At 2:40 AM on the morning after our country first elected Donald Trump to be our President, David Remnick of the New Yorker wrote these words. I have kept them by my desk for the past 8 years.
The election of Donald Trump to the Presidency is nothing less than a tragedy for the American republic, a tragedy for the Constitution, and a triumph for the forces, at home and abroad, of nativism, authoritarianism, misogyny, and racism. Trump’s shocking victory, his ascension to the Presidency, is a sickening event in the history of the United States and liberal democracy. On January 20, 2017, we will bid farewell to the first African-American President – a man of integrity, dignity, and generous spirit – and witness the inauguration of a con who did little to spurn endorsement by the forces of xenophobia and white supremacy. It is impossible to react to this moment with anything less than revulsion and profound anxiety.
Eight long years later Trump has proven over and over again that Remnick was right. If anything, his behavior in this campaign has made Remnick’s assessment seem mild. Yet, despite having proven, in myriad ways, his unfitness for any elective office, our voters have returned him to the Presidency. We often hear of the wisdom of the American people and their inherent goodness. Let us hear no more of that.
Deacon Buck Close serves on the staff of the Church of St. John the Evangelist in Newport, RI. He was born in South Carolina, graduated from Tulane University in 1972 with a BA in Economics and Latin American Studies.
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We cannot afford despair. We must double down on opportunities to support what is right and to continue to speak out for what is wrong. The problem comes in engaging listeners who think nothing is wrong, or that this man can make things right. The thing that keeps coming back to me is how to engage with people who think they are wronged, disparaged or otherwise put down. That is a real feeling that is difficult to dispel. In today’s many commentaries on the outcome, what seems to me irrational is considered perfectly rational to people who feel Trump is the right person for our country and the world to address the anger they feel. A very big challenge for which I have no plan. Rich Stone
At least mom didn’t have to bear witness.
The saying “we are better than this” is another new falsehood. A felon. liar and man with no integrity was elected and I for one will try to be better in my local community and of course with family and friends