Month: November 2020

So, we had an election. The presidential loser is having his predictable temper tantrum, spouting lies and fraudulently claiming fraud. As we’ve seen of his personal psychology, he will even more desperately seek the attention and adulation of his followers, retribution against his “enemies,” and new streams of cash. He seems quite aware that social media attention is garnered by controversy rather than reality, so he will continue to sow doubt about the election and foment unrest. It may be the only way he can claim (in his own mind) relevance and significance. Service and the common welfare are alien to his considerations.

Followers of this authoritarian loser are in disbelief, having believed the self-aggrandizement of their Dear Leader, and appalled that Republicans’ egregious jerrymandering and voter suppression did not work as well as planned. Devoted haters of the Democratic Party have joined Russian trolls in their attacks on anything Democratic. The Republican machine of the reactionary right is fomenting disinformation and hoaxes, which are eagerly believed by groomed minions. Meanwhile, the majority of people of not only this country but of democratic countries of the world have breathed a sigh of relief that America can re-join efforts at facing serious problems under which we will all suffer if unaddressed, and that the aristocratic oligarchic kleptocracy has loosened its death grip on our politics. These are generalities, to be sure, but they are, nevertheless, generally true.

The losing president and his base, however, will continue to engage in their incestuous dance, each amplifying the self-serving obsessions of the other. Trump will try to be what he thinks his base wants – to reflect and amplify their fear, distrust, ignorance – justifying their amoral and anti-social inclinations with more justifications of hatred, greed, retribution, and even violence.

Unfortunately, some portion of our relieved citizenry will fall back into complacency, thinking that things have been set right, that a few powerful people on their side will make things OK, and that America has returned to its senses. This is the complacency that led to the last four years’ adventure into our chaos, global decline, and the corporate swamp.

The Democratic Party and its new regime are certainly preferable to what we’ve had over the last few years but it will, nevertheless, have to prove its worthiness. Promises and vision are not enough. And they will face the automatic obstruction that reactionary forces have had on meaningful service to ordinary citizens while the economic elite gathers yet more wealth.

As for me, it’s disappointing that we came as close as we did to a further descent into fascist authoritarianism fueled by fear, anger, racism, xenophobia, misogyny, homophobia, religious bigotry, and anti-science ignorance. A significant battle has been won, but big money still profits from social injustice. Theocratic authoritarianism still lurks around the edges of “conservative” efforts at obstruction and control. These malevolent forces are, at the moment, defeated but remain unabated.

Vigilance, education, transparency, and honesty are the price of our freedom, along with prosecution of those who would seek power and wealth in violation of common social values and law.

The Biden-Harris win, as significant as it is in so many ways, like Obama’s, is likely to create yet another backlash of the gullible, fearful, angry citizenry that is easily manipulated by propaganda machines. They must be dealt with firmly, without demonizing them. Legitimate grievances must be heard. Malevolent sources of disinformation must be disempowered – not by force but by the power of truth and by the efforts of people of sound mind and good heart.

Ignorance can be educated; mistakes can be forgiven; but malevolence must be called out, contained, and disempowered.

One side of the political divide has been shaken and its beliefs challenged. The other side’s world appears to have been restored. Both are illusions that call for serious conversation, honesty and a restoration of science, reality, and hard work to hammer out solutions that will benefit us all in the long run. The decisions and solutions of this time will have consequences far into the future.

As Vice-President-Elect Harris said, this is a nation of possibilities. We saw how close we came to some of the worst of those possibilities in the dying regime’s unbridled ambition to serve Wall Street, corporate greed, and religious extremists.

Not only is Donald Trump a sociopathic malignant narcissist, but he also displays a trait known to victims of abuse. This dynamic is the process of “grooming” his victims to come under his influence while he violates common social mores in his treatment of them – making them think he has special regard for them as he degrades them. Even with several years of revelation of his unbalanced, irrational, anti-social, and self-serving behaviors, his followers have continued to vigorously support him.

Like any abusive predator, dictator, fascist, or general authoritarian, this president has been persistently grooming his followers for this moment with claims of having been aggrieved by the press and by political “enemies.” He claims to be the sole source of reliable information and anyone who disagrees with him is declared “false” – despite evidence to the contrary. He has persecuted or purged anyone under his power who has not fallen into line with his personal perspective and authority. This makes personal loyalty to him the measure of “patriotism.” What’s more, his followers have embraced his character defects as virtue. Morality and mental health have been turned upside down. He calls for “law and order” while fomenting anarchy.

I’ve addressed some of the connection between Trump and his followers in my earlier “Cult 45” blog essay. Another part of the dynamic cementing his followers to him is his stance of being aggrieved.

His aggrieved delusions have led to his claim that, if the election does not go his way, he has been cheated. He has engineered flagrant violations of law and various constitutional provisions (with the collusion of his attorney general), and has normalized lies, disinformation, unhinged conspiracy theories, name-calling, disrespect, and demonization of any who disagree with him. Opponents have become “enemies.” Diversity of thought and skin color have become unpatriotic. His failures are the fault of others and he demands retribution. Religious posturing is used to garner support and establish the idea that being against him is being against his god.

All leaders have a choice about which emotions they want to arouse in their followers – expansive and inclusive appreciation, or distrust, anger, fear, and hatred. It’s clear he plays on the divisive, rancorous, angry, and fearful emotions of his followers, stirring up noise that drowns out not only the voices with alternative ideas, but also their own ability to rationally evaluate what is happening around and to them.

He evidently sees the whole world as his enemy, except for those few dictatorial world leaders who have not outright criticized him. I suspect he not only envies their autocracy, but is acting out his own father issues – a much large topic than we can do justice to here.

Thus, if things do not go the way he wants them to, followers are justified in taking violent and disruptive actions to “restore law and order.” This conceit of being a “law and order” regime means that his word is law (ala Richard Nixon’s claim that, if the president does it, it’s not illegal).

He fears and therefore suppresses institutions that foster objectivity and reality such as genuine news outlets and scientists since they violate his self-aggrandizing narratives. This is part of the cult mentality: the narrative is defined by the Dear Leader, loyalty becomes a substitute for morality and patriotism, boundaries are drawn, and rancor is directed at anyone outside of the fold, with compromise depicted as betrayal. It is not surprising that his followers react with outrage when justice prevails or when things (like elections) do not go his way. His loss is their loss. Gaslighting, lies, and diversionary blame replace rationality, reality, morality, and law. His followers are as much his victims as his “enemies” – although many are willing victims because they share his aggrieved mentality. If Trump wins, we might expect retribution; if not, retaliation.