I can understand why there might be differences of opinion and perspective among those who live on the coasts and those who live away from the coasts, in the “heartland”—a misnomer if I’ve ever heard one, as if all the red in the country’s ever-expanding midsection is representative of the true, virtuous character of this nation.

What I don’t understand is how Donald Trump and the machinery that produced him could become the voice of so many voters—including Latino and Black voters— in so many places, including Center City Philadelphia and Detroit and San Francisco, and most any other urban area, I guess.

I get that the demographics are changing, but what I don’t get is why Trump is the guy.

Sure, maybe it’s as simple as latching onto whoever is saying what you want to hear, regardless of moral character or general lack of humility, and humanity. After all, who cares, as long as he gets the job done…? The insane amount of rationalizing and moral compromise going on here is stunning, and not a little disappointing. And let’s add confusing—the sides have apparently subscribed to different Sunday Schools of thought.

But beyond that, since when do we overlook glaring character flaws in someone running for the highest office in the land? The only answer I can come up with is that people are willing to overlook a lot of things. They are, by nature, greedy, self-interested, and surprisingly vulnerable to smooth talkers who can deliver a line.

Our god truly must be the belly.

The universe is not fair, obviously. It’s indifferent, at best. We of course should know better than to hold out for karma to bring sweet retribution and something that looks like justice. That’s unlikely to happen.

As it is, an ugly, loudmouthed, boorish bully with his nepotistic entourage will once again haunt the hallways of the White House and other buildings in our nation’s capitol. He won the popular vote this time around, so even more Americans got sucked into the Trumpian vortex of bullshit.

When people say America has gotten what it deserves, please don’t count the millions who voted for Kamala in that number. We’ve seen through the micro-thin veneer of “savior” since way before 2016, and will continue to do what we can to contain the damage of another term with this clown car full of dunderheads and hangers-on.

Surprise us, Donald. Make your legion of detractors all liars.

It’s amazing to me how the tenor of the conversation changed after the election.

People are wowed by the extent of Trump’s victory, as if the completeness of it is somehow vindication, and we should now think of Trump differently in light of this “mandate.”

That’s not gonna happen.

Turns out it was a one-issue election, and it revolved around doing a bang-up job of pinning economic pain on Democrats, along with the belief that Trump is going to make things better for everyone who feels like they’re just getting by. To that I ask, “And you believe him?”

Sure, the Dow did its typical Dow thing, jumping 1500 points on Wednesday—but then settled back to mixed on Thursday, after the world’s Trump-drunk billionaires made billions more. The world’s leaders are holding their breath and regrouping and plotting strategy because they know Trump will be Trump in matters of diplomacy and foreign affairs.

All the cases pending against him will go away, or at least back-burnered.

What remains are the threats—to the press and various pundits, to comedians and anyone else who badmouthed him, to anyone who he sees as getting in his way or making him sad.

Despite this post-election suspension of reality, we still are going to have to deal with an old man who’s getting older and probably lazier, but who’s still as vindictive as ever, still as inept as ever, who’s ready to steamroll, who has no intention of playing nice. We still all have to have eyes in the back of our heads and put up with the moral turpitude for another four fucking years.

I believe Trump may be only momentarily energized by this victory. But he will be endlessly emboldened by the dimensions of it, and this will be what should frighten us. The headwinds may not be as strong this time around– especially if Republicans end up winning both chambers– and we will soon see just how intent he is on carrying through with all the medieval mayhem.

He’s made a boatload of promises. But again, I wouldn’t hold my breath. These may well prove to be flights of fancy, and unworkable in practice.

Way to go, America. The “heartland” comes through again.

What gets me is the selective remembering when it comes to how great things were economically back in 2019 when Trump was President. There is an intentional avoidance of the fact that much of the last year of Trump’s first term—2020—was a nightmare because of the pandemic.

There was a pandemic which messed with supply and demand!

Covid 19 put a screeching halt to whatever good feelings people might have had regarding food prices or gas prices or money in the pocket. The Biden administration then had to deal with the fallout, work on bringing inflation down, put people back to work, reinvigorate supply chains, which it did but which was obviously overlooked by the Trump campaign because that wouldn’t be a very strategic talking point.

There’s a need to remember the pandemic, and that there’s a reason why many may remember fondly those days before it arrived as better days economically. They’d rather not remember that Trump was still in office when Covid 19 hit. And they’d rather not remember the mind-numbingly scatter-brained manner in which Trump and much of the rest of his administration handled it.

Change? What kind of change are they talking about? Trump is the change candidate?

Would he be the change candidate if he wasn’t also a proponent of mass deportations and Second Amendment “rights” and draconian abortion bans and risky tariffs on imports and offering carte blanche to RFK, Jr.?

What the hell are we in for with this guy? I guess we kind of know, since his material is familiar, but… the change candidate? That sounds like a smoke screen for why people actually voted for Trump and Vance—they’re the racist homophobes who will do their best to keep things straight and white.

Trump promised the world in order to be saved from prosecution. He said pretty much anything in order to find shelter from the storms brewing around him. The change candidate? Highly unlikely, unless one’s idea of change involves a purge, women being treated as human incubators, economic woes, and a quack in charge of our health care. Among so much else.

Holy shit, America.

He never left.

Comedians could find other material, but they must be privately elated that Trump will be around for another 4, maybe. And the rest of us can find other things to do besides tune in the news.

It’ll be Trump all the time, commanding the stage, grabbing the mic, being outrageous and inept, expounding as only he can expound. We can all watch his decline if we choose, chart the decay, roll our eyes and laughcry and pine for 2028, when he’ll be 82 and no longer eligible to run.

And the big question will be whether or not we’ve descended into chaos and world war, or if he and we made it to the end of the term. Does JD truly have hopes for abdication? He seems like the type for whom that would be appealing. Anyway, here we go again.

Time to keep the eyes peeled and noses held, hoping that there are at least a few qualified people among the grifters and sycophants and incompetents who are likely to populate his administration.

What the hell, America?

For anyone who may be tempted to gloat, please don’t. Your guy is a known quantity, and not exactly a model citizen worth writing home about.

What makes you think he’s going to follow through for you? He’s 78 years old, and the only reasons he wants the job are to satisfy his fragile ego and do what he can to avoid prosecution.

The fascist stuff? Yes, he has tendencies. But he’s also a maladjusted teenager motivated by anger and revenge. He certainly doesn’t care about all the loyal followers who have returned him to the White House.

He cares much more about saving his own hide, and winning as opposed to losing.

Will the results stand? No concerns with foul play? What about that time Trump said his minions don’t even have to vote? What did that mean?

Looks like things weren’t even close. Will there be inquiries, or are we done and it’s simply time to get on with things? Still not time for a woman POTUS, apparently.

What happened to the 3-point lead in the final NPR/Marist poll? Oh, that’s right—it was within the margin of error.

Electing Trump again reflects some sort of margin of error, as in erring on the side of insanity.

More Trump, more Miller, more bad-mouthers and disenchanted administration officials who will magically return to the fold.

I wonder what Liz Cheney is thinking this morning.

So, that’s that. Life will go on, even as we walk with a new limp.

For some strange reason, I’m finding it hard to be mad at the moment. Maybe I’m checking out for a while, de-boarding the crazy train for a bit. Que sera… and all that.

More frequently of late, I’ve caught myself looking at things with pangs of melancholy, as if they’re likely to go away soon. I’m wary of disruptions to come, because events and conditions both domestic and foreign are conspiring to plunge us once again into chaos and conflict.

Even though nothing has happened yet, I’m already grieving the absence of warmth, electricity, peace and quiet, the comfort of routine. I’m moved by the beautiful yet somehow gut-wrenching innocence of grandchildren who carry on blissfully unaware of the evil intentions and hate swirling around them.

I find myself disappointed in and furious with humanity, because our memory for ugliness and depravity seems to fade so quickly. We apparently have learned little from all that has come before. The next megalomaniacs eventually emerge—”leaders” who need to prevail, who think nothing of inflicting pain and suffering in the name of “principles” and “ideals” that turn out to be nothing more than products of envy and greed and paranoia.

This, apparently, is our lot for centuries and millennia to come, though it’s doubtful we’ll be around for anywhere near that long.

So it begins. Again. Another 4-year nightmare with a 78-year old who has no idea what he’s doing, besides saving his own ass, with no appreciation for what it used to mean to be President of the United States.

Way to go, MAGA Nation. You’ve finished the job.