By Sally Barnes
Ordinary Americans got us into this mess and only ordinary Americans can get us out of it.
We saw a ray of hope when disciples of Lord Pumpkin Face reported to their master that the masses are in revolt over his decree to immediately cut off cash to millions who depend on his government for necessities of life.
You can hear the roar. Chaos ensued. Phones have been ringing off the hook. Social media is on fire. Republican politicians fear they won’t get re-elected—and even for their safety.
The same ordinary people who voted for Donald J. Trump because they were angry and wanting change may now be awakening to the fact that the messiah he ain’t. A bully he is.
Man, how I would love to have been a fly on that glitzy Oval Office wall when Trump begrudgingly okayed raising the white flag to announce a pause on his planned government spending freeze.
It’s hard to recall a modern-day edict that was so monumental in impact and so badly handled by government officials drunk on Kool-Aid and believing Trump can do whatever he damned well wants.
His capitulation would not have come about peacefully. He is known for rage-fueled tantrums when he doesn’t get his way on everything and blames traitors and conspirators and deep state operatives.
No, sir (as he loves to be addressed), this time you have upset the kids who depend on school lunches, seniors enrolled in Meals on Wheels, the disabled, homeless and millions of others who thought they could count on the state to make their lives better.
After all, isn’t that what America is all about—the land of opportunity and the most generous and progressive nation on Earth?
All that will change in the brave new world of Trumpers who have long beavered away to produce a manifesto called Project 2025. Trump has denied knowing about it but is obviously following the playbook written by right-wing and religious extremists.
His supporters explain everything away by reminding us that he’s only doing what he promised to do if elected. And they’re right. Those who hoped he was just another lying politician who wouldn’t keep his word didn’t listen carefully enough.
They underestimated the influence and control of a really weird bunch of people Trump surrounds himself with—multi-billionaires in search of power and getting richer, whacky deep-state theorists, and old entertainers who crave the spotlight. Sanity and empathy are not among the creds of his acolytes.
Money is power. Nobody knows that better than Trump. He can bring nations to their knees with threats of tariffs and even military intervention. Just look at Colombia, for example, where the government quickly turned tail and cooperated with Trump’s immigrant clampdown in the wake of economic threats. He’s playing with Canada like a cat with a mouse while musing about threats to our sovereignty and economic stability.
In a world sadly lacking in strong leaders, we have to hope that it is the ordinary people who voted by the millions for Trump who will revolt and use whatever tools of democracy survive to bring him under some form of control.
Only threats of the ballot box and his loss of control of Congress will affect the iron will and thick skull of this president.
It’s a pity that we have to rely on examples of courage like the Rev. Mariann Budde, the pint-sized Episcopal Bishop of Washington, D.C., who stood up in front of Trump and his family and followers at a National Cathedral Prayer Service that was part of the Inauguration rituals.
Her sermon to the rich and powerful dwelled on human unity, the dignity of every human being, honesty and humility, and the need to speak the truth to one another.
“Let me make one final plea, Mr. President. Millions have put their trust in you. And as you told the nation yesterday, you have felt the providential hand of a loving God. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country. And we’re scared now…..some who fear for their lives.”
The bishop specifically referenced gay, lesbian, and transgender children and immigrants who carry out so many important jobs Americans don’t want.
“The vast majority of immigrants are not criminals…they pay taxes and are good neighbours. They are faithful members of our churches and mosques, synagogues, gurdwaras and temples,” she continued.
Needless to say, Trump and his loyalists reacted with hostility. He called the bishop a hardline Trump hater, questioned her credentials, and said she was not compelling, not smart, boring, and uninspiring. He demanded an apology.
A Republican congressman demanded that she be deported and you can bet that the Cathedral will suffer from security threats and the defection of big donors. Revenge is the new name of the game.
I watched another Republican politician this week regale voters with recollections of his youth when he held part-time jobs while in high school and was critical of students today who are “sponging off the taxpayers” by using school lunch programs instead of working to buy their own lunch.
Trump’s America will recreate society with regressive policies, be leaner and meaner, and the trains will run on time.
But Public opinion can turn on a dime.
Media coverage of a crying child clinging to his Dad’s leg as armed police drag the handcuffed man off to a deportation camp can have more impact than all of the pathetic excuses being mimed by Trump supporters to defend his actions and wish list.
The question is, what will it take for Americans to stand up and say, “Enough…. this is not who we are.” Some suggest the outcome of their election last November exposes who the Americans truly are.
I would prefer to believe and pray otherwise.
Only time will tell.
Sally Barnes has enjoyed a distinguished career as a writer, journalist and author. Her work has been recognized in a number of ways, including receiving a Southam Fellowship in Journalism at Massey College at the University of Toronto. A self-confessed political junkie, she has worked in the back-rooms for several Ontario premiers. In addition to a number of other community contributions, Sally Barnes served a term as president of the Ontario Council on the Status of Women. She is a former business colleague of Doppler’s publisher, Hugh Mackenzie, and lives in Kingston, Ontario. You can find her online at sallybarnesauthor.com.
The opinions expressed in the Commentary section are the opinions of the writers.
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Thank you Sally, we really hope that our neighbours to the South US will realize that only the very rich wants a Trump world. Hopefully as you say, the US people will stand together and revolt against this regime. I
The problem is that the values and ideologies of Trump government supporters are continuing to be fed by internet and social media mis- information, and that kind of thing is happening everywhere. Elon Musk has incredible wealth and now power to eviscerate the US government. “Doing your own research” has its dangers for rational choices in daily living and chaotic democratic processes. We are not immune to this, as the Trucker’s Ottawa Occupation demonstrated.Will we see this disruption and chaos in Canada? The 51st State.
Sally, some good thoughts. I’d suggest that “democracy” did not bring us Trump but rather a “failure of democracy” ushered him back into the White House, (oh, sorry, he lives in Florida instead so maybe they could Air B&B the vacant rooms in the White House while he is in office?)
One of my relatives in the deep south of the USA told me that “you Canadians should not be so smug, your leaders are not that good either”. Well this might be true to some extent but I’d submit that Canada’s leaders, while they might be far from perfect and make a lot of mistakes are not trying to replicate a “mean grade 5 school yard bully on a global scale”!! Our leaders, at least so far, sort of most of the time seem to follow the rules laid out for them by our society. They quit when they lose and not everything they say is a bald faced, self serving lie! We could do worse. Look south to see what this looks like.
Where are the checks and balances in the USA government.
Great article Sally.
I love the Lord Pumpkin Face description! Perfect!
We are saying that Trudeau stared down Tump and the Pumpkin blinked. I don’t think so. World wide stock markets started to tumble and he couldn’t have that so he gave us a reprieve. Tariffs are likely still coming but he has to find a percentage that will not cause panic in the markets. His fascist followers are depending on him to come through.
To paraphrase an infamous man, the ————— people were angry, and I gave them something to be angry about.
You can fill the blank with whoever you like.
An excellent article, as usual. But I fear that your (relative) optimism may be misplaced. Yes, Trump’s favourability numbers dropped slightly following the round of cruel, unusual and possibly illegal/unconstitutional executive orders.
But, voters who cast ballots for Trump in November just told Newsweek they are thrilled over the rapid speed and breadth of the president’s action over his two-and-a-half weeks back in office, applauding him for for “doing everything he said he would.”
That causes me to fear that based on the outcome of their election last November, Americans are being exposed for who they really are.
Respectfully, the post-war consensus politics of mid-century will never return.