Will it ever be enough?
Photo credit: Illustration by author, from AI-generated original image (DALL-E).
I’ve come across varied commentaries in recent days that echo the same sentiment: You cannot support the Constitution and also the Trump administration. While I wholeheartedly agree that the two are in stark contrast with each other, I worry that it still isn’t enough to compel the Red-hatters to finally stand up to him and his cronies.
Why would I say such a jaded thing? Well, you see …
It wasn’t enough when he said of John McCain and other POWs: “He’s not a war hero. He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured” (July 18, 2015).
It wasn’t enough that he cheated on all three of his wives and paid hush-money to sex workers.
It wasn’t enough when he cruelly mocked a disabled news reporter (November 2015).
It wasn’t enough when he cancelled a visit to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery while in France because veterans who died in combat were “suckers and losers” (2018).
It wasn’t enough that his crass and vulgar comments about women and crude insults about persons of color are too numerous to count.
It wasn’t enough when he ordered peaceful protesters to be tear-gassed in front of a church, so he could take a photo op with a bible prop (June 1, 2020).
It wasn’t enough that he provoked literal violence against his political rivals – even his own Vice President – as armed insurrectionists stormed into the Capitol chanting “Hang Mike Pence!” (Jan. 6, 2021).
None of it was enough.
I could cite research demonstrating how the U.S. economy under Republican Presidents consistently under-performs, in comparison to Democrat leadership. I could show you historical evidence that King James (yep, the same one with the branded bible version that Red-hatters love to quote out of context, especially to hate on the LGBTQIA+ community) was … wait for it … gay. I could explain to you in definitive terms how other countries around the globe have astronomically lower rates of gun violence than the U.S., and that the crime index in Chicago is actually less than the national average. I could even point you to credible studies that document substantial declines in abortion rates in states where access to reproductive services (yes, like abortion) are LEGAL, versus where it is banned.
Yet, all of those things have already been stated – repeatedly. Apparently, it still isn’t enough.
What will it take for it to be enough?
