PAR FOR THE COURSE…

The twin facts that almost half of adult Americans have the attention span of an avocado, and opinions that are buffeted to and fro by the slightest breeze, are now on glaring display. How convenient for the members of the hoped for autocracy. The left, of which I am a proud member, is now in full panic over one debate, choosing to completely forget four stellar years of a Presidency. I can see the hail-fellows-well-met of the Heritage Foundation and The Federalist Society doubled over in glee over their Rob Roys, as they bump fists – you know, like those hep darkie rappers do.

What the hell is wrong wi — -never mind, I know what is wrong with us. We have been dumbed down to the nub. So occupied with scraping by that we’ve lost the minds we hardly had in the first place. This has been the Republican playbook for as long as I can remember – and I am in my eighty-sixth year on this planet.

I have watched, almost in amusement, as we have acted against our own self-interest. As the better people among us, i.e. Debs, Stevenson, Gore, were rebuffed, and the likes of Reagan, Nixon, and Trump were embraced. I have watched as the dumbest stuff became “awesome,” and the worst junk garnered the most attention.

We are now on the verge of another descent into the low end of stupid. Only now, it will mean more than it has ever meant before. And, unless we now gird our loins, and somehow come to whatever senses we still have, we will shortly turn this country over to the very worst, most selfish, most mean, most vile among us. Isn’t that nice?

We must try, I repeat, try, to remember the many things Joe Biden has done for this country. I know it means making the difficult effort to search our decaying synapses for some things that happened as long, long ago as in the last four years. Yes, President Biden is old. However, a president is not alone in the oval office. And imagine who will be whispering in Donald Trump’s ear if he manages to squeeze himself behind the resolute desk again. I give you the twin towers of benevolence, Stephen Miller and Steve Bannon. And the entire Federalist Society brandy and cigar lounge, along with the oh, so warm and fuzzy humanity loving, membership of the Heritage Foundation. Are you sick yet? No? Yes?

We had better make up what is left of our minds to stand with a President who has served honorably these last four years. A man who has championed health care, increased salaries, presided over disinflation and increased family wealth across income groups, and increased green spending. In the last four years American households have grown wealthier and are in better financial shape than ever before, and for a supposedly unpopular president, the US stock market sure seems to like Biden. And, the list goes on.

If we can’t overcome our tik-tok attention spans, and our willingness to let others tell us how to think without doing the work ourselves, if we just dismiss all this progress in the fog of propaganda and facile punditry, we are lost.

I can only hope we find our way through this maze of doubt and realize on which side our bread is buttered, and who it is who will keep that butter on our kitchen tables.

© tony powers and Barking in the Dark, 2024. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to tony powers and Barking in the Dark with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.