Why I am actually hopeful . . . .
. . . . even in the face of all the pain we are currently experiencing.
This is all nothing more than my own opinion.
I believe the country is stronger than Donald and his gang of thugs. I believe there are more than enough people in our country to push back on anyone and everyone playing footsies with Putin, Donald notwithstanding.
I think what we're really seeing now is the corrosion of the GOPee at the hands of Donald's self serving ways. The relentless chaos is a mask. It allows Donald to throw enough dirt into the waters of civility to create mud. Thick, dirty mud.
Instead of numbing the citizenry, they're disgusting them. No good can come of all this, no matter how much the likes of Jim Jordan and Mark Meadows try to keep their ball in play. And every tweet from Donald accomplishes little more than underscoring the notion that people just want him to shut the fuck up.
Meanwhile, we have people who were once and still our political adversaries making common cause with us against them. They would be the GOP/Former GOP Never Trumpers. I recall, back when he first announced but even before the first debate, a GOP friend gave my daughter and me bright blue T-shirts that had, in large letters on the chest, "Fuck Trump."
The GOPee incumbents know their days of wine, roses, and power are lit by a dimming, setting sun. The Never Trumpers are rooting for the Democrats. The Democrats are looking stronger than a typical New Prez/First Midterm election cycle.
When Democrats get back some power, they will - righteously - shun the Freedumb Caucus wackadoodles, but accomplish a fair bit by "regular order" in concert with the sane wing of the GOP. And they will infill with bricks and rebar every window the Russians opened into our election system. At the same time, a reform to election laws will see an end to the easy, nefarious hacks and fucking-withs. Then there's Gerry, who will no longer be as mandered.
Meanwhile, Fox Nooz may well have overplayed their hand pretty badly. Even now we see them commonly named in not a good way in connection with all of the Donald-centric kookiness. Sean Hannity (who, by the way, has really put in a LOT of weight) is named as Donald's muse, adviser, and field general. That will eventually undercut them to the public. MSNBC will continue to be seen as equally partisan for the left (not true, but oh well), leaving CBS, NBC, and ABC to be purveyors of more honest news. The big winner will be CNN, who will be seen as more neutral than any other cable news station.
Going forward to 2020, Donald, having sidestepped indictment and a stillborn impeachment, will lose a primary to Kasich or maybe even Mitt. Kasich is too heavy handed with his "both sides bad" bullshit. Mitt will be seen as a loser. On our side, Corey Booker and Kamala Harris will wage an honorable final primary race, with one ending up as President and the other as Veep. Martin O'Malley will place a close third, with all others falling by the wayside early so as to present the country with an unbruised, cohesive slate of candidates.
Beyond that, Democrats will govern with a spirit of inclusion and respect for the former GOP, which will have little choice but to rename and rebrand themselves, leaving the empty, smoldering shell to Freedumb nutters and other kooks, misfits, court jesters, camp followers, and hangers-on - the debris and detritus of 150-odd years of increasing diminution.
For us mere mortals, we can once again have civilized conversations with those who share a common goal and common good, but differ in the ways to achieve it. Compromise will cease being a dirty word, once again.
Good lord, but I hope I'm right. Even partly right. Or at least I can dream.
= new reply since forum marked as read
