What to make of the Republican Convention
As half of the USA gets ready to relish in what they intend to be the first coronation of an American king-in-the-making, let’s the rest of us reflect, put it in perspective, and explore what we can do. As their pomp and self-assurance of a landslide victory resonates through their echo chambers, let it spark through the land an outcry of quiet rage not easily measured in polls or pundits.
Trump’s assassination attempt has unleashed a rash of social media memes invoking religion and faith in a way that is nothing short of perverse – and to some of us repulsive. The outlandish attribution of the near miss to a miracle of the Almighty or the intervention of the Virgin Mary is yet another anointment of Trump as Cyrus, the non-believer Persian King who is seen by Judeo-Christians as a “flawed vessel for good”. This comparison conveniently explains away all of Trump’s evidently sinful behavior, and now can even position him as a converted Savior, not unlike Alexander the Great. It is interesting to note that some saw this coming as far back as 2018:
https://www.vox.com/identities/2018/3/5/16796892/trump-cyrus-christian-right-bible-cbn-evangelical-propaganda
Thus it becomes literally impossible to rationally converse with those that believe in St. Trump. To them, it is an article of faith that Trump will save us from the heathens – the Democrats.
What are we to do?
- First, stop. Just stop arguing with them. Or trying to convince them of anything. Don’t respond to the memes or counterpunch with social media responses. Let them soak in their own imaginary ecstacy of a new scriptural Revelation.
Do affirm to anyone all across the political spectrum – who will listen ‘in good faith’ – the reality of the most likely trajectory of a MAGA administration. This can be done unemotionally, and with the expectation that to some this will sound like good, positive changes in a new christian Nationalist nation. (The lower case “c” is intentional. They abuse the term Christian and thus I will not call them such).
And what exactly is that trajectory? What are some pragmatic and practical likelihoods of what a MAGA administration may bring? (I am intentionally leaving out the hottest of hot issues – abortion and Gaza – to focus on other more mundane stuff). Here’s what a MAGA makeover if the USA will look like:
- The end of health care coverage for people under 26 years old that are still dependent on their parents. (Yes, that coverage is a marquee item of ObamaCare).
- Elimination of federal funding for the arts, to match the MAGA states doing so already. (See what DeSantis just did in Florida; he literally ‘zeroed out’ arts funding).
- Do away with the Department of Education. (And revert all education decisions to the States, without any federal oversight. Think eliminating special programs for special needs children, i.e.: autism).
- Stop funding anything related to environmental protection or climate science. (Instead welcome rampant construction of coastal areas for the benefit of short term profits of developers).
- The above would include de-fund NOAA. (This would leave weather forecasting in the hands of the private sector, including the likes of Elon Musk).
- Focus on oil industry exploration. (And minimize any research of alternative energy, electric cars, or solar panels, and heavily fund highway construction and eliminate funding for public transportation).
- Disregard any federal requirements for building work-force housing. (Instead, fund luxury mega projects through tax benefits for oligarch international developers).
- Drastically reduce any federal grants for cities to deal with the challenges of homelessness, mental health, childcare, and other ‘social safety net’ measures. (Instead, conveniently rely on “charity and church organizations” to handle these ‘problems’).
And most surely:
- Dismantle the two party system, installing in its place a one party system where MAGA rules all aspects of the bureaucracy. This will include making it very difficult for any political party – other than the MAGA party – to certifiably win any elections; and, demand loyalty and allegiance to the President from mundane bureaucrats throughout the whole government infrastructure, from school boards and election boards to scientists and regulators. (This will be a return to the worst of the old days of the patronage system of Chicago, New York, and the Deep South).
I am convinced that given these dire times, there is an undercurrent of quiet rage in America that will not stay silent November 5th. I sense a collective outrage that may not be manifested in social media memes or outlandish public comments. But rather it is an outrage of underlying distaste for what a MAGA administration would bring – a visceral, “it does not seem right” feeling that leaves a bad taste in the mouth. This quiet rage will increase in intensity and numbers as MAGA’s true colors continue to come out and we get closer to election day. And, this quiet rage will spark a voter turnout like never seen before; a voter turnout that will unite many in saying NO to MAGA. We will win. (The MAGAs will not accept that victory. But that is for another essay).
Do you have other practical and pragmatic anecdotes of what a MAGA administration will bring to change the USA? Email me and I will continue curating the list over the next few months.
Reemberto
Reemberto@gmail.com