BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND
When asked my opinion in 2016, I always quipped that President Trump would never make it through 4 years—and would instead be removed from the White House either in handcuffs or a straitjacket. I was wrong. He made it through 4 incendiary years, but Americans spoke—and voted—and denied Trump a second term. But…
On Wednesday, January 6, an attempted coup (insurrection, riot…call it whatever you want except a peaceful demonstration) by Trump-inspired rioters storming the U.S. Capitol, placed our democracy in grave danger. While some of the rioters donned furs, antlers, and other preposterous outfits to match the preposterous ideas in their heads, others came with guns, bats, swords, stun guns, and flex cuffs (which are used just like handcuffs) and wore Kevlar vests. Some came to kill or capture our democratically elected leaders. Rioters built a wooden gallows next to the Capitol Reflecting Pool, and planted pipe bombs at the headquarters of the Democratic and Republican National Committees. They shouted, “Where’s Pelosi?!…”Hang Mike Pence?!” If you go online and watch videos of the extreme violence that was committed against Capitol Police by rioters—much of which has not been shown in the initial news coverage—you will be disgusted and outraged. Many of the rioters were fueled by lies about the election from Trump and conspiracy theories that would be laughable if they hadn’t caused people to try to overthrow our democracy. Representative Adam Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican and military veteran, had the following to say about the attempted coup (as he called it): “On Wednesday I felt literally and real evil as the insurrection went down. It is not something that happens much, but I’ve never felt it stronger than that day.” But order was eventually restored at the Capitol.
Joe Biden beat Trump by nearly 7 million votes and by a 306 to 232 count in the Electoral College. I do not believe there was voter fraud on any large scale because 1) both Republic and Democratic election officials have confirmed that there is no evidence that this happened (Republican election officials called the election “the most secure in American history.”), and 2) human beings are terrible at hiding big secrets—and this would be a conspiracy that would beat any other conspiracy that has ever been hatched.
More than 60 Trump lawsuits filed by Trump’s legal team regarding alleged election irregularities have been dismissed without merit by courts ranging up to the Supreme Court. The judges who made these decisions were selected by both Democratic and Republican presidents, including Trump. It’s wonderful that the majority of the American people decided that Trump was wrong for America—and that the judicial branch of our government remained impartial. It’s important to note that Democrats have won the popular vote in 5 out of 6 of the last presidential elections, but due to the peculiarities of the American electoral process (i.e., the Electoral College), these votes have only resulted in the election of 3 Democratic presidents (Obama twice and Biden in 2020). The Republicans are very aware that their only path to the White House is through the Electoral College via a few battleground states. This Electoral College vs. popular vote issue has disenfranchised the majority of American voters twice in the last 6 elections.
Former President Trump and the Dangers of a Cult of Personality
I won’t beat around the bush. I’m going to tell you exactly what I think, and some of you may not like it, while some of you will agree. President Trump was a dark malevolent force that assaulted the American psyche. He was a virulent cancer that we will survive, but that will cause us to never be the same again. He weakened the rule of law, caused some of us to question basic facts, and turned many of us against each other. Trump was a sore loser (smallpox-level “sore”) and tried to subvert democracy. He inspired his followers to break the law and storm the U.S. Capitol, putting our leaders, their legislative staff, and members of law enforcement in great danger and damaging one of our nation’s most hallowed buildings. More than 50 police officers were injured by the mob that stormed the Capitol. One died after being attacked by the mob; another committed suicide days later. In one chilling video, dozens of rioters set up one police officer, knocked him to the ground, began beating him, and yelled, “Kill him with his own gun!!!” Thankfully, the officer survived. Four of the rioters died because of Trump’s lies. So much for Republican law and order. Trump and his ideology remain extremely dangerous to the American people.
Despite creating a cult of personality that still mystifies me, Trump was not someone who should be looked up to or quasi-worshipped as many of his followers do. I desire to emulate President Trump as much as I would desire to eat glass or get smallpox. During his four-year term, Trump provided the American people with a Ph.D.-level course in how not to act and treat one another and how not to govern. His blustery buffoonery would have been laughable if he hadn’t held the most powerful position in the world, controlled the nuclear codes, and held the fate of hundreds of millions of people in his hands with his every utterance about killing Obamacare, COVID-19 not being a serious threat to our health and lives (“It will just go away one day like magic,” he said, although the pandemic is now worse than it ever has been), the dangers of immigrants (“Mexican rapists” as he said), and what not. His inaction during much of the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak, his flouting of safety rules (a mask is not an affront to anyone’s freedom, it’s just a piece of fabric that greatly reduces the transmission of a deadly virus that has killed more than 400,000 Americans, including two people in my circle of friends and acquaintances). His dismissal of science during the pandemic caused a massive number of deaths and illnesses, and suffering on a short-term scale that we have not seen in this country since World War II. Trump’s early inaction caused more deaths, more suffering, and more businesses to fail than would have occurred if he had just told us the truth, not disbanded the pandemic office, and not politicized mask-wearing and business closings. Worst of all, his actions separated us from the ones we love—some of whom we will never see again on earth. In the weeks leading up to the election, 3,000–4,000 PEOPLE DIED EVERY DAY FROM COVID-19.
The pandemic never had to be this bad or deadly.
The use of masks never had to be politicized.
The political atmosphere never had to be so negatively supercharged by Trump that some of us wanted to literally kill each other over this fake patriotism nonsense.
It’s not Trump’s fault that the pandemic started, but it’s his fault that he did not act to address it or take it seriously sooner. It’s his fault that he encouraged people to not wear masks and not take the virus seriously—causing much more suffering and death than would have occurred if he had not equated wearing a mask as some sort of bizzarro attempt at taking away our freedom. It’s his fault that his character is so flawed that the only thing he could think of during the pandemic was how it would affect his poll ratings and ability to remain in office. Trump will not go away anytime soon, but the real danger is the atmosphere he has created in this country.
The last four years have been disturbing in so many ways, but one of the things that sticks with me and makes me worry about the future of America is the cult of personality attached to Trump. How could a man so flawed, so truth challenged (i.e., he’s a pathological liar), so intellectually not up to the task of running our great country, and so anti-everyone-but himself begat such unquestioning devotion from so many people? I remain mystified that this demagogue came to power and swayed so many people. (I know that demagogues such as Huey Long and George Wallace have periodically appeared in American history, but never to the level of Trump.) Some Trump followers are willing to believe that Hilary Clinton is running a child sex trafficking ring out of a pizza parlor in Washington, DC (no evidence suggests this is true), but are unwilling to believe that Trump has sexually assaulted women, mocked the disabled and anyone in the military who gets captured (John McCain) or killed (he called them “suckers”) during a war, or lied about the amount of taxes he has paid (or should I say, not paid). Or maybe they believe it, but are willing to accept a deeply flawed and criminal person in exchange for an advocate for their special interests. A deal with the devil.
This is not the America that I grew up in. In my America, bad people were punished and did not receive boat parades and torchlight rallies where people chanted, “Jews will not replace us.” They did not wear Trump flags around their necks or as capes as if they were shock troops for some all-powerful leader, nor did they replace American flags with Trump flags like the rioters did at the U.S. Capitol on January 6. Nor did they etch “TRUMP” in the back of a poor manatee. How crass. In the America I grew up in, sober minded people with expertise from both parties ran the government. They even tried to work with members of the other party to get things done for the American people. While I sometimes didn’t agree with the opposing party’s policies, they at least governed competently and without seeking to damage the rule of law. In the America I grew up in there were things that were criminally wrong (racism, poverty, etc.), but not a president who actively sought to make these issues worse.
We do not need a Putin, Erdogan, Xi, Al-Sisi, Duterte, or another strongman in the United States. Our presidents govern by the rule of law—not by fear and repression. We do not need to elevate any other human being above ourselves. What we need in a leader is a regular person who is intelligent, humble, empathetic, and willing to admit that he or she is not the smartest person in the room.
President Joe Biden
There is no cult of personality or demagoguery associated with Joe Biden. No blue-hatted crowds cheering expressions of hate and lies, or antler-wearing, face-painted, bellowing Trump-inspired rioters breaking into the U.S. Capitol after being fed false information. Biden is not that kind of person. He is a good man. He cares about others. He is not perfect, but no one is asking for that—especially after Trump. I do not agree with every vote Biden made during his long Congressional career, nor do I agree with every policy proposal he made as he campaigned for president and since he was elected. But the point is that we have an adult once again in the room, who has surrounded himself with intelligent people who won’t make decisions based on greed or hate, or a complete lack of knowledge about an issue.
With Biden’s election, the American people have signaled that they want an empathetic everyman who will surround himself with talented people with experience in their specialty (pandemic response, arms reduction, infrastructure, cybersecurity, etc.). You will not read Joe Biden rants and disinformation on Twitter in the middle of the night. You will not hear him demean those who disagree with him. He will not think that the U.S. Department of Justice, or the FBI, or the Homeland Security Administration are his personal playthings. He will respect the rule of law—a concept that was once as wide as a redwood in American governance but that has shrunk to a sick sapling during the Trump presidency. Joe Biden’s administration will mirror (at least to some degree) the diversity that is now an intrinsic part of the American experience—and which scares the hell out of a lot of Americans. Talented people of color will obtain the high-level experience that was denied many in the past. Women have major roles in his administration, and in 4 or 8 years, I look forward to Kamala Harris or another qualified woman becoming the first female president of the United States. How exciting for her and the American people! The Biden presidency will be marked by professionalism, respectful interactions, and empathy for the downtrodden.
Let me offer a few further thoughts on the differences between Biden and Trump from a more personal perspective. Our president and first lady (what a fantastic person) will have pets—2 dogs and a cat. President Trump was the first president in more than 100 years to not have a dog, a cat, or other pet. A mark of a good person (unless they have allergies) is that they love animals. Owning a pet shows that you can love and care for something other than yourself and your immediate family despite the fact that their care often adds up to a lot of time and money. It’s so nice to see that pets will be part of the Biden White House. Second, unlike Trump, Joe Biden loves to read. In a speech on Tuesday, he made two literary references (to Ernest Hemingway and James Joyce) in the course of about 5 minutes. As an avid reader, it is wonderful to have someone back in the White House who reads, loves poetry, and will be a strong supporter of the arts in America. Finally, unlike Trump, Joe Biden is not afraid to show emotion (well, Trump was good at anger, but that’s not what I’m talking about). During his speech on Tuesday, there were moments when Biden could no longer speak after becoming overcome by emotion when talking about the loss of his son Beau, his mom and dad and upbringing in Delaware, and other moving memories. He shed tears and wasn’t afraid to show this side of his personality. In doing so, Biden looked strong and authentic, not weak as Trump might say. What a wonderful example for our young sons (including mine) that you can be strong and manly (for lack of a better word) and still show emotion and be tender. Joe Biden is an excellent antidote to the toxic masculinity that is being embraced by some men in America.
Reclaiming Patriotism
The concept of patriotism has also been under attack during the Trump years and beforehand. American patriotism is not red, nor blue. It’s for everyone who is proud of the best aspects of American culture, its people, arts, history, scientific achievements, and legal system. But don’t let one political party’s perception, or your neighbor’s perceptions of patriotism, stop you from developing your own brand of American patriotism. Wearing the uniform of our nation’s armed services is an honor (if you act honorably during your service), but so is serving in the Peace Corps, or helping people as a social worker, a teacher, or an emergency department nurse, or providing people with the truth as a reporter. You can be patriotic regardless of whether or not you believe in God. You can be a far-left liberal (as long as you respect the rule of law) or have far-right inclinations (as long as you don’t spread lies about the election, are not racist, and don’t attack the U.S. Capitol and kill police officers or threaten our democratically elected lawmakers) and love your country. You can be an immigrant and love this country just as much as someone whose family has been here for 200 years. You can kneel during the National Anthem and be patriotic, but people who break into the U.S. Capitol and try to subvert the final steps in certifying a fair election are not patriotic—just a mob that wants to subvert democracy. Many were also COVID-19 super spreaders because they refused to wear masks as they broke down doors, assaulted police officers, trespassed in the offices of our elected representative, and destroyed or stole government property. How selfish and dangerous. The Republican members of Congress who would not wear masks while sheltering in place from a mob they had incited are also selfish.
People in power—including Trump—often apply the term “unpatriotic” to those who question their authority or shed light on social injustices. Beware of this tool of repression and fight against anyone who questions your patriotism because you seek the truth or strive to make a better world.
The Next Four Years…and beyond
Trump is gone (for now), but his divisive, hate-filled politics still burn hot. Something is broken in America. The precious glass of American democracy has been slowly fracturing for decades. At first, the fissures could only be seen by careful watchers, but now it’s obvious that we have real problems.
How do you end a story that has yet to be told? Will Joe Biden and the return of decent people to the White House help right the American ship in the long term or simply patch a few gaping holes until Trump and his minions resume the attack during the next presidential election cycle? Democracy can only be successful if people from opposing sides want to work together and can agree on basic facts regarding science, the legitimacy of the election process, and other topics that were considered established facts in the past. American democracy only works if we do not turn our leaders into demagogues and let them try to control our thoughts and actions. American democracy only works if people who commit wrongs (attack the Capitol, spread lies about “stolen” elections their constituents, make death threats against our elected leaders, etc.) are held accountable for their actions that nearly destroyed our country.
Joe Biden has offered to work with Republicans, but the majority of elected Congressional Republicans did not accept the election results. (Democratic control of both legislative chambers will go a long way toward righting many of the wrongs committed by Trump in the last 4 years.) Many Trump supports believed it was okay to stage a coup based on false information and to use violence to attain their goals. How can anyone work with someone who is amoral and unwilling to accept reality.
Yet, I am hopeful, but realistic, about the future of America. We barely avoided an overthrow of our democracy by someone who never should have been elected in the first place. The defeat of Trump has given us a second chance to fix the country. But the threats to our democracy continue and will be present for decades. In the meanwhile, what are we going to do to fix this country? What are YOU going to do to fix this country? There is no solution unless we can convince adherents of “stop the steal” and QAnon, anti-maskers, anti-science folks, and afraid-of-the-future racists that there are established facts and a better tomorrow ahead for them. We can ALL prosper if we just try. To be continued…
Copyright (text) Andrew Morkes
Photo collage copyrights clockwise from top left: Shutterstock, Ms. Y Bailey/Shutterstock.com, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Shutterstock, Shutterstock, Andrew Morkes
Click here for more information on Jasper Johns’ American flag (pictured top right in the photo collage) series.
One of your best offerings on your blog.
Thank you!