Dunkirk NY – February begins. We are at midwinter. The US has a new president. It looks like winter will be lasting for some time.
I have been at something of a loss as to how to respond to the change in US administration. As a voter, I felt my hands were tied, as both candidates were decidedly unappealing. Donald Trump is, without question, an ignorant, crass, incompetent blowhard pretty much unfit both in temperament and intellect to serve as President. Hillary Clinton espouses a brand of elitist liberalism to which I cannot adhere. While either candidate as president posed problems, given the election of Mr. Trump it’s perfectly clear that he has done more damage than probably Ms. Clinton would have done in the same space of time.
Winter is a harsh, cruel season. The days are short, sunlight is in short supply, skies are grey, and the air is of a temperature that one is forced to hold all that is dear close and tight. One finds warmth and shelter where one can. Venturing out for extended periods of time is accomplished only with great care and preparation. It’s not a season for impulsively stepping out.
This political winter will last for some time. There is little light to be had, as both sides of the political spectrum spew much emotional heat but little light. The lake of state has fissures and fractures across its frozen-over surface. I get a distinct feeling each time I read the news that I am standing on the middle of a frozen lake, with cracks everywhere, not knowing which is the safest direction to turn, or if there is enough solid ice left to get me to shore.
Mr. Trump is, in my view, the unintended harvest of what has been sown by well-meaning but out-of-touch individuals. When the Democratic party, mostly in the form of Bill Clinton, began the process of cozying up to big business and launching the nation on the path of globalization, it’s pretty clear that what they did not realize was how badly the middle-class and working poor were going to get screwed. They failed to realize that many, many people need to work with their hands and their bodies. They failed to realize that a mix of traditional industrial jobs had to be included in the rush to build the service and financial economy. They presumed, wrongly, that there would be opportunity for everyone in the global economy. Why they believed this I do not know. I presume they believed that institutions such as education and job training would keep up. They did not.
Autumn is, as always, a trap. The leaves display a glorious multitude of colors, and the display of all these colors, combined with the still-warm air and the remaining light, lulls one into a false sense of security. One believes that all is right with nature because the displays evoke such feelings of wonder and amazement. In autumn, you feel as if the world holds immense possibility and promise. But it is a false hope, whisked away with the first winter winds that strip the trees naked. Autumn is nothing more than a harbinger of winter.
Obama was America’s autumn. Trump will prove to be America’s winter. We have just begun; spring is a long way away. It will be interesting to see how much spring cleaning will need to be done when this winter is over.