The man most responsible for modern-day hypnotism died two-hundred three years ago, March 5th, 1815. His name was Franz Anton Mesmer, and yes, in case you are wondering, he was mesmerizing. Donald Trump, famously displayed his own ignorance of history and thought he was mesmerizing, ‘Abraham Lincoln was a Republican,’ he proclaimed and only he was astonished,“Most people don’t even know he was a Republican. Right? Does anyone know? A lot of people don’t know that…” I have no illusions Mr. Trump has any contextual concept of common historical facts, more or less obscure history, but he should thank Mr. Mesmer. Trump has hypnotized the Republican Party. No, he is not waving a pocket watch suspended by a chain or using a swirling visual aid, but he has mesmerized them just the same.
In less than two weeks Donald Trump has trashed conservative orthodoxy on guns, trade, and tariffs. Had former President Obama dared suggest confiscating guns and doing away with due process or raising the price of imported metals, survivalist would be closing the doors to their bunkers, loading their weapons and counting their MREs. Trump has parted the seas of conservative faux outrage and has his followers convinced he walks on water.
Have we really gotten so tribalistic…?
Let us take a mental inventory; Republicans now trust Putin over the CIA, they regularly boo, John McCain, a (Republican) war hero, taxing imports is now okay, the FBI and Justice Department are their enemies and Jeff Sessions is Mr. Magoo. Okay, maybe there is a little bipartisanship on the Magoo thing, but the rest is Republican heresy. If ‘Lyin Ted’ and Steve King show up in Black Lives Matter t-shirts next week, Armageddon is days away. Donald Trump has the Republican party so schizophrenic, I am not sure if they can explain themselves any longer. The Sunday gabfest pits a Donkey opposite an Elephant now it is Trump’s campaign economic advisor, Stephen Moore, versus his Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. White House staffer Jared Kushner versus Chief of Staff John Kelly. For as long as I can remember the derivative statement of, ‘Democrats fall in love and Republicans fall in line’ is slowly becoming, Republicans are just falling,... and they can’t get up.
Trying to guide a rudderless ship is virtually impossible but the conservatives among us are sailing toward the setting horizon like moths to a flame. The problem for them is that the incoming tide of decency keeps them within sight of the shore of civility. The latest decent wave is the mass shooting survivors of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. They are the latest but not last survivors of a mass murder. So, before we get too distracted with blaming a population that endures more violence against them than they inflict, the mentally ill; Or add to the carnage by making the biology and computer science teachers Dirty Harry, take a breath and think.
It may be up to all of us to pick up the baton and advance decency. What we cannot do is allow the blind rage of tribal anger cause more stumbles and take us out of our lane.
Vote in ’18 for Change