I thought Trump's campaign was over when he said what he did about POWs. After that didn't happen, I felt that nothing would ever turn off his supporters. I'm surprised he won in 2016 and that it was as close as it was this time. Donald Trump has himself acted like I thought he would for the last 4 years but I did not expect that he would, even after losing, have such unwavering support among Republicans. I think we'll be done with Trump himself very soon but I dread what's to come more than ever.
I saw Ralph Nader speak somewhere in Austin in 2002. I remember him comparing W to Nixon and saying that he never would've imagined that we'd be looking back at Nixon with nostalgia. Fuck Ralph for 2000 and the wars, but he was right that things can always get worse. The right wing bullshit "news" machine makes money. It's state media that doesn't need to be propped up by the state. It's only getting worse as the people that consume it are getting more insular, not to mention growing in number. Packed courts, gerrymandered districts, and disproportionate power for rural voters because of the makeup of the Senate and Electoral College are going to continue to work against us along with the right wing disinformation machine. In 2022, we might experience a Republican wave since we'll be the party in the White House in a mid-term. In 2024, Republicans are apt to nominate someone every bit as awful as Trump but that's much less of a bungling idiot. Democrats need to sell a vision that will help the lives of regular people. We'll never win the way we need to to implement real change by just not being Republicans.