It's hard to believe that today marks one year since Donald Trump was elected as the 45th President of the United States.
It seems like so much longer.
But at least he's far away in South East Asia today, and at least he doesn't have much to celebrate.
Not after voters in the U.S. gave him a magnificent kick in the head.
By giving Democrats their first big victories of the Trump era.
Voters delivered their first forceful rebuke of President Trump and his party on Tuesday night, with Democrats exploiting Mr. Trump’s deep unpopularity to capture the governorships in Virginia and New Jersey and make significant inroads into suburban communities that once favored the Republican Party.
With Ralph Northam defeating his Republican opponent for governor Ed Gillespie, and his racially charged campaign...
Could that be any uglier?
And could this be any sweeter?
A transgender woman making history, a dirty bigot biting the dust.
And a message sent to Trump and his grubby followers that they cannot ignore.
“We are seeing something extraordinary — something even the Northam campaign never anticipated — a phenomenal repudiation of Trump and Trumpism,” said Quentin Kidd, who studies Virginia politics and runs the Wason Center for Public Policy at Christopher Newport University in Newport News.
Or, as Jon Favreau, a former speechwriter for President Barack Obama, tweeted, “In case there was any doubt: the Resistance is real.”
For with Trump's approval ratings hitting record lows.
What happened last night could be a harbinger of many more victories to come...
And as a Canadian I couldn't be happier for our good American neighbours, for their last year has been a nightmare.
And the darkness that has descended upon them is also threatening to engulf this country.
Where the bloated bigot Jason Kenney has declared war on bullied gay children.
As only that self loathing closet queen could.
And his fellow religious fanatic Andrew Scheer has been smearing or schmearing a decent Prime Minister.
And threatening to drag this country back to the monstrous days of the Harper regime.
So toxic has the situation in North America become, that I have even considered taking a year off, and travelling back to the Scottish highlands.
Where the North Sea wind is clean and free...
And the yapping of the Cons and the Con media seems very far away.
Which is why what happened last night is so great, as it seems to me to signal the turning of the tide.
As this incident symbolizes for me the re-energizing of the resistance...
Which might have cost Juli Briskman her job.
But made her a hero in the eyes of many.
And encourages me to believe that after a very dark year progressives in the U.S. are regaining the initiative, that the next year will be better than the last one was.
And that Trump, and his Trumpkins, and their Con collaborators in this country will one day be crushed.
Made to pay for their crimes against human decency.
And receive the justice they deserve...
19 comments:
Meanwhile, here in Montréal:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/countdown-to-victory-72-hours-with-val%C3%A9rie-plante-1.4388990
Quebec Solidaire is going no where. CAQ will take the next provincial election.
Montreal's election was historic! Amazing.
The other interesting item in American politics was the voters in Maine decided they wanted to extend the ACA access in their state. Their Govenor may not go along with it, but the voters have spoken.
Many may have voted Democratic because they simply don't like Trump's act and others after having enjoyed the ACA don't want it eliminated.
Just as Harper was kicked to the curb by Canadian voters, so will Trump and his ilk. Eventually they go to far.
Fifty years from now the Trump years will be seen as the last gasp of the Republican Party. Once again last night millennials came out in force and contributed mightily to Northam's victory. Just like they will help destroy our Cons in the next election. Trump, Scheer, and Kenney will be the undertakers of their own parties.
Not just one, but two trans women won office last night, Simon. Danica Roem won election to Virginia's State House (sweet victory -- defeating rabid hater Bob Marshall, who proposed yet another bathroom bill). Andrea Jenkins became the first trans woman of color ever elected to public office. She won a City Council position in Minnesota.
I heartily look forward to seeing the same crushing sweep in Canada that destroys your con bigots once and for all. Neither Kenney nor Scheer nor anyone in the party of Snow Republicans deserves so much as a dog catcher seat. A kennel, maybe. But I digress.
The Democrats have more work to do, but there's a light cracking through the darkness. Trudeau's Liberals have their work cut out for them, and I hope to see him as P.M. for many, many more years. LPC/Democrats to infinity and beyond.
Yes indeed Simon. The tide is turning...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td6CD3J9kiY
JD
Wow that was unusual. I just wrote an really long comment but after I
clicked submit my comment didn't show up. Grrrr...
well I'm not writing all that over again. Regardless, just wanted to say fantastic blog!
I doubt many of us in Québec solidaire expect to take the next election, but we do expect to grow, and face of against either the QuébecFiberals or the ecocidal, macho neocon filth of the CAQ.
Yeah....wasn’t Hilary the next big thing? And Dion? And Iggy? And Layton?
Where are they now?
hi simon, I know you mentioned it before, but where is that place in Scotland you like to visit? It looks really beautiful.
hi lagatta...I must say I'm delighted that Plante won the election. I never liked Coderre, although I have to admit he did better than I thought. To be frank, I thought he would be arrested for corruption long before his term was over. But yes, Plante is a refreshing change and it's about time we had a woman mayor...
hi anon 1:41... if you're supporting the CAQ or CACA party it must be even more racist than I thought. The Liberals might be appalling, but the CAQ and the PQ are worse, so like lagatta I expect that Quebec Solidaire will make some gains...
hi e.a.f...yes, I'm very happy that Valérie Plante won. Montreal's City Hall, which believe it or not I once covered when I was a reporter for a student paper, is a very male place, and Coderre as Mayor was right out of central casting. I'm also very happy by what happened in Maine where my family has a home, although I see the state's reactionary Governor is threatening to nix it. Let's hope that will help bounce him out of his job even faster than I was hoping he would be...
hi anon...I hope so. I believe that if all goes well, and progressives can get their act together, Trump's main contribution will be the death of the Republican Party as we know it. And needless to say I am hoping that millennials will also help toss Scheer and Kenney into the garbage can of history where they belong...
hi anon...yes thank you, I only noticed that later, and a trans woman of colour makes it even better. Good old Minnesota. I agree that the Democrats have a lot of work to do, and arguing about what happened in the last election is definitely not the way to go. But those badly needed victories can only encourage the righteous, and will hopefully lead to the total destruction of the Cons in your country and this one.We need to see it as a war, and show those fascists no mercy....
hi JD...thanks for the link. I have to admit that I had never heard that song by Roger Waters, but Pink Floyd was always huge in Quebec, so I enjoyed it a lot. we're going to have to come up with a long list of songs to play on the day Trump goes down. And I mean long, because that party is going to go on for days... ;)
hi anon...I'm sorry about that, I don't know what might have happened. I checked my spam file but it wasn't there. So better luck next time, and thank you for your kind comment...
It's the Moray region where my parents live, which is about three hours north of Edinburgh, and about half an hour away from Inverness the so-called capital of the highlands. And where I like to sail and play is at the mouth of Findhorn Bay, where a big and beautiful beach stretches for miles, and the water is full of curious seals and friendly dolphins...
hi anon 2:41 am...well after eight years of Obama we shouldn't be too greedy, and if Trump destroys the Republican Party he will have done us all a favour. And set us up for one victory after the other. As for Dion, and Iggy, and Layton, I never thought that any of them was going to be the next big thing. But then I didn't think that Justin Trudeau was going to be the next big thing, and how wrong I was. You're on the wrong side of history anon, come out with your hands up, and we'll give you a chance to get a fresh start... ;)
Post a Comment