I wasn’t going to publish this, but at my weekly Creative Minds discussion group the other night, we got stuck on the former president and his absurd popularity.
I’m not a pollical writer. I usually try to focus on things about cancer and the transplant experience. But I’m distracted by the crazy stuff going on in our world—especially the antics of the deranged people who are trying to destroy democracy.
I used to be very outspoken about my viewpoints, especially regarding women's and children's rights. In my younger days, I participated in several marches in Washington. The most memorable ones are:
1989, I marched for Women’s Equality with my children in strollers.
1992, I marched with NARAL for abortion rights.
2000, I was with the Million Mom March, demanding stricter gun laws.
I’m afraid to go to any march these days, but I try to support my causes financially and by volunteering.
I’ve been watching a series called Regime on Max. It stars Kate Winslet as the tyrannical and ridiculous leader of a fictional European country. The scary part is that her behavior doesn’t seem as unbelievable as it would have been ten years ago. Her temper tantrums and odd demands are incredibly similar to those of people in the news.
Her Putinesque invasion of an adjacent country to annex it.
Her ability to piss off all of her former allies.
Her MAGA-style events, where she does and says so many cringe-worthy things.
How she constantly has to remind her inner circle that the people love her.
***** Spoiler alert**** Until her loving subjects invade the castle to overthrow her regime.
The question that keeps coming to mind is:
How can anyone take the former president seriously as he tries to raise money for his criminal cases by selling golden sneakers and Bibles?
I’m reminded of the 1973 movie Paper Moon. The main character, played by Ryan O'Neal, is a con man who sells bibles to poor widowed women in the desolate Dust Bowl of Kansas in the 1930s. He’s charming and cunning as he spews lies about their husbands ordering engraved bibles. He pretends to be a godly man as he takes their last pennies.
It’s hard to believe that this kind of thing is happening right now. Someone pretending to care is digging his hands into the pockets of those who believe he’s their savior. His ads are like bad QVC episodes.
I want to scream.
Why do other people in his party continue supporting this charade? I guess most of them are afraid of him. He’s already ruined many careers and threatened the lives of people who disagree with him.
Like me, my group members are middle-class women over 60, and we are mad as hell. How could we have fallen so far as a country to allow misogyny and authoritarianism to take hold in one political party? Do his followers believe he’s a godly person? Do they trust him to be fair regardless of gender, race, nationality, or income status?
As of the July 2023 census, 50.5% of the population is female. While it’s a slim majority, it could be pretty powerful if women stopped playing nice.
The group members and I agreed to take whatever action we could to get our points of view out there. I plan to no longer stay quiet about my distaste for the man who has stated he will be a dictator on day one if he were elected. If I lose friends or followers because of this piece, I don't care. I’m tired of feeling anxious and angry about the political antics that threaten the rights of us all, especially women. And it’s appalling that Congress prefers to block bills because that man says so. I have no more patience for people mindlessly following a false prophet.
They remind me of lemmings. Watch out for the cliff ahead.
I guess my days of being an introvert are coming to an end.
Here’s a list of Substack writers I follow because their well-researched work keeps me educated about what’s happening in the world. I encourage you to check them out:
Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance
Letters from An American by Heather Cox Richardson
The Good in Us by Mary L. Trump
That’s all for now. Next time, I’ll go back to my normal topics.
I have heard so many references to Paper Moon recently!
I am rooting for your voice. You’ve been to the edge of death and back. You can do anything. 🫶
Rant away. If enough people do it maybe we can finally wake up from this terrible (very stupid) dream.