Anyone amused by epic progressive meltdowns can turn to Paul Krugman, who does not disappoint:
Thoughts for the Horrified
So what do we do now? By “we” I mean all those left, center and even right who saw Donald Trump as the worst man ever to run for president and assumed that a strong majority of our fellow citizens would agree.
Well, let's play a math game - I happen to agree that Trump was the least qualified man to be nominated in my lifetime, but Hillary was unarguably and indisputably the worst woman ever - EVER! - to be nominated by a major party. Also the best, of course, which comes from being the first, but Petrified Paul is not going to spend a nano-second on the possibility that maybe Hillary was not exactly a perfectly appealing candidate either. But that might be a possibility!
From Reason, based on Pew research polling:
Most Voters Expect Trump to be a Terrible President, But Thought Clinton Would Have Been Worse
I'm not afraid of their hyperbole; voters certainly had Clinton and Trump in the same basket of deplorables. From Pew:
Clinton also was viewed quite negatively; in fact, nearly two-thirds of voters (65%) said she was unlikely to run and open and transparent administration (55% said this about Trump). Clinton also was viewed as less likely than Trump to improve the way government works. However, more voters thought Clinton (48%) than Trump (42%) would improve U.S. standing around the world.
Pew had five relevant questions on the competence/character point. Clinton was viewed less favorably on transparency, improving government, and avoiding familial self-enrichment, while Trump lagged on improving the world standing of the US and, (by 42-38) setting a high moral standard for the Presidency.
Well, back to the meltdown (my emphasis):
And once we’re talking about intellectual honesty, everyone needs to face up to the unpleasant reality that a Trump administration will do immense damage to America and the world.
Say what?!? Many of us certainly faced up to the reality that both Trump and Clinton had the potential to do great damage to US domestic institutions and the world order. But where are the editors on this "unpleasant reality that a Trump administration will do immense damage"? Just what does that word "reality" mean to the reality-based community? Do they have a time portal now?
They don't - Paul presses on:
Of course I could be wrong; maybe the man in office will be completely different from the man we’ve seen so far. But it’s unlikely.
So "the reality" is that Trump will probably do grave damage unless he doesn't. Well, sure, and thanks for sharing.
The political damage will extend far into the future, too. The odds are that some terrible people will become Supreme Court justices.
"Terrible" presumably means "people I disagree with politically", not terrible as in sexually assaulting women, enabling of same, or using a government institutions and a charitable foundation for personal enrichment. Just by way of example.
States will feel empowered to engage in even more voter suppression than they did this year. At worst, we could see a slightly covert form of Jim Crow become the norm all across America.
Yeah, covert Jim Crow is coming to Los Angeles and New York City because those Blue Bastions can't be trusted. If only we had a federal system with power devolved to the states and cities.
And you have to wonder about civil liberties, too. The White House will soon be occupied by a man with obvious authoritarian instincts, and Congress controlled by a party that has shown no inclination to stand up against him. How bad will it get? Nobody knows.
"A party that has shown no inclination to stand up against him"? Oh, please - the National Review, the Never-Trumpers, the last two Presidential nominees, the Speaker of the House, and so on - no inclination at all?
So where does this leave us? What, as concerned and horrified citizens, should we do?
One natural response would be quietism, turning one’s back on politics.
He is announcing a long hiatus from his NY Times column and there IS a Merciful God!
Psych!
But that is, in the end, no way for citizens of a democracy — which we still are, one hopes — to live. I’m not saying that we should all volunteer to die on the barricades; I don’t think it’s going to come to that, although I wish I was sure.
I am sure we are all going to die, but on the barricades? Well, at one time Paulie worried about rotting in Gitmo, so maybe a quick, clean heroic death on the barricades at the Starbucks outside of Princeton doesn't look so bad. And let's not fault a guy for having an active inner fantasy life.
Gloom near his finish:
Maybe America isn’t special, it’s just another republic that had its day, but is in the process of devolving into a corrupt nation ruled by strongmen.
Right, Don't Cry For Me Argentina - there would not be a whiff of nepotism, corruption or state-sponsored pay-to-play if we had elected Hillary.
The road back to what America should be is going to be longer and harder than any of us expected, and we might not make it. (I know what he's thinking...) But we have to try.
Live free or die hard!
Well, shed no tears for Paul. He can go back to making many millions with a bi-annual "Why Trump Sucks Harder Than Bush" book, so he'll be fine as long as he keeps the attention of his audience. The calm, reflective prose noted above makes a start.
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