America Is Over

Fascism and Acquiescence on Full Display

[Photo Credit: Mandel Ngan-Pool/Getty Images]

It is hard to put into words how I feel about tonight’s grotesque event. It was at once a travesty, a farce, and a dystopian exercise in mendacity, disinformation, and fascism. It was, if you will, a stunning and brazen display of American carnage.

None of what Donald Trump said was unsurprising. For anybody paying attention, it was exactly what we should have expected. But to see it play out in real-time—the endless mendacity; the incalculable cruelty and unceasing violence; the assaults on our allies, on the most vulnerable among us, on our rights, on our home—was difficult to take. The ways in which Donald drowned the American people in the vile poison that is his vision of America, and indeed, of humanity, is something I will never forget.

What tonight offered us was as much clarity as we needed to understand where we are and what we need to do if we are to get through this and come out on the other side.

The Republican Party rewarded Donald with yet more slavish sycophancy. There is nothing to hope for there so let’s not waste our time.

The Democratic Party had no coordinated stance. Once again, they failed to understand the mission. When Rep. Al Green (D-TX) stood in protest, he refused to stop even after Speaker of the House Mike Johnson threatened to have him removed by the Sergeant-at-Arms. Some Democrats also raised their voices, but not enough. And when the Sergeant-at-Arms did indeed remove Rep. Green, all Democratic voices went silent. I don’t know that I have ever been as ashamed of my party as I was tonight. Instead of vocal and unrelenting opposition, they held up sophomoric signs and sat stony-faced as if they couldn’t even be bothered.

As we’ve long expected, it is up to us. Now we know. Tonight we mourn. Tomorrow we fight.

Please, take care of yourselves. Stay safe. Be kind.