December 22, 2024

Dear Friends, Relatives, Countrymen,

I come not to bury Trump – I’d like to, but he seems invulnerable – and certainly not to praise him, as he is the antithesis of everything decent, virtuous and noble about the human condition. Indeed, the emperor has no clothes, exposing the rot for all in America to see but only half acknowledge.

In 2016, sober-minded folks were stunned when they learned of the presidential election victory of this man whose only claim to success was a TV show in which he posed as a tough-minded, shrewd businessman, never mind that he’d declared bankruptcy six times in 10 years. Pollsters had given his opponent, Hillary Clinton, upward of 90% certainty of winning. Why the enormous disparity?

I submit that a great many people who answered the polling questions lied, too embarrassed to reveal their choice. The reason for their shame, in my considered opinion, was their prime reason for favoring him: He was, is, racist to the core. This year, another female candidate was defeated, this one losing not only the electoral count, but the popular vote, as well, though only by a margin of 1.5%; Trump received less than 50%, far below what was needed for a mandate. This time the polls were decidedly more circumspect, but still gave Kamala Harris a slight edge in the battleground states.

In both elections, Trump’s opponent was a woman. But the second one was black, as well. We knew much more about how Trump governed in his first term from endless accounts by officials from that administration about how utterly inept and dangerous he was. We also knew that he had perpetually insisted the election was stolen from him, that fraud occurred, even though 60 judges from around the country, some appointed by Trump, unanimously ruled there was no evidence of any wrong-doing that could have changed the election outcome.

The electorate knew all of this, and much, much more – the stolen classified documents, the attempt to get a Georgia official to cheat and award Trump enough votes to win that state, his refusal to intervene in the mob attack on the Capitol, his pro-Putin and Kim Jung Un declarations, the 34-count conviction of fraud in trying to hide evidence of dalliance with a porn star, and on and on. It was all there to hear and see in the media, though, admittedly, the most popular TV news network, Fox, served as the propaganda arm for Trump and his followers.

Yet the majority of voters filled in the box or circle for Trump on their ballots. A powerful force had to be in play for such a mind-blowing outcome to occur. Sure, a lot of opposition to a female president had a role in the 2016 and 2024 elections; Clinton garnered 2.9 million more than did Trump, not a big enough margin to overcome the electoral count. But the larger loss by another female candidate eight years later occurred despite the shocking revelations about Trump’s chaotic and dangerous inclinations during his presidency. So what occurred?

So many theories were propounded, mainly that the Biden economy was at fault. But Federal Reserve Board chairman Jerome Powell, a Trump pick, declared just days ago that the economy    was in great shape. Indeed, inflation spiked by the pandemic receded to low levels, and job growth was solid. The stock markets have soared, and about 50% of the population is invested. Thanksgiving holiday travel was the highest on record. Christmas holiday shopping online is setting records. No, a force more powerful than economic was at play.

Racism – along with other cultural phenomena.

Racial discrimination and attitudes are institutional in America, a blight on this nation from its inception, from slavery through the Jim Crow era to the civil rights activism to the present. It seems too entrenched to root out. In 2020, when Biden won the election, he lost the majority of white votes, somewhere around 53% choosing Trump. This year, Kamala Harris was slightly ahead in polls of battleground states, but they were wrong. Why? I think it’s because some people lied in the polls, embarrassed to admit they were voting for Trump despite his criminality, his paucity of principles, and his utterly deplorable behavior. His racism may have been a positive characteristic for them.

Look what happened in Iowa. A pollster with a sterling record predicted the state would vote for Harris. Trump won by a significant margin. Did the people of my solidly white home state lie to the poll takers?

Hatred grips like barnacles on a ship. The song “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught” was Rodgers and Hammerstein’s way of treating the subject of racism in the 1949 musical South Pacific. Preceding the song is a line declaring that “racism is not born in you. It happens after you’re born.”

Another cultural event swaying voters, in your scribe’s opinion, is the movement toward acceptance of untraditional sexual predilections. Honestly, I sometimes wonder if it’s gone too far; acceptance doesn’t have to mean celebration, such as with the flaunting of drag shows. But for those who hate homosexuals, I would ask: Do you think any person in hiser (his or her) right mind would choose to be gay, considering the powerful stigma society has laden it with? I don’t care what the Bible says. If you want to believe that it’s a sin, blame God, because hesh (he or she) created gays. And while we’re at it, did you ever wonder why the apostle Paul never married – or (please be seated) Jesus Christ? Just a thought.

Back to the election. Trump is suing that Iowa pollster. Well of course, we all know that it’s illegal to make the wrong prediction about an election. Oh, excuse me, only if it was Trump who got the errant call. Is anyone unaware that Disney, owner of cable news network ABC News, succumbed to a Trump lawsuit charging defamation because anchor George Stephanopoulos said the former president was “liable for rape,” while the actual charge was “sexual abuse,” a narrow distinction in New York law. ABC likely would have won because of the 1964 New York Times vs. Sullivan decision making it illegal for a news outlet to defame a public official only if the defamation were intentional. Then again, with our crooked Supreme Court, that landmark ruling might have been overturned.

So His Eminence is emboldened to go after news media that lack the resources to defend against his flippant lawsuits, and he is threatening to do so. I envision it happening swiftly after he takes office. And the mafia-style revenge won’t be limited to the media; he’s warning of “trouble” for Liz Cheney, the staunchly conservative House member who stood against her congressional cohorts in refusing to support Trump, and in fact campaigned vigorously against him. Other politicians, political operatives and pundits are in his crosshairs, notably MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, who has said he wants to execute her.

This is where we are in the United States of America, ladies and gentlemen. Those of you who cast your votes for the would-be, and soon-to-become, dictator – are you happy? I’ve foreseen this for at least the last year, and have been ruminating over getting the hell (“heck” for you evangelicals) out. I favored Portugal for a long time, but finally realized that the influx of expatriates has driven up costs of living, especially in metropolitan Lisbon, where I would’ve wanted to be because of the cultural advantages (you can have the beach).

So where else? Mexico has lots of locations, of which Merida in the Yucatan Peninsula seems the most inviting, with low crime and solid infrastructure. An important consideration is the presence of expatriates, since I will be completely alone. Of the places I read about in the online magazine International Living, expats in most countries seem to be welcoming to newbies. IL’s No. 1 spot for expats in 2025 is Panama, which has ranked high on its list for a number of years. I receive information about the country daily, and am torn about whether to attend a conference in Panama City in February to learn the ins and outs of relocating there. A buddy may accompany me.

The pending demise of our democracy is not the only trigger of my wanderlust. Policies enumerated by Trump’s oligarchic partner, Elon Musk, force one to realize that living in this country is bound to become prohibitively expensive for those of modest means – and I’m so modest I can’t stand myself. Social Security is my main source of monthly income, and I foresee its privatization, which will make it more expensive. Medicare also will be privatized. These changes have one purpose: Make corporations and individuals richer, a goal complementing the plan to continue the tax cuts to billionaires and corporations initiated in Trump’s first term. After all, the USA has only 800 billionaires (as of April), and China has 814. Geez, we have to compete. Jeff Bezos – you know, the guy who stopped his Washington Post from endorsing Kamala Harris – used to be America’s richest, but he’s been relegated to near-pauper status at $246 billion, compared to $454.5 billion for Musk, almost half-way toward his status as the world’s first trillionaire.

By the way, adding to the unaffordability of living here will be the tariffs imposed by Bozo, who thinks the victimized country pays them instead of the importer, which passes the cost to the consumers. Another inflationary policy will be the exportation of illegal migrants, who take the dirty and demanding jobs that Americans shun – unless they’re paid much higher wages.

A couple of things I worry about in moving abroad. One, is there jazz? Panama City has a noted (pun intended) jazz club, Danilo’s, who charges $30 to get into the place. Fuggetaboutit. But a       couple of other places appear to have part-time jazz. Three symphony orchestras populate the environs. My other concern is the availability of ping pong.

In the antediluvian period – or maybe it was just the antebellum era – I was champ of my tiny college in my third year, and barely played since then. Alas, my huge condo complex has a ping pong club. At first, I was terrible, largely because I couldn’t toss the ball up straight to serve. It’s a neurological quirk that ruined my tennis game. After a few weeks of this, I hit on an idea: a shot of vodka before playing. Presto! Problem solved, and I’ve become one of the best players in the club. But they set up only two of their three tables, while people sat around waiting to play. I kept asking why that third table wasn’t put to use, and got a couple of irrelevant reasons. I persisted, and all three tables now are used when demand is sufficient.

Meanwhile, I looked for ping pong elsewhere, and found these two recreation centers with 12 tables, with a slew of players who blew my mind when I first saw them. Top of the line. I have played with 10 or so, out of 40 or 50, and my game has improved markedly. It’s become a passion.

As for my writing activities, the inability to find a suitable email sending service since March has crippled my output of blog posts that go to 3,500 email subscribers. I’m hoping for help from an expert in the computer club here.

I should mention that I flew to Costa Rica a few weeks ago to have the crowns over five implants, mismatched by a Nicaraguan dentist, replaced. I’m becoming an expert on Central America: Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Mexico for a procedure a few years ago, and Panama, whose siren song is calling. I’ll possibly soon see whether it harmonizes with my future plans.

Wake up! This tome is finished, and I wish everyone happy and fruitful (especially the cranberries) holidays. We’ll need a little happiness to cope with the inevitable chaos to come.

Bob