The silver lining of this Donald Trump nightmare
The lessons we have to learn about this shitshow of an administration are in front of us daily. They are also exactly what we needed to learn. Think about it: if Hillary Clinton had won, we would still have Republicans ruling the House, we would be locked in a 24/7 inquiry into those emails for four years, every move Clinton would have made would have been blocked by McConnell, and then investigated by both the House and the Senate. We would have been so locked down in the Republican quicksand, that in spite the of the lessons Trump is teaching us about our Democracy, four years of Clinton would have just been a waste of time.
But now, our outrage is fueling activism; it’s energizing voters; it’s making us reassess our values. We have some outstanding candidates to choose from. And in the year and a half left of Trump & Co., there’s, thankfully, not enough time to do much more damage.
The other thing we have to be grateful for is the fact that surely Putin must be having buyer’s remorse. If Hillary had won, we would be locked down in chaos which is exactly what Putin wanted. We certainly have chaos now, but Trump’s poll numbers are exposing our collective mindset against him. Our retaking the house didn’t make Putin happy, nor do Adam Schiff and Jerrold Nadler’s inquiries. Russian meddling in our election has been brought to the forefront, which is not to Putin’s advantage, nor is the fact that his fellow Russians have been indicted, including several of his oligarchs. What’s the use in having all that money if you can’t travel? Nobody wants to take the risk of an Interpol red notice brought by the US. Good luck with all those billions then.
Yes, Trump will try to remain in office illegitimately forever. Yes, he will attempt to pardon whomever Putin asks him to, from Russian oligarchs to peons like Maria Butina. But none of that’s going to work, and Putin knows it. He wasn’t a KGB agent because he was stupid. And he’s not so stupid as to not see what a moron he’s now attached to. Buyer’s remorse indeed.
TR Kenneth is the author of the thriller, A ROOM FULL OF NIGHT. You can read all about her at trkenneth.com and on Twitter