The US election is less than a week away at the time of this writing. I’ve been pulling back from watching the news. I believe at this point the lines have been drawn, decisions made and in many cases, votes already cast. Short of some cataclysmic event, everything from now on is just hyperbole. This election is probably the most tense election I have ever known. And the most frightening. What scares me the most is not the Trump won’t leave office if he loses.

Scary, but not the scariest.

What scares me the most is that Trump will win, fair and square, or if he loses it is by such a slight margin. Not because such a result will be disputed in the courts forever, but because that would mean there are enough voting Americans who like Trump, who believe what he is doing is good, who are willing to let their country die just to “stick it to the libs.”

Yeah. That’s terrifying for me and for the world.

The big question: how can extreme right-wingers be the way the are?

My answer: They can’t lose, at least politically.

Take for example what’s happening in the US. Trump is by far the most extreme right-wing politician in recent memory. The thing about Trump is he only fights for half the nation. Some may argue that he fights for a minority of the population. I hope so, but the fact is not matter how narrow a margin, enough Americans felt strongly enough to elect him president, and most of those people have not changed their views.

Why not? Trump has proven to be more of a liability than an asset. If I were American looking back on the last four years I’d say this guy is not worth the effort. He is openly hated by the democrats and secretly hated by half of his own party. He has gone into a trade war with just about everybody. So, why all this unexplained loyalty? Not everyone is racist. Not everyone is a conspiracy nut. Not everyone is unaware or unwilling to believe in the damage he’s done on the world stage.

Because US right-wingers are in a win-win situation. If Trump wins, he fights for right-wingers exclusively, going so far as to threaten holding back aid to states with democratic governors. On the flip side, if Biden wins, he’ll fight for all Americans and that includes right-wingers. Oh, sure, they will scream socialism and communism, but when they time comes they’ll take that government sponsored service, or that money, or whatever it is they claim to hate so much. Given enough time they will make them as American as apple pie.

Not so long ago unions were considered communist. Now some of your most ardent right-wingers or unionists. Go figure.

Put up the Halloween decorations for the year.

I’ve switched providers. Most of what I posted in the past is lost. Ah, well. So, I’m starting again. From the beginning. I know almost no one visits this site–I’m not a prolific blogger–but if you do, have some patience as I ramp things up.

Sincerely,

Mike Rimar