2025 01 21

Keeping up appearances. Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery, Elwood, Illinois. June, 2024. © Clayton Hauck

This is not a political blog. Stocks are up. Get back to work!

Yesterday was tough. It wasn’t just the immediate pivot through a pen that put our country on an aggressive path (I don’t mind some well-meaning aggression); it wasn’t just the the billionaire tech oligarchy showing up at morning mass, followed by selfies in front of the Capitol, followed by the best seats in the house (as governors waited outside), to watch their guy get sworn in without bothering to touch a bible in the process; it wasn’t the crypto tokens issued solely at the benefit of putting billions of dollars into the hands of Trump and his family — peanut farms be dammed (“raise those flags, we’re celebrating”)!; it wasn’t just the ease at which Trump crammed in a full day of getting shit done, while his predecessor returned from another vacation, pardoned his entire family, and then flew off into the sunset never to be seen again; it wasn’t just the clear dog whistles, tone adjustment, and rewarding of behavior once seen as unlawful and unwanted — whatever it takes to make his vision a reality is now fully endorsed and embraced by the Supreme Court through whatever means deemed necessary — we’re living at the whims of one man, a man who has proven over and over to have a fragile ego and questionable character. He’s our man. Our dear leader, just as he wants it. 

Stocks are up. Nothing to see here. Get back to work! 

We finally have a real dude (not some Elite) in charge of things and he alone can fix it, as surely he will. All he needs is four more years of madness and everything will be great again.

Most people I know are choosing to ignore the news and actively avoid learning about what is now happening. I get it, it’s the clear best choice for maintaining your own sanity and keeping your house in order. Touching this madness in any way only leads to trouble. I made the decision to take it all in yesterday, to give myself a sense of what’s to come, and it left my brain hurt and heart confused. I get the outrage that led to this. I get the frustrations that led to this. I get the contempt for the Democratic Party that led to this. What I don’t understand, and what terrifies me, is how quickly we are ditching norms, scrapping laws, and enabling Trump’s darkest impulses — we’re no longer hiding the executive orders from him, we’re stacking them up high and signing them in front of a live studio audience! Rile up the base and blame anything that goes wrong (as it will) on the opposition, the immigrants, them. 

The Democratic Party is almost silent in response. The big guy who wears shorts to work is apparently switching sides this week. He likes to win, too, and there’s a feeling like the level-headed centrists and liberals will never win again. We have rolled over and are playing dead as the system now allows us almost no safeguards in opposition. Even a simple old blog post like this one feels kind of dangerous, like I’m about to be put on some list. Maybe I should’ve voted Trump to at least have that on my file.

How far into the darkest we go before voters take notice, if voting is still a thing after the dust settles, I do not know. But I fear we can only fight crazy with even-more-crazy and we’re now on a long and steady path towards madness.

This is not a political blog. Stocks are up. Get back to work!

-Clayton