Now that this shitshow is just about over, I thought I'd reflect upon the best things I heard and read this election season.
George Saunders, "Who Are All These Trump Supporters?", The New Yorker
Includes gems such as:
"It seemed self-evident to them that a businessman could and should lead the country. 'You run your family like a business, don’t you?'I was asked more than once, although, of course, I don’t, and none of us do."
And my single favorite quote from the past year:
"Above all, Trump supporters are 'not politically correct,' which, as far as I can tell, means that they have a particular aversion to that psychological moment when, having thought something, you decide that it is not a good thought, and might pointlessly hurt someone’s feelings, and therefore decline to say it."
Evan Osnos, "President Trump's First Term", The New Yorker
Gets past the "OMG what did he say/do now" merry-go-round to imagine how Trump would actually govern. It's as scary as you might imagine.
Marc Maron, WTF Podcast #729
Before he interviews Roseanne Barr, Marc addresses Trump and more importantly Trump-ism. He says the things I wanted to say, but couldn't articulate:
"Here’s why people vote for Trump: ‘Fuck It!’ ‘Fuck It All!’ That’s got to be the rationale. It’s a ‘Fuck it All’ vote. And when you say why you voting for Trump? The answer is ‘Fuck You!’ So its ‘Fuck It All! Fuck You!’ That should be the campaign slogan in a way, because it is the counterpart, the perfect counterpart to an opioid high... What is compelling about engaging with his vision is that it’s a rush. It's a rush of shameless hate; it's a hit of arrogant ignorance; it's the satisfaction in moments of empty victory; it is the nihilistic intensity of potential chaotic upheaval and destruction. I mean there's no other way to look at it. There's no foresight. There's no vision of the future. There isn't... You know, it's when you watch a woman with authority, speak with authority, deliver a strong leadership vibe, a grounded person; for a dude sometimes there's only one way to take that in and that is, ah, I hate this teacher, ah, she's so mean this teacher. I wish a substitute was here. Remember that guy? Grow up."
This reminded me of why Hillary Clinton is the way she is, and that she has a long history of great work in, to say the least, challenging environments. You see why she is secretive. Why she can be robotic. She's been attacked and vilified from the start for being a woman with brains and ambition. This doc gave me new insight into her, and reminded me of some insight I already had and forgot.
Jane Meyer, "Donald Trump's Ghostwriter Tells All", The New Yorker
You've probably figured out that The New Yorker is the only magazine I read. This article bars Trump as the thin-skinned, egotistical, vindictive, petty fraud con-artist that he is.
I'm so relieved it's all finally over, but I am thankful to those above, along with the podcasts Trumpcast, Keeping It 1600, the Slate Political Gabfest, and the 538 Election Podcast for keeping me sane and entertained during the circus.
