The Pursuit of Happiness

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Donald Trump may be among all things a blessing. Scales have been removed from our eyes; institutions are naked in the public square, and he’s showing us that unregulated free market capitalism means more to our politicians than Democracy. Everything is for sale.

The Donald has taught us that we’re a nation where hefty numbers of residents are enjoyably addicted to despair and incapable of distinguishing between reality and reality TV. The only pain that matters is their pain, and it’s your fault that they feel it. These life experiences have prepared them to know everything there is to know about science, Constitutional law, civics, history, race relations, and how you ought to live your life.

Trump’s shown us that a plurality of Christian church leaders and followers will forgive anyone except people who follow and apply the Sermon on the Mount to their daily lives and civic expectations. Operationally, these churches have become indistinguishable from fast food franchises where members enjoy a limitless calendar of holidays from basic standards of morality and decency. Best of all, members get to hate both the sin and the sinner.

He’s taught us there are sizable numbers of Americans incapable of embarrassment. These fortunate souls see a turd floating in a punch bowl and call it a Popsicle. They agree that the 1,000,000 German cars made annually in the US are bad cars because they’re made by very bad – very, very bad – Germans. And we’ve learned that the Rule of Law depends on who pays for it.

The most obvious of Trump’s blessings, however, is showing us that the Democratic Party has built a wall – a great wall, a fantastic, super-duper wall – to defend against competence, relevance, and meaning. Instead of investigating Trump and Russia! Russia! – gosh, they sound just like Republicans shouting Benghazi! Benghazi! –Democrats should stop taking money from special interest groups, discover rural America, stop supporting endless unwinnable wars, and start promoting alternative policies and agendas that benefit people instead of their corporate masters. They can begin by campaigning to end corporate health care insurance subsidies and for a single-payer health care system.

DNC Chair Tom Perez, tear down that wall.

1 COMMENT

  1. With you on the single payer system. Expand Medicare. But am at a point where I wonder if there are enough Americans who want to ser past their own greed and self-interest and favorite dogma to either make sacrifices for or changes in the status quo.

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