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Fourteen years ago, I started this blog because words felt like leverage. I wrote, people read, something moved—opinions, conversations, maybe even outcomes. That was the theory, anyway. Over time, the writing got sharper. Hotter. Sometimes angrier. I criticized people in power. I used language that reflected the moment—frustration, sarcasm, impatience. Nothing fabricated, nothing hidden. Just opinion, plainly stated.
Then two things happened.
Approximately nine days into Trump’s second term, most are convinced that God neither walks with him and neither does Christ (my opinion). Or maybe God does walk with Trump, but only in some bizarre alternate universe. It’s shocking to remember Trump eight years prior. Christ healed the sick and Trump stated he could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and get away with it. Christ mocked the arrogant and Trump mocked John McCain. Christ heal disabilities and Trump the disabled (a disabled reporter). Christ was an immigrant, but the undocumented immigrant were likely “rapists.” Christ declared the truth will set you free. Trump has often twisted the truth, lied, and attacked those who would call out his falsehoods.
Trump won a second term in the White House thanks, in part, to a spike in support across several demographic groups, including a record-breaking jump among Latino voters. An NBC News exit poll of voters in 10 states — including Arizona, Florida and Texas showed Trump captured 55% of the Latino male vote. It’s the first time the demographic has sided with a Republican in a presidential election. This happened despite Trump surrogates uttering anti-Latino jokes at rallies and despite Trump’s promises to not only deport undocumented immigrants but also to revoke birthright citizenship — a privilege more than a few rancho libertarians were blessed with. Maybe these voters slid toward machismo, misogyny, or aspirational whiteness. Maybe it’s stupidity.
November 5th is the day I stopped believing in America and my fellow citizens. Plain and simple. Period.
Former President Bill Clinton engaged with a pro-Palestinian protester for nearly 15 minutes during a Pennsylvania campaign stop today.
During their exchange, Clinton expressed deep frustration for not being able to move an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement across the finish line at the end of his presidency. He also apologized for not being able to more directly answer the protester’s concerns.
House Speaker Mike Johnson and Elon Musk have given Americans a preview of the sweeping changes a potential Trump presidency could bring to healthcare and government spending. Speaking in Pennsylvania, Johnson vowed “massive” healthcare reform in Trump’s first 100 days if elected, promising a major overhaul to address issues he says were created by Obamacare. Johnson emphasized that healthcare reform would be a critical priority, signaling a commitment to reshaping America’s healthcare system as part of an aggressive legislative agenda.
Elon Musk, who Trump has promised would oversee government “efficiency,” offered a stark perspective on the broader fiscal impacts, predicting a period of “temporary hardship” for Americans under Trump’s plan to address the national debt. In a recent virtual town hall, Musk outlined that tackling this issue would require tax code changes and major spending cuts, which may impact Americans financially in the short term. He argues that these sacrifices are essential for “long-term prosperity,” implying a significant reconfiguration of government spending aimed at reducing the deficit.
The message each men want Americans to expect from a potential second Donald Trump presidency is simple: expect to suffer.
Why people willingly follow an autocrat is complex and involves multiple factors, including the political, social, and economic. Stories across history offer a roadmap for overcoming hardship, reminding us of leadership courage and unwavering hope that can be cultivated in the face of tragedy. After traveling through so many countries, here’s some life lessons I learned from God.
Less than two weeks to November 5th, our national Election Day. It appears younger voters don’t care whether Trump’s former staff believe Trump is a dictator (in waiting). Most younger voters were too young to be impacted by Trump’s first term. And even though under Trump, the U.S. national debt increased by 39%, reached $27.75 trillion by the end of his term, and the U.S. debt-to-GDP ratio also hit a post-World War II high, young voters believe Trump will handle the economy better.
Trump’s economic numbers exposed a far more complicated reality. His tax cuts never delivered promised growth, budget deficits surged (and stayed relatively high under Biden), and tariffs and trade deals never brought back lost factory jobs. Both Trump and Biden suffered from COVID’s pandemic lockdown. The borrowing both presidents leveraged enabled the government to make direct payments to citizens and small businesses during the lockdown. These increased payments provided temporary feelings of being better off despite a recession.
Questions we should have asked.
Less than two weeks to November 5th, our national Election Day. If you’re a hardy soul, you listened to stories of immigrants eating pets in Springfield, Ohio, the dehumanization of one candidate or another, the dehumanization of deceased Veterans, a candidate dancing for 39 minutes, rambling, word salads, more rambling, candidates with likely dementia if not Alzhimer’s symptoms, tariffs, former administrative staffs calling out their boss(s), horror stories from the front lines Roe V. Wade, ‘drill baby drill,’ racism, radical left, radical right, racism, socialism, nationalism, nepotism, no-bism’s, slipped-ism’s, left-out-ism’s, toilet-ism’s and genitalia. What we didn’t hear was answers to complex questions.
Here are the questions I wished candidates answered.
Less than two weeks to November 5th, election day, and polls are nearly dead even. If you’re undecided, flip a coin, toss cards into a hat with the winner taking two of three, or use a crystal ball and gaze for affirmation. You could receive counsel from Lee Greenwood (the Trumpian Bible made in China) or listen to Emime. One could read tea leaves, listen to the wind, or study astrological skies. We could roll dice, cast lots, pray, analyze ancient scripture, or beg karma for wisdom. However, God left it to us, and why it’s this close is beyond me.
NBC’s headline caught my eye, “Supreme Court ends affirmative action.” USA Today summarized the ruling: Chief Justice John Roberts, a long-time skeptic of race-based policies, stated too many universities concluded wrongly that the touchstone of an individual’s racial identity outweighed skills lessons learned. Furthermore, Roberts indicated that the nation’s constitutional history does not tolerate ‘racial choice.’
Conservatives hailed the decision, pontificating that the Constitution must be “colorblind.” The Great Pumpkin (Trump) reiterated that America experienced a great day. Moderates condemned the ruling, saying affirmative action is vital for remedying historic race discrimination. Like last year’s revocation of reproductive rights in Dobbs v. Jackson, today’s decision achieves a long-standing conservative policy goal, and the Heritage Foundation, the Federalist Society, and the entire conservative legal establishment can party hard tonight.
