On some great and glorious day the folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.
–H.L. Mencken
That day took place on November 3, 2020 when the American people elected Donald Trump to be President of the United States of America.
Mencken was right. As Secretary of State Rex Tillerson blurted out to colleagues as he exited his first major meeting with Trump, “The man’s a fucking moron.”
But he is a particularly dangerous moron, a convicted felon who led a conspiracy and attempt to overthrow the 2020 presidential election and with it the Constitution, and the Leader of an American fascist movement
which today seeks to take over the presidency and undermine the rule of law in the world’s oldest current democracy.
On Trump’s crimes, see,
Melissa Murray and Andrew Weissmann, The Trump Indictments; The Historic Charging Documents With Commentary (New York: W.H. Norton & Company, 2024).
How did America come to this point, in which a President of the United States, a man with an unblemished record of over 40 years, is constrained to enter into a modern-day gladiatorial contest with a dangerous convicted felon, in order to pursue re-election to the presidency in November, 2024?
One is reminded of the title of Gary Sick’s book on the failed Iranian hostages rescue attempt in 1979, All Fall Down 1980). Indeed, it seems that many sectors of society and many leaders have contributed to the deterioration of our political system to its present low point, in which a gladiatorial battle between the two principal candidates seeking election to the presidency will be judged by voters in part on how well they perform as gladiators in this combat. The contest will be viewed or read about by voters who may decide the outcome.
In reporting in the match-up the media completely ignore the context and treat the battle as if were between two reputable candidates. They will continue to ignore this context during and in the days and months after the debate.
Rational voters will largely ignore how the two gladiators perform, and won’t ignore the analytical conclusions that should be drawn about the character and crimes of the the convicted felon who is campaigning to become president again.
The problem is that perhaps half the country, and potential majorities in seven swing states, do not fit within the category of rational voters dedicated to upholding democracy and the rule of law. Many are Trump cult followers and nothing can persuade them not to vote for the convicted felon. Many are wealthy businessmen who are willing to overlook deep character flaws and a troubling criminal record, too.
Viewers who watch the gladiatorial contest tonight and voters wh read about ut tomorrow should bear this context in mind.
The race for the presidency is not a horse race between two legitimate candidates. One is a convicted felon and leader of a fascist movement which does not respect truth or the rule of Law.