Asleep at the Wheel

 Ever had a toddler who anticipates their big birthday party, and all the pre-birthday excitement becomes too much, causing them to crash during the party?  Perhaps they fall asleep during the special movie they've wanted to see for so long.

Well, we have a President who has been napping in the middle of events more and more often. It's all become a bit too much for our 79-year-old leader.  

I guess the military parade was not what he imagined in his head.  Crowds were sparse, performances were lackluster; even those government officials who felt their attendance was mandatory seemed bored and disinterested.  This was just something they had to get through to please the boss.

His behavior since the parade has been atrocious.  He refused to call Governor Tim Walz to offer condolences for the targeted assassination there of Democratic Minnesota legislators, and made clear his partisan disdain for Walz.  His brief day at the G7 summit was filled with ridiculous misinformation, and most of the other leaders treated him as senile Grandpa at the Senior Home.  

He left the G7 summit that evening, claiming he had to get back to do something in connection with the Israel-Iran situation. Many thought that this meant America was about to enter the conflict, and some vital decisions had to be made.  It turns out that it was just an excuse to leave the conference early. 

He announced via social media that he planned to target Democratic cities for ICE, the National Guard, and the military to harass.  It's hard to say what the point is.  Does he think he can topple, coup-like, Democratic voting results?  Or is this just nasty, authoritarian-style revenge?  

It's hard to say what the orange conman really intends with Iran.  Are we only supplying weapons?  Will service members get involved?  Air Force?  Drones? Ground troops? Israel and the US are playing a dangerous game, one that could easily lead to WW3.

The President is unraveling, and we still have three and a half more years to go.

There is no easy way through this.  If TACO were gone (out of office, for whatever reason), there would be no prizes in the Crackerjack box.  The uncharismatic JD Vance is nothing more than a vessel for the billionaire tech bros, especially Vance's mentor, Peter Thiel. Trump only believes in himself, the billionaire bros actively hate democracy, and want to lead us into a place of technoauthoritarianism, a pseudo-libertarianism that primarily benefits the super-wealthy class.  Next in line is Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, a devout Christian Nationalist who would replace democracy with theocracy.

Our only hope is that the midterms are honestly conducted, and that the opposition wins a majority in the House and the Senate. That's no guarantee of stopping a fascist lunatic who doesn't listen to any power source except his own executive actions, but it's a start.

But we have so much time for things to go terribly wrong.  Every day, the world becomes more unravelled.

Trump's strength comes from his voting base.  That strain of right-wing nuttery that's always been a part of politics, but hasn't always been our dominant thread. Until that hold breaks, we are in for a very rocky ride.

Help me feel better about America.  If you voted for Trump, particularly in 2024, and you have finally seen the light, please let me know.  Give me some hope in this frightening alternate reality we've stumbled into.

Don't stay asleep at the wheel.  Wake up and help us bring an end to this nightmare.

Until next time,

T. M. Strait