I hate sequels.

The Godfather II was good, but most of the other sequels were terrible. I guarantee you that Trump’s sequel won’t be as entertaining as Godfather II, but the body count promises to be much higher.

But don’t count me among the teary-eyed hand wringers wondering how the country I love so much was flushed down the toilet. We would be angry when the Supreme Court gave presidents complete immunity for “official” actions that only the justices on the court could approve. Pro tip: Don’t expect Joe Biden to benefit from what could be the ultimate power in the US political universe, either. The Yıldız Chamber of the Supreme Court of Appeals will not side with him in any case. Darth Vader Trump will get a free pass.

So we are facing a new round of Trump mania, brought to us by people who first voted for Trump in the White House but failed to get him elected in 2020. your point of view – and there are many people boasting or whining today.

The finger pointing started. Cries of voter suppression and election rigging are compounded by accusations that Attorney General Merrick Garland has been slow to handle federal investigations into Trump and condemnation of Sen. Mitch McConnell for not voting to convict Trump during his second impeachment.

Some say Vice President Harris spends too much time singing “Happy.” Happy. Joy. Joy” while ignoring serious populist problems. Some say the Democrats’ elitism is equally obvious; They fail to acknowledge the fact that most Americans would not accept a woman, especially a woman of color, as president. All of these may be true.

The only concrete charges so far are against Russian actors who called in fake bomb threats in five regions in Georgia. This is a clear act of war, but no one is worried about it today.

They are worried or elated about Trump and his continuation.

I remembered a line from the movie “Con Air” that describes him very well. “He’s the type of misplaced anger. Name your cliché; His mother held him down too much or not enough, his last pick at kickball, his sneaky uncle late at night or something. He is so angry now that moments of lightness actually cause him pain; It gives him a headache. For this gentleman, happiness is painful.

To extend this comparison a little further, to use another line from “Con Air,” it might seem odd that Trump would have been elected on any other day. But today it is not like that. George Carlin warned us never to underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups. Or if you prefer a different perspective;

“All that is needed for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing,” John F. Kennedy warned, misquoting Edmund Burke.

The next step in the sequel will come when Congress certifies Trump’s victory. Although violence is common in the United States, this election is certain to occur without the tensions of the last election, and I’m not discounting anything at this point. But it will probably be relatively peaceful. Then, no matter what the facts hold, we will witness an inauguration and Trump’s claim of a record number of attendees. And then we get to the point.

In the next Trump administration, federal workers will be purged unless they sign a loyalty oath, immigrants will be rounded up, the National Guard and military will be used by generals who pledge their allegiance to Trump and MAGA, and then it will be over for good. to the races.

Trump, now the de facto owner of the Senate, will ensure that any criminal he wishes is confirmed and appointed to important positions in the government. Democrats hope to take the House, but don’t hold your breath for that.

We face the possibility that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will eliminate the FDA (he has already promised to do so), so goodbye safe food and drugs. Project 2025 will be implemented, after which we will eliminate the National Weather Service, Medicare, Social Security, women’s rights, and a variety of other services that most Trump supporters rely on. We face massive tariffs and mass deportations, and when they wreak havoc on the economy, Trump will blame the Democrats and his 70 million-plus voters will believe him.

On the other hand, last month Trump told us that the elections were fraudulent. He claimed there was massive voter fraud going on in Philadelphia. Maybe he was right. Of course, he hasn’t said anything since. to win Pennsylvania.

He remains a pathetic bully, but the Democrats have failed to defeat him. Trump keeps lowering the bar and Democrats can’t get over it. It’s a terribly sad situation. Former Republican presidential candidate Joe Walsh, who campaigned more for Kamala Harris than for any other Republican, says this is the Democratic party’s biggest problem; They don’t understand. “I’ve been saying it for years. We live in a populist era. Working-class Americans are angry. Trump is using this populist moment to demagogue, lie to, and intimidate working-class Americans. “Democrats never realized this populist moment.”

Or to put it another way, Trump, Elon Musk, and other billionaires including Jeff Bezos, as part of the ruling class, have exploited inherent anger against the donor and the ruling class to continue to rule and dominate. It makes sense when you realize how insensitive most people are to the facts, how badly the press reports the facts, how little most people think about the people who report the facts, and how gullible those same people are. Very few people went bankrupt because of America’s ignorance. Millions of people bought Milli Vanilli records and believe WWE is “real,” so don’t be surprised if Trump wins.

While we want to point every finger we have at whoever we want, please remember Walt Kelly’s cartoon “Pogo” and his quote, “We have met the enemy and he is us.”

Americans are getting the government they deserve, good and tough. This one is not good and will be extremely difficult. But there’s a part of me that’s channeling my inner George Carlin, who says, “Somewhere in that range, over the last 20 to 30 years, I’ve come to realize that I’ve started to move away from having a stake in any of this. In terms of my interest, I no longer have an emotional stake in the outcome.” “When you get down to it, I really don’t care.”

George may be overcompensating a little for his extreme dissatisfaction with the path this country has taken after the election of Ronald Reagan, and who can blame him? Everything we see today is a result of trickle-down economics and Ronald Reagan’s embrace of the far-right evangelical movement.

All oil is in the hands of a handful of companies. A handful of companies operate most markets, and a handful of companies own and operate all the news you digest. Garbage inflow and outflow is controlled in order to make the rich richer, the poor poorer, and to use the marginalized middle class to make all this happen.

This sounds great, and I’m not going to try to convince you that there’s nothing to worry about.

Just listening to family members who claim to be Christians support a man who is decidedly un-Christian in his actions is enough to make you think we suck. But then again, what would you expect from a non-serious man who pantomimes oral sex on the microphone, is clearly suffering from mental relapse and has all the charm of a drug-taking leper? It turns out that more than 71 million people love lepers.

Ultimately, Democrats need to, in Walsh’s words, look within themselves. Although it is said that there was record voter turnout, the numbers do not support this. He is supporting a record number of early voters, but Trump has received 2.5 million fewer votes so far than in 2020, while Democrats have received 14.5 million fewer votes. Even if the final numbers increase, proportionally this is not a good sign. Democrats underperformed.

I Blame George Clooney and his stupid letter It was printed by the New York Times, which trashed Joe Biden. Maybe Democrats overreacted to Biden’s appearance in the first debate. Maybe not, but Clooney called Biden his friend and then publicly trashed him. With friends like this. . .

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Look, it’s all over. Trump is inside. Part of me will watch from the sidelines as I unhappily accept that my grandson was born with fewer rights today than his mother had 30 years ago. This is a serious problem.

Here is George Bernard Shaw’s serious response:

“True happiness in life is being used for a purpose that is considered powerful by you. To be a force of nature instead of a hot, selfish little bundle of ills and grievances who complain that the world won’t devote itself to making you happy. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole society and that it is my privilege to do what I can for as long as I live. When I die, I want to be completely exhausted, because the harder I work, the more I live. I feel joy for life itself. Life is not a short candle to me. “What I have now is a magnificent torch, and I want to make sure it burns as brightly as possible before I pass it on to future generations.”

So cry if you have to, wring your hands, clutch your pearls, and then get back to work.

Life is waiting. Don’t waste it.

“The fight for our freedom will require hard work, but… . .the fight for our country is always worth it,” Harris said in her concession speech Wednesday. “Never give up.”

If possible, laugh too.