By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
NOV. 8, 2024 | The word best to use is “flabbergasted.”
Never did I think the American people would stoop so low as elect someone who campaigned on lies, distortion and outrageousness. Plus, he is a convicted felon, who violated lots of women, and insulted people in all sorts of ways. Yet our nation has elected him president.
The far right, in a virtual religious movement, has chosen someone to lead our nation who purports to be successful, yet proves to be a selfish businessman, leaving many people in the lurch, while having many bankruptcies and calling himself a success.
And 73 million people believed him.
Our next president has conned many into making big financial contributions to him, even selling Bibles and gold tennis shoes, not only for campaign financing, but to pay his many lawyers to get him out of multiple troubles. And if there is one element that his lawyer contributed, most successfully, it was the delay, delay, delay on court cases, so that he would become president again before any sentences could be imposed on him and keep him out of jail. He’ll never have to face accountability for his January 6 insurrection.
And even if it happens that he is eventually sentenced for some of his misdeeds, he can simply pardon himself, or so he believes. You wonder even if the high jurists of the court think this would be right…..or even constitutional.
So his lawyering up has worked at least to delay that he will face substantial court appearances. You would think that our system of laws would still work to bring him before the courts, and let him be tried. Yet even then, you wonder if a jury would stand up and convict him even in the face of substantial evidence.
Let’s look back at what Donald Trump said in this campaign.
He’s said he will be a dictator, even if for a day. That’s not a good sign.
He’s said he would punish his detractors. Again, not a good sign.
He’s said he would eliminate many of the bureaucrats who quietly and carefully oversee our nation. And who will he replace them with? His fellow travelers, who would know little about the day-to-day functioning of our government, will find themselves caught in a snafu of inefficiency, while our nation will suffer.
Add to the list: Trump won’t have any—none, zilch, zero—checks and balances on his actions if the U.S. House remains in GOP control. Outlandish propositions are on the way. And as the electorate may have given him control of both houses of Congress, watch out for far-out and questionable legislation!
What else can we expect?
No doubt, unjust recriminations from Trump on those he sees as his enemies. No telling who will suffer. Me, you, the next guy?
Trump always speaks in superlatives. Trump will continue to tell us that what he does is the very best in the world, that his appointees are more wonderful than anyone before them, that the economy will be greater than ever under his leadership, and that he can solve the world’s problems better than anyone in history. We’re already tired of these outbursts of superlatives. We’re going to hear more.
Yes, it’s scary to be so flabbergasted.
Yet somehow, our nation will do as it has before: find some way to survive. Realize it won’t be easy. Be on the alert to tackle the unexpected before our nation eventually gets back to normal. It may take a long time.
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