So, Donald Trump is President-Elect. Again. His female opponent refused
to appear to talk to her supporters and waited almost a day to give a
concession speech. Again. Democrats are rending their garments wondering
what happened. Again. MAGAheads are thirstily slurping up salty liberal
tears. Again.
We’re going to Make America Great Again. Again.
Remember
that bit in Groundhog Day where Bill Murray is trying to use his
position of being stuck reliving the same day over and over again to
construct the perfect date, and he gets pretty close. He and his chosen
date have this almost perfect moment…
…then, the next go through
the cycle, he tries to do the same thing again, and it’s all wrong.
Everything is stilted and forced and it doesn’t work. He tries too hard,
grasps too tight.
That was how it felt watching the polls into the early hours of the morning – from both sides.
I’ll
be honest here – waking up after Polling Day 2016 to see Clinton had
lost is a great memory. I was never a Trump believer, but Clinton was
unequivocally worse – than almost anything you can name – and to see
the smugness of certain victory detonate into an implosion of stammering
bitterness was…funny. And a relief. And funny.
A lot of people thought so.
I
get the impression the organizers of (S)election 2024 are well aware of
that & were trying to recreate that energy, Groundhog Day fashion.
But
of course they can’t. Because this isn’t 2016. And Harris isn’t
Clinton, and Trump isn’t even Trump, as he seemed to be then. Then at
least there was some wild card elements to his game, now we know who he
is.
2016 at least had the appearance of a genuine moment. Our
astonishment at least was real. But in 2024 even that much reality has
gone. And it feels like everyone knows it....<<<Read More>>>...