The Story So Far
The nation elected a reality TV star for president. He made a total mess of things, especially of his response to a global pandemic. Nearly a million people died of the virus in the richest country on the planet. The people kicked him out of office at the next election to elect a very old guy from the other side. He did a pretty good job of resurrecting the place, despite the global economic challenges of high inflation after the pandemic. He was too old so they put up a woman, his vice president, who was an intelligent and highly competent candidate. The country rejected her and voted the ex-reality TV celebrity back into office again. Sounds like a script for a really silly bad movie. In actual fact, this is the state of the USA, the world’s most powerful nation. The story so far.
Selling Stories & The Low Life Gallery
So the hustler, the grifter is back in power. What is he going to do this time? The lies, the constant social media posts, yes, they will be back, as they never went away. This time he wants some company and has nominated a bunch of unqualified low life’s for his cabinet. Fellow rapists and sex offenders. Russian apologists and crackpots. He wants people of low character to be appointed to the highest offices in the land. Corruption and incompetence will be vying for the lead as these individuals go about the business of governing. The story so far.
The Poser & The Powerful
It will be fascinating to see how the ex-Reality TV celebrity handles the high pressure international crises. Professor Timothy Snyder calls him a poser who doesn’t actually know how to handle power. I mean, how many advisers and cabinet picks did he sack or they quit last time around. It was a lot, more than anybody in the history of the presidency. Snyder calls him a story teller. He tells stories to the media about stuff. However, when the shit hits the fan, like it did with the pandemic, telling stories doesn’t cut it. Lots of Americans died needlessly. You know, Nero fiddled around while Rome burned. A BS merchant is only listened to when there is a rule of law holding things together Once the backdrop of order is lost populist posers fall apart. People see what is really going on – telling lies about everything won’t cut it in a real crisis.
You have to be able to work with people to exert power.
America & The Story So Far
The story so far is that he sold a lot of promises to billionaires. Will he be able to resist their calls for payment when he has sold the same thing to several stake holders? Elon Musk thinks that he rules the world. Musk wants his pound of flesh. This administration will have a gallery of useless department heads who will be puppets for those pulling the strings off stage. Yes men and women who must dance to the tunes of their masters.
Everything will be for sale – in the great tradition of the USA. They have done away with irritating things like integrity and service. Instead, it will all be unadulterated private enterprise with stuff going to the highest bidder.
American History
If you look into a little American history you will see that this has a rich tradition. How about Central America and the CIA and the US military doing the bidding of corporate interests mining and growing bananas. The great history of Western nations and empires is replete with this same old story. Britain and the US in Iran prior to the revolution, General Pinochet in Chile, toppled socialist leaning leaders in just about every bloody country in South America. The good guys, as depicted by newspapers like The New York Times, were acting for the good of the country it was claimed and conveniently that served the corporate interests of American companies. Oil, miners, plantation owners back in the day, this has been going on for a very long time. Economic interests smoke screened by bogus good intentions claiming to help the local inhabitants. Colonialism morphed into puppet regimes looking after multinationals based in America or Britain or France. This is still going on in Africa, Asia, and Central America.
Now, the Chinese are in on the act and the Anglos are up in arms about government interference. The hypocrisy is enormous, of course.
“In light of the current political crisis in Venezuela, a United States-supported opposition figure has announced a disputed presidency. It follows an attempted coup by national guard members after the country’s Supreme Court rejected a declaration by an opposition-controlled legislature that Nicolas Maduro’s presidency was illegitimate. US support for the opposition is not new.”
Robert Sudha Hamilton is the author of America Matters: Pre-apocalyptic Posts & Essays in the Shadow of Trump.
©HouseTherapy
