If there's one thing that is now clear about our national political system, at least to me, it is that the executive branch, specifically the president, has far too much power.
The latest trolling from the president-elect has him promising to declare a national "state of emergency" and to activate the National Guard and who know what other units to round up undocumented people. He also fairly shouts with glee: "And then to get them the hell out of the country."
Leaving aside the somewhat unclear issue of whether x number of undocumented immigrants might be dangerous, this idea of using the military to enforce laws within our borders is a challenge to all. When autocratic rulers manipulate the military to do their bidding, it often leads to not just power imbalances but to outright dictatorships.
Trump and his cult are claiming several things after his victory, starting with terming the results a "mandate." As of today, the popular vote totals are Trump - 76,536,315, and Harris - 73,916,618. The current percentages are Trump 49.96% and Harris 48.25%. A difference of 1.7% is only a mandate if we decide to claim it as such. The news media, apparently, has decided to let this latest lie or "stretcher" stand. Two other things that most Republicans suddenly are very enthusiastic about are the economy and the reliability of our voting systems.
Winners get to gloat. Hypocrites who win never have to explain.
For Democrats, the results sting, of course, but check this out: while Trump gained 2.3 million votes over 2020, Harris received nearly 7.4 million fewer votes.
The top vote-getter was "I don't care," with that group of eligible voters deciding to sit the whole thing out. I assume those "can't be bothered" folks will be fine however things go, and also assume that at least some of them will take a look around in two years and "surprise" pollsters by ending the Republican majorities in the next midterm.
Trump of course, will still be there, firmly in lame duck status, over 80 at that point and doddering, and hankering for some rallies to attend, some cult members to excite, and more cash to extract.
I have read that many people around the world are wondering about the American psyche and the nation's ability to do all it can to disrupt its own success and to (apparently) abandon the rest of the world. It's embarrassing to be an American sometimes, though I am certain many of our neighbors are humming "Happy days are here again" as they celebrate the return of the Orange One.
On Saturday, while driving home near a major intersection in Highlands Ranch, I was confronted with a couple dozen of our fellow citizens waving "Women for Trump" banners and hollering at passing vehicles as they went by. I guess they just wanted to bask in their glory for a few more days.
In sports, we would call that bad sportsmanship. Athletes are properly taught to NOT rub it in unnecessarily, to not get too full of themselves. The worm always turns. The boastful always are brought down.
But maybe Trump and his cult will manage to upset even that eternal truth of athletics. At this point, it's tough to root for an America that seems to have lost its way.
Or maybe those potential voters who just couldn't choose (in Colorado, one of the highest voting states, each of the eight congressional districts totaled over 100,000 non-voters) are a looming sign that the American Experiment, as it is often called, is coming to an end.
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