Election Eve in Musings

I’m anxiously awaiting tomorrow’s midterm elections with bated breath. I know the polls look good for a Democratic takeover of the House, but how wrong were the polls two years ago? God help us all if there isn’t at least one lever of the government that can act as a brake on this runaway Trump train of lies, demagoguery, and race-baiting. The ad that ran Sunday night (and has since been pulled) labeling this “caravan” as an invasion of criminals that will tear apart the fabric of our American culture would make every fascist, banana republic dictator in history proud. It still boggles my mind that a solid 35-40% of this country stand with Trump and his assault on American values. If nothing else, the rise of Trumpism has allowed us as a nation to lay bare the ugliness that used to lie just beneath the surface of civil society. We are seeing a side of our country that many of us couldn’t or wouldn’t see. With the Obama Era, we thought that we had finally moved on from our racist past, and that we were at the gateway to a new post-racial America- an America that FINALLY was ready to live up to the ideals it had espoused for centuries. We see that as naive hopefulness now, and realize that the fight we thought was won actually was just a momentary cessations of hostilities. How many generations will it take to finally eradicate the stain of racism that besmirches our shiny American ideal? Let’s hope that the rise of Trump is nothing but the last gasp of a dying, archaic mindset, and by shining light on the dark side of America, we as a people finally make a decision to move past tribalism, racism, and ignorance. I hope the road back starts with a win in the House and a pickup of some pivotal governorships tomorrow night, and “We The People” make a renewed effort to define this great nation in more dignified, aspirational terms.