There are myriad reasons why authoritarianism is on the rise across the planet. The biggest reason is the success (so far) of authoritarianism here in America. Having Donald Trump in power signals every other tinpot dictator to get his game on. If Putin could pull this off and diminish America, imagine the destruction he could cause your sad little country.
That, as of today, is the message countries around the world are getting. America is diminished. We are on the ropes — no two ways about it — but we were sucker punched. Those are the only punches Donald Trump knows how to throw — punches when you aren’t looking. Trump is reduced to destroying the post office to keep Americans from voting.
Think about that — the current occupant of the White House is doing everything in his power to stop the majority of Americans from using their right to vote to remove Trump from an office he never earned in the first place. We are watching him cheat in real time. If we were clever, we’d point out that the moment you cheat? You can’t win. Cheating disqualifies any win you accomplish — just like Trump’s cheating in 2016 disqualifies his “win”.
If Trump cheated in 2016 in order to win, it means he did not win — and we know for a fact that he cheated. The world sees the triumph of tin pot corruption where it least expected to see it. Worse, they see Russia controlling America’s ship of state. Trump doesn’t count as a “leader”. He’s an open invitation to the rest of the international crime syndicate that owns him to visit the trough as often as they like.
The world sees Trump actively cheating again — twisting and turning every which way to hold onto power. Behaving like a Mussolini-with-training-wheels. Destroying the post office to stop Americans from voting safely during a pandemic is criminal. But then, so is forcing Americans to use the voting machines (tied to the internet as they are) that Trump is counting on — AGAIN — to steal the last few points of difference so as to “eke out” a win like he did in 2016.
That was Russia’s game — first, disenfranchise, propagandize, suppress or interrupt as many Democratic voters as possible in blue states like Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Then, on election day, make voting hard as hell for Democratic voters by limiting the number of precincts and the number of working machines within each precinct. Then, make sure the machines are all susceptible to alteration (as every internet or wifi-connected voting machine is). Flip just enough votes to pull out the win without triggering an automatic recount. Voila — another election stolen out from under We The People.
Except, not this time. This time, we see Donald for what he is and we see what he’s dong for what it is.
Though he will do everything in his power to stay in power, We The People are taking all power away from him. And his Republican buddies, too. Every bit of it.
The moment he’s no longer POTUS, Donald Trump will be indicted, investigated, charged, sued, poked, prodded and, finally, convicted of every crime he’s perpetrated. It’s not like there aren’t whole mountain ranges of damning evidence. Why do ya think he’s fought so hard to keep every last bit of it secret?
Clearly Trump knows how open and shut this is. So does every Republican.
That’s why a repudiation of these pirates will resonate not just here but everywhere. Removing Trump will begin a cleansing process in America that will lap over our borders. Righteousness of purpose — real patriotism — a respect for the commonweal — all these things will feel like a second coming for the rule of law. That’s what the world wants from us — they want us to exemplify what it means to be ruled by laws and not people.
The moment Joe Biden becomes POTUS and Kamala Harris becomes Veep, the world will know that America is on the road to recovery. The moment Joe Biden steps forward — a finger pointed at Vladimir Putin’s chest — to tell him he’s now under international quarantine — the world will know we’re back. And so will every petty tyrant suddenly feeling his oats. The good times just stopped rolling. Shit’s about to get real.
The more America finds and lives the ideals we were always supposed to live by — where all PEOPLE are created equal under the rule of law — the quicker we’ll get back to a place of relative safety. We won’t have to wake up every day wondering how the world might end because Donald Trump is both a career criminal and an incompetent jerk.
If Joe & Kamala were in power right this second, Belarus “leader” Alexander Lukoshenko wouldn’t be threatening his citizens — telling them to simmer down because Vladimir Putin has his back. Lukoshenko would be gone from power — his fraudulent election having been overturned with the help of American poll watchers. Putin would know to keep his dirty hands off Belarus because he would already be under sanctions so severe he’s counting the change in his pocket, not sure he can afford dinner tonight.
If America was “America”, China wouldn’t be threatening Hong Kong and Taiwan.
If we suddenly held MBS accountable for murdering Jamal Khashoggi or Kim Jong-Il for being a murderous little shit — the world’s downward plunge would reverse. The sheriff will be back in town and that, really, is what the world wants and needs from us. The truth is, America IS exceptional. That is, it has exceptional potential because of its exceptionally diverse population. People from all over the world have become Americans. That’s why the rest of the world sees themselves in us — and they desperately need us (and that part of them) to get their shit together.
At the very least, the rest of the world wants and needs America to get the coronavirus under control. The fact is, they need our dollars as much as they need our ideals — our real ideals. They need the dynamism we bring to the marketplace. They need our inventiveness and daring and willingness to take chances. They need our American spirit.
They need us.
Let’s not let them down, okay?
