Many Americans struggle to accept that democracy is young, fragile, and could actually collapse – a lack of imagination that dangerously blunts the response to the Trumpist Right
I grew up in a small, rural Indiana town not so long ago. My stepfather was a white supremacist, complete with Klan membership and gown & hood. My siblings & I were forced to listen to his hate filled rants at every meal. That is, when we weren’t being dragged to church 6 days a week as part of our mother’s adoption of an evilangelical cult’s agenda soaked in hate, fear, racism, bigotry and misogyny. It was hell.
Watching the country I served in uniform for ten years turn into a nationwide form of my childhood, of everything I tried to escape, has been devastating. I am not at all surprised though. Hate is an easy sell - it’s addictive and feeds on itself. Hate feels powerful and is far, far easier than paying attention, being self aware and doing the work of not blindly following anyone, of trying to contribute to society for the good of everyone.
Just imagine what amazing heights we could reach if all the energy put into hate, fear and hurting others was instead directed towards a just society for all. Will humanity ever do that? I hold out a sliver of hope but highly doubt it.
The dilemma of America's 2024 Presidential election so well described. In 2016 we were saved by Trump's utter incompetence and the fact that there were adults in the room during his Presidency. Thankfully the United States government was not destroyed. This time his underlings will be better equipped to do maximum damage: Democracy, Equality before the law, Rule of law, an unbiased civil service, - all will be gone. Guardrails gone. Trump admires Putin and Hitler. Both totally ruthless about getting rid of their enemies and rivals. To me people have to be real "low information" voters not to realize the stakes in this election.
What will be good for native-born white poor and working class people? Certainly not more military interventionism, mass immigration, free trade, and their communities literally rotting while coastal liberal elites are oblivious or worse, actively contribute to their social, economic, and demographic destruction. Your interests aren’t those of most of the country outside of power centers on both coasts, Hollywood and Wall Street.
Another point; Democracy is simply rule by money. All of you good liberals and ‘progressives’ are fine with corporations and the billionaire classes dominating the political process with their vast concentrated wealth as long as they support cultural and social liberalism, LGBTQ, or whatever is the new woke cause celebre. Personally, I would love to see Trump destroy this system utterly and completely.
If Trump gets into power and puts Elon Musk and Robert Kennedy in charge of the things he has promised them, he will destroy the US for everyone. Will the native-born white poor and working class people be eager to be battling Russia, Iran, Venezuela, North Korea and China, or do you think they will be buddies with Trump. Will we be attacked as a nation when we no longer have a military with leadership that can protect us? When we no longer have allies in NATO? Do you believe Putin is a trustworthy ally? And, do you think JD Vance, who seems to be backed by Billionaire Tech Bros to take over from Trump will be caring about the native-born white poor and working class people that he despises so much in his Hillbilly Elegy? Naive to think that Trump is more for the working class, which he is not part of than Harris. He cannot even learn a McDonalds job let along running the US. That means other people will be doing it for him. Are you a Christian Nationalist? Do you want to see porn gotten rid of? Be clear even if Trump is not a CN, he is planning on implementing a CN agenda. No one is benefitting from that. It will be like Afghanistan. Look at where their standing is in the world.
We should abolish NATO and remove all American troops and bases out of Europe and Asia. Germany, France, Britain are quite capable of defending themselves. We should be an honest broker in world affairs not a bullying hegemon. I don’t buy into your Putin da nu Hitlah’ narrative either. Russia is a regional power not a global superpower. Putin isn’t any threat to my freedoms or liberty but the political and business elites running the United States definitely are so on all levels.
Very important points you are making here Prof. Zimmer. I have been following you since you spoke to Democrats Abroad this year. I am currently living in Germany, so we have traded places. I traded places with you because I do have the imagination to envision what a second Trump term might mean for American democracy.
When I studied American history I did not even see Reconstruction as egalitarian as you are making it sound. My sense was a lot of promises were not fulfilled, you know the 40 acres and a mule, and yet, there were more Black men elected. There was not however, democracy for women or other groups. The point that sticks out to me is that too many people have their heads in the sand, or do not even have the experiential tools to see what is coming at them. That is both frustrating and a call to do something differently. My hopefulness has been that as I have heard people cry, "We are not going back," I believe if Trump wins, by hook, or crook, there are people who have a collective memory of the promise of America, who will wake up and fight to get it back.
I am a lawyer, member of the US Supreme Court Bar, and taught US history and government for 25 years. After repeated teachings of our nation's history aits many incarnations year after year for a quarter of a century, I agree with your article. We are indeed not immune to this incipient fascist virus. MAGA's desire to ban the teaching of slavery reminds me of my high school history text book in Dallas in the 1950s where there was a picture of "happy slaves dancing in the fields" along with laudatory tales of Civil War generals. As a Jew I was puzzled that there was no mention of Hitler's final solution and only two paragraphs about his beliefs. I also recall as a 6 year old having to "sign" a card pledging "I was not now nor had I ever been a member of a Communist group" in order to begin first grade. I fear my time with my students has not been deep enough to supplant FOX, NewsMax, Newsnation, Breitbart, Sinclair radio stations, the NY Post, Bill O'Reilly, Tucker Carlson, and on and on. Hopefully we get another reboot and Harris will prevail. But what then? Demand all citizens retake civics? And taught by whom?
Nice Substack as usual Thomas. Of course, it could happen here, it has already been happening over the past eight years. Here's my take, if I haven't shared before. It is based on my two award winning Trump books as summarized in a Podcast I recorded from the UK in July that was released last week in time for the November 5th election.
Thanks as always--especially for those comments about Shadi Hamid. As I tell all my German friends (I go there every year for a month) you are Germany's best import, including Zeiss lenses.
I believe Trump will do every evil and incompetent thing he promises, and voted accordingly. It just remains to be seen whether we can defeat Trump.
I grew up in a small, rural Indiana town not so long ago. My stepfather was a white supremacist, complete with Klan membership and gown & hood. My siblings & I were forced to listen to his hate filled rants at every meal. That is, when we weren’t being dragged to church 6 days a week as part of our mother’s adoption of an evilangelical cult’s agenda soaked in hate, fear, racism, bigotry and misogyny. It was hell.
Watching the country I served in uniform for ten years turn into a nationwide form of my childhood, of everything I tried to escape, has been devastating. I am not at all surprised though. Hate is an easy sell - it’s addictive and feeds on itself. Hate feels powerful and is far, far easier than paying attention, being self aware and doing the work of not blindly following anyone, of trying to contribute to society for the good of everyone.
Just imagine what amazing heights we could reach if all the energy put into hate, fear and hurting others was instead directed towards a just society for all. Will humanity ever do that? I hold out a sliver of hope but highly doubt it.
Prof Ruth Ben-Ghiat writes this tonight. She clearly has the imagination of what Trump's implementation of his Mass Deportations might look like. I have read others discussing the cost. https://open.substack.com/pub/lucid/p/trumps-mass-deportation-machine-in?r=f0qfn&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
The dilemma of America's 2024 Presidential election so well described. In 2016 we were saved by Trump's utter incompetence and the fact that there were adults in the room during his Presidency. Thankfully the United States government was not destroyed. This time his underlings will be better equipped to do maximum damage: Democracy, Equality before the law, Rule of law, an unbiased civil service, - all will be gone. Guardrails gone. Trump admires Putin and Hitler. Both totally ruthless about getting rid of their enemies and rivals. To me people have to be real "low information" voters not to realize the stakes in this election.
I read that Hamid piece in the Post this morning and was astounded at how blasé he was. I guess it was a Bezos-approved op-ed.
What will be good for native-born white poor and working class people? Certainly not more military interventionism, mass immigration, free trade, and their communities literally rotting while coastal liberal elites are oblivious or worse, actively contribute to their social, economic, and demographic destruction. Your interests aren’t those of most of the country outside of power centers on both coasts, Hollywood and Wall Street.
Another point; Democracy is simply rule by money. All of you good liberals and ‘progressives’ are fine with corporations and the billionaire classes dominating the political process with their vast concentrated wealth as long as they support cultural and social liberalism, LGBTQ, or whatever is the new woke cause celebre. Personally, I would love to see Trump destroy this system utterly and completely.
If Trump gets into power and puts Elon Musk and Robert Kennedy in charge of the things he has promised them, he will destroy the US for everyone. Will the native-born white poor and working class people be eager to be battling Russia, Iran, Venezuela, North Korea and China, or do you think they will be buddies with Trump. Will we be attacked as a nation when we no longer have a military with leadership that can protect us? When we no longer have allies in NATO? Do you believe Putin is a trustworthy ally? And, do you think JD Vance, who seems to be backed by Billionaire Tech Bros to take over from Trump will be caring about the native-born white poor and working class people that he despises so much in his Hillbilly Elegy? Naive to think that Trump is more for the working class, which he is not part of than Harris. He cannot even learn a McDonalds job let along running the US. That means other people will be doing it for him. Are you a Christian Nationalist? Do you want to see porn gotten rid of? Be clear even if Trump is not a CN, he is planning on implementing a CN agenda. No one is benefitting from that. It will be like Afghanistan. Look at where their standing is in the world.
We should abolish NATO and remove all American troops and bases out of Europe and Asia. Germany, France, Britain are quite capable of defending themselves. We should be an honest broker in world affairs not a bullying hegemon. I don’t buy into your Putin da nu Hitlah’ narrative either. Russia is a regional power not a global superpower. Putin isn’t any threat to my freedoms or liberty but the political and business elites running the United States definitely are so on all levels.
Very important points you are making here Prof. Zimmer. I have been following you since you spoke to Democrats Abroad this year. I am currently living in Germany, so we have traded places. I traded places with you because I do have the imagination to envision what a second Trump term might mean for American democracy.
When I studied American history I did not even see Reconstruction as egalitarian as you are making it sound. My sense was a lot of promises were not fulfilled, you know the 40 acres and a mule, and yet, there were more Black men elected. There was not however, democracy for women or other groups. The point that sticks out to me is that too many people have their heads in the sand, or do not even have the experiential tools to see what is coming at them. That is both frustrating and a call to do something differently. My hopefulness has been that as I have heard people cry, "We are not going back," I believe if Trump wins, by hook, or crook, there are people who have a collective memory of the promise of America, who will wake up and fight to get it back.
Still, I am hoping for a Blue wave, driven by women who are coming out to vote in large numbers. I am made hopeful today by the Substack Kamala4prez. https://kamala4prez.substack.com/p/5-reasons-for-hope
I am a lawyer, member of the US Supreme Court Bar, and taught US history and government for 25 years. After repeated teachings of our nation's history aits many incarnations year after year for a quarter of a century, I agree with your article. We are indeed not immune to this incipient fascist virus. MAGA's desire to ban the teaching of slavery reminds me of my high school history text book in Dallas in the 1950s where there was a picture of "happy slaves dancing in the fields" along with laudatory tales of Civil War generals. As a Jew I was puzzled that there was no mention of Hitler's final solution and only two paragraphs about his beliefs. I also recall as a 6 year old having to "sign" a card pledging "I was not now nor had I ever been a member of a Communist group" in order to begin first grade. I fear my time with my students has not been deep enough to supplant FOX, NewsMax, Newsnation, Breitbart, Sinclair radio stations, the NY Post, Bill O'Reilly, Tucker Carlson, and on and on. Hopefully we get another reboot and Harris will prevail. But what then? Demand all citizens retake civics? And taught by whom?
Nice Substack as usual Thomas. Of course, it could happen here, it has already been happening over the past eight years. Here's my take, if I haven't shared before. It is based on my two award winning Trump books as summarized in a Podcast I recorded from the UK in July that was released last week in time for the November 5th election.
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-purpose-made-podcast/id1558826869?i=1000673701538
In solidarity,
Gregg
Thanks as always--especially for those comments about Shadi Hamid. As I tell all my German friends (I go there every year for a month) you are Germany's best import, including Zeiss lenses.