in disowning what will become a flame-out from misrule.

And by the way, it’s been a year of surprises, and more may yet come. Karma bites when least suspected.

(John Burciga may not always be right, but he’s never wrong. But when challenged to a duel, he always opts for snowballs in August)