Perhaps it doesn’t after, either. But at least we’ve got a chance…
Trump’s put out a little video saying he’s now “outraged” about the violence on Capitol Hill he and his minions personally triggered, and then egged on. Which made no one happy. Not those for whom it was too little, too late. And neither those for whom it was a betrayal, since they felt they were only doing Trump’s bidding in the first place.
What is extraordinarily clear is what Alexandra Petri of the Washington Post summed up in one extraordinary sentence:
“[Trump’s] presidency has been a harrowing survey of the things that are possible if nobody stops you.”
And yes, the next two weeks will be extraordinarily perilous, because since when had Trump not changed his mind a million times? It’s why he lost the presidency: a lot of people actually like his policies. They like that he made it OK to be dark and angry and even racist, while at the same time giving you the ability to say you were the “least” of those of anybody, and anyone who said differently was judging you unfairly. But having him in charge every single damn day was just too much crazy.
So was what we saw this week picture day for Trump University class of 2021? Or was it just orientation? And I ask that in all seriousness.
Unfortunately, Inauguration Day is now a test, rather than a celebration or even a solemn ceremony. Regardless of whether we’ve got more major crises coming between now and then, and they can be headed off, and not encouraged or let play out because they kept “enemies” off balance, as they have been in the past. Because there will be a need to head things off. Because never before have so many lunatics been so close to power. And they’re not going to lose that well. Starting, obviously, at the top.
Trump thought he’d capture Americans’ imaginations with Space Force. That’d be his moon shot. Didn’t work. His obsession with punishment and tearing things down didn’t give him room to message effectively on something that was meant to be a big part of his legacy. Because if he was really looking for something useful and not flashy, he might’ve done better to elevate Cyber Command to a branch of the military, not Space Force. But anyway…
Does President elect Joe Biden have a moon shot on the horizon? Because that’s what success in his job may take. Something positive and future focused that Americans can work on assiduously, together, and share a sense of wonder and accomplishment and spirit and faith? Does that kind of thing even exist as a possibility anymore? Especially when we’ve got to stop so many people from getting sick and dying first?
Trump’s advisors have managed to get him to behave for one day. Wow. 25th Amendment or impeachment or whatever else that will involve mustering resources and gaining consensus aside, he now needs to go to Mar-a-Lago. Today. And not come back.