On Angry Daddies, Ukraine and Undoing a Coup: Part II
In Which We Discover that We are in a Monster Movie, Not a Police Procedural
Our current danger descends almost entirely from our inability to properly perceive Donald and JD and Elon as what they are, as insatiable and remorseless predators. If they looked as dangerous as they are - like goose-stepping Nazis or fire-breathing monsters from outer space - we would have driven them off a long time ago. But their symbolic status as father figures to the nation somehow short-circuits our ability to see them clearly - fangs and all - and to protect ourselves. Even many thoughtful and progressive journalists reflexively persist in reporting on them as if they were somewhat normal politicians, even if rather unsettling and potentially disastrous politicians. And even the most daring and clearsighted journalists generally still fall into the trap of saying, well, yes, they have actually done all these terrible things, but they couldn’t possibly, actually be all THAT bad. For instance: yes, they’re breaking all kinds of laws as they smash up the government, but it’s really pretty inconceivable that they wouldn’t stop all their naughty behavior when a judge tells them to. (This particular - fundamental - article of faith took a beating over the weekend when the Trump Administration extradited hundreds of people without due process and despite a judge’s order. It appears that this is yet another bright red line that is now behind us.) Or, yes, it does kind of look like Donald is aligning himself with Vladimir Putin to crush democracy here in America, in Ukraine and throughout Europe, but that can’t actually be what’s really happening because that would be just unimaginably bad. Or, yes, RFK Jr does appear to be destroying our public health system and our ability to fight cancer and measles and a whole bunch of other diseases, but that would be a completely insane thing to do, so there must be some way in which this is part of making an imperfect system somehow better in the end. Or, yes, Elon - the unelected, unconfirmed and profoundly disinhibited South African billionaire - does appear to be “trimming waste” in the federal government not with a scalpel but by knocking down one agency after another and then setting fire to the wreckage, but surely this is just a case of well-intended enthusiasm that will soon be set right.
No - absolutely, utterly and forever no - to all of the above.
We are caught in an escalating feeding frenzy of sociopaths and deranged narcissists, and we are the food. If we don’t start to believe what our eyes are telling us and act - soon - in our own defense, then we stand to lose everything: our democracy, our rights, our money, our health, our lives.
These Angry Daddies are not here to help us. We need to stop parsing their words looking for signs of their love or reasonableness or sanity and we need to start paying intense and obsessive attention to their predatory behavior and to the mortal danger they pose to our democracy and to ourselves.
WE ARE IN A MONSTER MOVIE, BUT WE’RE BEHAVING LIKE WE’RE IN A POLICE PROCEDURAL, OR SOME SORT OF OLD-FASHIONED DETECTIVE STORY. We’re at that part of the movie where the monsters are running amok and bodies are starting to pile up, but we’re still carrying on as usual, apparently assuming that Cary Grant or Colombo or Inspector Clouseau are going to pop up and save us, but they’re not. Colombo’s rumpled “just one more thing” routine won’t work in this situation, and it’s not necessary, because we already know whodunit. The issue isn’t finding the culprits, it’s protecting their intended victims - which is pretty much all of us - and the issue is making them stop.
They will not stop on their own. We will have to make them stop.
But how?
The current moment is chaotic and overwhelming, which is by design. Trying to find a useful and prudent path forward through all the chaos and uncertainty will make your head spin. So let’s try it in reverse, working backwards based on what we know to be true and what we can assume about how all of this is likely to end. I’d be very happy if any of the following three points were wrong, but I fear they are not.
Trump will not leave power willingly. He knows that a return to the rule of law will very likely land him in prison, so he’ll do everything he can to stay in power.
When we try to remove him from power, either through elections or for his many high crimes and misdemeanors, Trump will try to use the military to prevent this.
In the end, our ability to remove Trump from power will depend entirely on the American military making the choice to defend democracy and the Constitution rather than defending Trump. To put this more plainly, I believe it to be the case that American democracy will live or die based on how many of the men and women in our military refuse to follow an unlawful order to shoot civilians and politicians. Period.
To the extent that the points above are true, then the only thing that matters between here and there is what we can do to increase the likelihood that the military will defend democracy. If Trump’s power seems solid and unassailable when Trump ultimately puts the military in the streets, then the individual men and women in our military will be under more pressure to do as they’re told and attack civilians, because it will be less apparent that there is any viable alternative.
Therefore, our goal is and must be to become the visible and viable and irresistible champions of democracy, the Constitution and the rule of law. Like our lives depend on it, because they do.
But how?
This is Part 2 of 3
Part I: In Which Every Day is Angry White Man Day - is HERE
Part III: FAFO from the Past - In Which Nelson Mandela and Frederick Douglass Show Us How It’s Done - is HERE
The Whole Essay (Parts 1-3 as one unit) - is HERE
All political posts will be free until we’re free of the Donald. If you find Mud and Feathers useful and you’ve got a few dollars to spare I’d be grateful for your paid subscription.