The shock is palpable. And we truly did not think we could be further shocked.
The fear reaches to the core. And we did not think we could be more afraid.
The shame is face warming. And our faces were already aflame.
The sick feeling is unending. And we were already covered in emotional vomit.
The anger is at the boiling point. And we thought the pot was already running over.
If you had any lingering doubt, hell, any lingering hope, about the craven bastard installed into our nation's highest office - his murder inciting rally last night incinerated it all, like Drogon hearing the word Dracarys.
Our country is burning down.
Donald Trump stood at a podium in North Carolina and, as if there was any doubt remaining, made it clear for all 300 million+ in this country, and billions of people around the world - he is a racist, a Nazi, a white supremacist, dangerous, and not the President of ALL the citizens here.
Coming off a four day stretch in which his racist words against four women of color in Congress earned him a rebuke in the form of a House resolution, and derision from anyone on this planet with warm blood and humanity, he did what he does - he ran to an arena, filled it with useful dullards in red caps, and basked in the glory of what he has unleashed.
But last night marked a change. Gone was the predictable and laughable chant of "Lock her up!" that his lemmings masturbate to. Instead, warming to his theme that Ilhan Omar is bad, anti American, and married her brother - yes, he stood outside the White House yesterday and spread that thoroughly debunked piece of garbage - he was giddy as a new chant, based on his Tweets from the weekend, filled the air.
Send her back! Send her back!
Watch as he revels in it.
This is racism, this is inciteful, this is a sordid sack of orange skin enjoying endangering a wife, a mother, a sitting Congresswoman.
The overwhelming fallout from decent people has been both reassuring to see, and sickening in that we all experienced the same feeling of dread when watching it - and none of us thought we could feel a deeper dread than we have been carrying inside.
It also apparently scared the Tangerine Toddler because today he tried to say, "I was not happy with it. I disagree with it."
WE. SAW. YOU. You stood there soaking it in like a fat turkey being basted on Thanksgiving. You made no effort to quell it, to tell the horde NO.
In case you ever wonder what the term gaslighting means - this is it. Don't believe what you saw with your eyes, heard with your ears. Believe what I tell you to believe.
And his followers will. They have bought into Big Birther's bullshit from the beginning. They are happy to simmer in his toxic stew of xenophobia, racism, hatred, and white supremacy. They love that he has made it ok to unleash all the pent up racism they have had to choke back because decent society looks down on it.
And somewhere in his crowds, someone under a MAGA hat is going to again be moved to action and someone is going die. AGAIN.
We have seen it happen already. MAGAts moved to violence, lives being lost to President sanctioned violence against anyone who looks different, thinks different than their fuhrer. And there is no one in the GOP willing to risk their cushy job and proximity to power who will stand up and do anything. Their silence is deafening. Their denials and verbal origami vomit inducing. The degree to which they will turn themselves into pretzels to avoid criticizing or calling him out is pathetic.
Lindsey Graham who famously said of Trump back when he was vying for the GOP nod, "he is a race baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot" takes the prize today, blaming Omar, and acquiting Trump. "If you're a Somali refugee wearing a MAGA hat, he doesn't want to send you back. You'll probably have dinner at the White House."
Digest that. If you are a US citizen who does not agree with this affront to humanity, it's ok to have him point his stubby finger directly at you, to incite violence against you, to throw racist tropes at you. That is not simply unacceptable, that is dangerous. And I have to ask, all that time Mrs. Birther, an immigrant herself with fewer years as a citizen than Omar, leveled criticism and attacks at President Obama, what would the hew and cry from the GOP been if he had openly encouraged "Send her back! Send her back!"?
Rhetorical question. The GOPer victim brigade would have shit themselves blind, censured him, called for his ouster. Hell, we would still be tripping on all the pearls they would have so violently clutched and broken from around their necks.
It is truly impressive, in a That's-A-Really-Huge-Meatloaf-You-Made-Out-Of-Shit,-Honey way that we started the week thinking he could not get worse - that his fully out in the open, racist tweets against the Congresswomen were a new low, a wake up call to all, perhaps. How innocent we were on Monday. Last night made it clear that he had not hit bottom. In fact, he was determined to grab a bigger shovel and keep digging.
And he will. Yes, it is Trump in all his warts and spray tan glory, but it also provides the distraction he is so desperately seeking as Epstein's pedophilic, blackmailing business comes to further light, and as a judge has ordered Michael Cohen's documents unsealed.
Oh, and for good measure, he wagged the dog and had a drone shot down off the coast of Iran. I mean, nothing like some provocation in the Middle East to turn all eyes - and we do so well there, right?
He cannot be permitted to distract, gaslight, obfuscate. Journalists have got to finally be willing to get on this horse and ride it down his damned throat. Don't sugarcoat the questions. Don't accept answer you know are lies. Hold his corpulent ass to the flames. Force all the issues.
This is a reprobate who is lauded by David Duke, the Proud Boys, the KKK, white nationalists. He is an ignorant, foul, self serving creature who revels in riling up the most ignorant in this country.
I have to ask them - do you truly believe he gives shit one about any of you? That if you do something and get hauled off that he will do fuck all for you? You are rubes. You have been as easily led as real sheep, and now he has you standing on a precipice, and is willing to watch you fall off it as long as you insulate him from accountability.
Decent society looks at you, chanting and leering, and a collective shiver of revulsion goes through us. What do you actually think is the endgame? He is going to be gone eventually. Whether in handcuffs, election, or his canned ham of a heart explodes in his chest, he will be gone.
And where will that leave you? Outcast from friends and family. Video and photos for posterity showing you as a slobbering, chanting, piece of meat shaming yourself forever. Cheap red hats your only parting gift from a carnie who used you till there was no use for you anymore.
And yes, that includes you Trump voters who claim to be loving. Open. Christian. Allies. The ones who profess to be uncomfortable about children in cages and discrimination and racism. You, who stood shoulder to shoulder with this garbage during the campaign. I told you then, you cannot marinate in a cesspool for years and declare yourselves clean. Well, now you cannot declare yourself safe either. He is on a tear, with the walls closing in, and he is getting more and more desperate. We begged you to open your eyes year ago. To see how dangerous he would be for so many segments of society. And you scoffed. You poo poohed. YOU LAUGHED. He is running out of targets, and you will eventually fall into one of his verbal gunsights. Then what? OK if we go with one of your favorite expressions towards us? Fuck Your Feelings?
A couple years ago a fellow writer friend used the word "lacerating" to describe the feeling we were all experiencing after Charlotte and Heather Hyers murder. It struck me as the most accurate one I had seen. It still does. The feeling is a deep, bloody cut to the soul of this country. To the millions of truly decent people who desperately want our founding documents to be followed, applied to all. To the millions here and around the world who are staring open mouthed at the past four days, aghast that this is what he has reduced down to. Open, blatant, foul racism. Open, blatant, foul inciting of his followers. Open, blatant, foul endangerment of members of Congress.
That does not mean we are done. We're not. Not even close. This wound to the psyche of the majority in this land will fester, will hurt, but what comes of it in the end will be even more resolute, exponentially stronger, and more forged - like emotional steel - to end this cowardly, heinous bullshit once and for all. This scar will be a badge of honor to all who stand up and refuse to be cowed in the face of these truly dark days.
The majority did not put him into office. But the majority sure as hell has to come together and get him out.
THIS IS NOT OUR PRESIDENT.
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