Properly – the 2024 election is over and I believed I’d carry
it to a detailed with this ultimate put up on the problem. As beforehand acknowledged, I’m a small “I”
impartial and have by no means registered as a Democrat or a Republican. Aside from Barack Obama and Joe Biden – I
have voted for Ralph Nader in practically each different Presidential election that I
have voted in. As you possibly can see from
latest posts, I completely didn’t need Trump or his minions wherever close to the
White Home once more. It’s astounding that
it has occurred. To make sense of it –
someday final night time the media began to spin it as Trump being some sort of
genius or common hero. That lacks any
actual explanatory energy. The media has accomplished an unimaginable job throughout this
election making Trump appear to be a regular Presidential candidate when he
is much from it. It was fairly a spectacle this morning watching the morning TV
gang falling throughout themselves making this seem to be a miracle – after they
primarily staged it.
You don’t have to be a psychiatrist to see the apparent
issues right here however apparently it helps. I’ve listened to Trump voters
interviewed and through these interviews they’ll present no rationale for his or her
vote. I’ve listened to younger voters interviewed
and it was not clear that they knew something about how voting works within the
United States. Younger voters are
criticized for being ideologically self-centered as if older voters should not. The
solely voters that made sense had been self-identified Republicans who couldn’t vote
for Trump based mostly on his try to overthrow the elected authorities of the
United States. You’d suppose that
can be a tough cease for any law-abiding citizen. Again within the day once I took civics, I believe
it was known as treason. Past
that small drawback, no person appears to recall all the different the authorized issues
that will maintain the typical individual from getting an interview only a few years
in the past. Any individual posted that Individuals want
to cease pretending that they’re superior to everybody else after they put a man
like Trump within the White Home. Trump
couldn’t get a job at Piggly Wiggly and he’s now President of america. That personifies every thing that’s presently fallacious
with america.
There was no dialogue of the rhetoric used on this marketing campaign notably Trump’s. To quote one instance, in a earlier put up in regards to the preliminary debate with Biden – Trump advised Biden had “destroyed” the nation (he used the phrase destroy 22 instances) and he’s the “worst” President – (he used the phrase worst 22 instances). All that even though Trump produced no helpful content material on coverage and didn’t reply to Biden’s remark that in a scholarly rating of presidential achievement – Trump was useless final (Biden was 14 out of 45 and that has most likely improved). This has been Trump’s technique in each speech. No content material and irrational private assaults. He attacked Harris’ ethnicity and known as her a “bitch” a number of instances (2-4) in addition to many different derogatory names and insults. And there was no criticism of this by anybody aside from Biden within the debate, who was characterised as an alternative as outdated and feeble by the press.
In fact, Trump opponents are additionally issuing conciliatory
statements acknowledging the win and wishing him the very best. They’re doing every thing he wouldn’t do and
ignoring all his vicious title calling alongside the best way. I’ve not heard the same old
platitudes about how he’s the President for all Individuals but – however will probably be
coming. Let’s face it – he’s not the
President for all Individuals. He’s the
President for the highly effective and the gullible. OK – I’ll acknowledge that perhaps there are nonetheless a couple of loyal Republicans caught within the headlights who do not understand the social gathering of Reagan has been reworked right into a cult.
He was described as a transactional President by the BBC
at present (3). In different phrases what does he get
out of what he offers in negotiations? It
got here up in a dialog with a Ukrainian Prime Minister Kira Rudik reminding everybody
that Trump stated he would remedy the conflict in Ukraine in in the future. And later that he would remedy the conflict in
Ukraine earlier than he was in workplace. These
are the primary of many failures that I will likely be on the lookout for and pointing
out. Trump is totally disingenuous
and I anticipate to see a protracted listing of failures.
One main level that appears to be missed about this election final result is
that it’s a textbook instance of how rhetoric alone can carry the day – even when
there’s a full lack of substance.
It is a important level that I’ve not seen analyzed by anybody. If
something – the press remains to be reacting to Trump’s rhetoric as if it’s
true. The economic system is a transparent instance.
Trump has described it as a disastrous failed economic system on account of Biden and
Harris. The press nonetheless accepts that regardless of the latest version of the
Economist stating it’s an excellent economic system so far as economies
go. There’s the opposite actuality piece
that Presidents don’t have that a lot of an impact on the economic system anyway – however the
economic system persists as a prime reason Trump received. It actually wasn’t the economic system – it was false rhetorical
concepts in regards to the economic system.
The second commonest narrative to elucidate the
outcomes is that Trump offered himself to the commoners as somebody who would assault
the “elites” and both burn the system down or take all of them down a notch. I
heard Mark Cuban on Sam Harris’s podcast describing the elites as principally
anybody Trump needed to criticize – generals, docs, and many others. So the elites are
principally the rhetorical targets of Trump. They don’t actually meet any distinctive
definition of elites. And the definition
of elites is sort of extensive starting from individuals with particular skills to the
rich class. Is a normal involved about Trump’s remedy of army
veterans and conflict casualties an elitist?
What in regards to the billionaires all circling round Trump and Trump himself? What in regards to the richest man on this planet giving over $100M and intensive media protection on his social media web site to the Trump marketing campaign and different MAGA candidates? What about people who find themselves clearly
above the legislation in contrast with the remainder of us? Any software of the elitist
rationalization should miss the truth that Trump is likely one of the largest elites of
all of them.
The failure to see Trump because the character and mental
failure that he’s appears matched by rationalizations that equate him to your
eccentric outdated uncle who reveals up annually on the household gatherings. In the course of the previous months the place his fashion was
equated to autocracy (which it’s) and Naziism (which it’s not) – a number of
excuse makers got here out and stated that Trump couldn’t probably be a Nazi as a result of
he’s solely enthusiastic about himself and never selling any long-lasting ideology.
So, if he strikes on the darkish cloud will go along with him. In one other case, the Wall Avenue Journal
acknowledged:
“We do not purchase the fascism fears, and we doubt Democrats
actually do both. Our personal concern is whether or not he can efficiently handle the
nation’s pressing issues. Most second presidential phrases are disappointing, or
worse, and Mr. Trump hasn’t mapped out a transparent agenda past controlling the
border and unleashing U.S. vitality manufacturing.”
And
“The authoritarian rule that Democrats and the press
predicted by no means appeared. Mr. Trump was too undisciplined, and his consideration
span too brief, to remain on one message a lot much less stage a coup. America’s checks
and balances held, and Democrats benefited from the political backlash.”
Sure – they are surely suggesting that we will relaxation reassured
that their candidate’s cognitive limitations and full lack of an agenda
ought to be reassuring that he can sit within the White Home and never attempt to vogue
an autocracy with endurance when he has a raft of Mini-Mes at his
disposal. He has in spite of everything demolished
the Occasion of Lincoln to the purpose the place it’s not recognizable as a
respectable political social gathering and rendered it right into a cult.
The opposite drawback with all of that is that there’s an
expectation someplace that every one Individuals will settle for this atrocious set of
affairs, reconcile with the individuals who voted for this man, and we are going to all be one
large comfortable household. That could be very unlikely
to occur. What’s prone to occurs is
that Trump and his cronies are prone to “double down” on all their intrusions
into non-public life, practical authorities, and public security. Even at present we’re listening to about how Kennedy
needs to get rid of FDA departments and Musk needs to impose a brand new austerity
normal on all Individuals. The Rolling Stone quoted a number of proponents
of Challenge 2025 saying that they not should fake that there’s distance
from Trump they usually can now personal the connection. All of that interprets to direct hurt to the
individuals who voted for Trump pondering that he’s someway enthusiastic about them.
There must be resistance to this at each degree. When the hurt happens it must be
documented whether or not that’s maternal mortality as a result of some politician thinks
they know find out how to handle being pregnant or elevated toddler mortality on account of
vaccination limitations or worsening bronchial asthma as a direct results of lax air
high quality requirements. I believe that violence,
gun violence, and violent crime will enhance simply because it’s a part of the
MAGA tradition. Their normal response
that they’re the law-and-order social gathering not applies – as a result of they aren’t.
There’s a lengthy listing that I’ll document
over time. Count on a PowerPoint.
As all of this was churning in my mind final night time – I
realized that Trump getting elected was similar to me engaged on my acute care
unit simply earlier than I give up. I used to be mendacity in mattress awake and feeling
like an electrical present was working by my physique. It was not possible to
calm down. My coronary heart fee was elevated. It
jogged my memory of why I can by no means return to that sort of work once more. Though I
did it for 22 years, on the finish it was insupportable. I didn’t thoughts when the stress was on account of
attempting to assist individuals resolve extreme psychiatric issues. It was very problematic when the setting
turned politicized and I used to be one of many targets. It additionally jogged my memory of the present hazard, a
harmful man, and a harmful social gathering and why it’s extra essential to be loyal
and true to the concept of a rustic than a candidate. Keep vigilant and don’t let this extraordinarily
unhealthy flip of occasions get you down.
In probably the most fundamental ultimate evaluation – a vote for Trump was a
vote for lawlessness, resentment, dishonesty, greed, corruption, and disrespect. It was a vote for large
enterprise managers and CEOs, misinformation, earnings inequality, local weather change, air pollution, authorities intrusion in your private well being care, and
autocrats worldwide.
How can that probably finish effectively?
George Dawson, MD, DFAPA
References:
1: Bensinger Ok, Yourish
Ok, Gold, M. Failing to Provoke Harris,
Trump Turns to Tried and True: Vulgarity.
New York Occasions. August 31,
2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/29/us/politics/trump-crass-imagery.html
2: Haberman M, Swan J. Contained in the Worst Three Weeks of Donald
Trump’s 2024 Marketing campaign. New York
Occasions. August 10, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/10/us/politics/trump-campaign-election.html
3: BBC Information Hour November
6, 2024: Interview of Ukrainian PM Kira
Rudik (begins at 19 min 27 second mark): https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w172zb96nbcppzq
4: Lu C. Trump Wields Sexist Insults at Closing Marketing campaign
Rally. The Republican nominee has a protracted historical past of misogynistic rhetoric. Overseas Coverage November 5, 2024. https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/11/05/trump-sexist-insults-remarks-pelosi-harris-gender/
And all the post-election spin claims Trump will not be a
misogynist.
Graphics Credit score: Due to Tyler Black @tylerblack32 for permitting me using one in all his election graphics from X(previously Twitter). See the complete sequence for his statistical commentary on the election dynamics.
