United States of America - Where Are We?
If you scan social media like Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok you’ll encounter a seemingly endless feed of meme’s and videos spewing hatred or content aimed at Donald Trump or any number of his cabinet members and right-leaning congressmen/women. I know I’ve personally shared many of them rather than write more of the same thing. After all, my voice and input isn’t going to add anything new to the narrative or become the magic pill that effects change.
But here’s the thing that puzzles me about that. Given the steadily increasing amount of vitriol, one might think that in the aggregate, the senators and representatives in Congress would have taken the measure of it all and dealt with the Trump administration by dismantling it. But that hasn’t happened. Yes, some Federal Judges temporarily put a stop to his schemes, but the truly damaging aspects of his actions: the war in Iran, the insane tariffs, the defunding of programs that are actually hurting people, and his undeniably inane propaganda continue unchecked. Of course, the King Kong sized gorilla in the room – the Epstein Files – is still there despite MAGA’s attempts to foment diversions.
Bill Clinton was subjected to impeachment hearings stemming from having had an illicit affair. Richard Nixon faced the same thanks to Watergate and only escaped an ignominious exit due to his resignation and ultimate pardon by Gerald Ford. Put both of those things on one side of the scales of justice and the deeds of Trump on the other. The latter would create a resounding thud as it hit the floor. What does that tell you about where we stand as a country?
Republican lawmakers have clearly demonstrated bold-faced cowardice in allowing our country to spiral out of control, reducing our stature on the world stage from the leading nation of the free world to a circus staffed by evil-minded clowns. The math doesn’t quite add up either. According to estimates posted by the University of Florida, as of 2024, there were roughly 224.7 million eligible voters in the United States. Trump received 77.3 million votes and Kamala Harris 75 million. That leaves 72.4 million voters who remained silent in the last presidential election. It’s interesting to consider the direction the election might have taken had that missing element actually voiced their opinion. If you believe in the goodness of the American people, you’d have to think that within that body of non-voters, the result would have skewed in favor of Harris. To think the opposite would be to realize that as a country, we’ve stepped onto a very dark path.
Republican Senators hold 53 of the 100 seats, and Republican Congressmen hold 218 of the 435 – those are not overwhelming imbalances. If even a small number of people angry with the way the Trump administration is operating made the time and effort to prevail upon their elected Republican officials then it’s possible to think something proactive might have taken place since January 2025. This has not happened, and all I hear now is “let’s see what happens with the mid-terms.” If, after November, the balance changes in favor of the Democratic party and still nothing changes, then I’d say it’s case closed for the United States.
As for how we’re operating now, you have to think MAGA adherents are the driving force of our political machinery. If you took the number of non-voters and distributed them evenly between Republican and Democrat you could still say the total MAGA population would constitute less than 50% of the party. After all, it’s safe to say that every MAGA is a Republican, but not every Republican is MAGA, which means the tail is wagging the dog.
I hate to think our future is bleak. If the Republicans somehow manage to maintain their strangle hold on American politics and foreign relations, then we face being sucked into a black hole. If the Democrats regain control, it will take years if not decades to rebuild what’s been dismantled or destroyed and to restore our credibility with our allies and trading partners.
Doing a deeper dive into the 2024 election’s non-voters, statistics posted by Pew Research show that 30% of the non-voters or 21.6 million people were aged from 18 to 29, mostly Gen Z youths who remained silent. The next 26 million comprised the tail end of Gen X but mostly Millennials. About half of non-voters were white, from lower income families with only a high school education or less. In fact, 23 of the 31 states Trump carried rank in the lowest half of the most and least educated states. Only two of the lower half states voted for Harris. It’s not hard to understand how the Trump administration’s colossally successful propaganda campaigns have taken root. Something not really seen since Hitler’s 1930s rise to power with Joseph Goebbels leading the way. I’m not suggesting that people with less education are stupid - that's not measured by what degree you have, but less education will result in the likelihood of not grasping the finer points of a situation and be more easily convinced by targeted rhetoric and outright lies. Say a lie often enough and less educated people will start to believe it as truth.
Well, as I mentioned earlier, the mid-terms are around the corner. If you were one of the voters who failed to turn out – DON’T DO THAT AGAIN! If you think America will somehow survive as the country you grew up enjoying, then you’re ignoring how it can just as easily go the other way. Take a look at past empires: The Roman Empire, the Mongol Empire, The Ottoman Empire, the British Empire, and Tsarist Russia, all once formidable and now gone.
It’s time to wake up. Tik tock...
Source: United States of America - Where Are We?
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