Paul Krugman: America as We Know It Is on the Brink
Jun 2nd 2020
Paul Krugman at The Commonwealth Club (Commonwealth Club)
By Dartagnan (of the Daily Kos community)
T.S. Eliot, it seems, was wrong. The world really does end with a bang, not a whimper.
Paul Krugman, writing for the New York Times, reflects on Donald J. Trump’s attempt this evening to drag this country down into the cauldron of fascism:
I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that America as we know it is on the brink.
How did we get here? The core story of U.S. politics over the past four decades is that wealthy elites weaponized white racism to gain political power, which they used to pursue policies that enriched the already wealthy at workers’ expense.
Until Trump’s rise it was possible — barely — for people to deny this reality with a straight face. At this point, however, it requires willful blindness not to see what’s going on.
We are now on the brink of Hell, thanks to the people in this country that voted this monstrosity into power.
Decent people now need to recognize and acknowledge that fact. But it seems just as likely that they will choose to ignore it.
That neighbor of yours down the street, the one who you disregarded with puzzlement or contempt because he or she preferred putting Sarah Palin a hair’s breadth from command of our country’s future rather than put a Black man into power? Their legacy is upon us now.
They hate you. And their hatred has now come to full fruition.
It’s not just that silly Trump sign they proudly displayed on their front lawn in 2016. It’s something deep in their heads. Something that as hard as we try we will never get past. It’s a human resentment, an immutable anger that can’t be seen, can’t be fathomed, and can’t be satisfied.
One of the reasons it was so hard to understand was that the hatred just didn’t seem to be reflected by what you and I perceive as day-to-day reality. After all, the hatred didn’t manifest itself as we passed them by on the sidewalks on our streets, or in our offices. The hatred didn’t reveal itself when they solemnly took Communion next to us in our churches, or smiled along with us at our children, growing up.
No, we had no idea we were living side-by-side with monsters. But that is what they were, and that is where we are.
It is so hard to accept that. In the coming days it will be even harder for many people to acknowledge that.
But there’s only one reason that we as Americans are faced with a demagogue who knows he can summon the absolute worst impulses of humanity.
As Krugman says, it all comes back to those willing to be exploited to satisfy their hate.
Republicans have, as I said, spent decades exploiting racial hostility to win elections despite a policy agenda that hurts workers. But Trump is now pushing that cynical strategy toward a kind of apotheosis.
On one side, he’s effectively inciting violence by his supporters. On the other, he’s very close to calling for a military response to social protest. And at this point, nobody expects any significant pushback from other Republicans.
Krugman’s essay emphasizes the role of the police. And just as Hitler appealed to those who could enforce authority, Trump does the same, when he cajoles the police to attack American citizens based on his assumption of their implicit racism. Many police are complicit. But many are not. The same is true of the military. There are plenty of decent people in both. But there are also plenty who are not decent.
We’re going to find out in the coming weeks where everyone really stands.
Posted with permission