The phrase “Because it feels good when I stop” is a humorous answer used in various contexts, for example in response to “Why are you hitting yourself in the head with a hammer?” This is roughly analogous to the greatest damage being done by the Trump era.
Our attention is naturally drawn to Trump’s most outrageous words and deeds. His disgusting wink and nod to neo-Nazis and white supremacists last week is a typical example. Even after criticism from within his own party, albeit obligatory and muted, he couldn’t help himself. On Thursday he bemoaned the removal of “beautiful statues,” evidently referring to monuments to Robert E. Lee and other racist representatives of the Confederacy.
Trump and those who claim these symbols as historically important — “we can learn from them” — are foolish or dishonest. Or both. These monuments were erected by and for racists who intended to poke a dirty finger in the face of social justice. They were put in prominent places to serve as pungent reminders of the good old days when whites held de jure power, not just the de facto power that keeps racism thriving today. Like the Confederate flag, they are rallying points for white supremacy, not quaint representations of southern culture and traditions.
Trump’s election and the ensuing, altogether predictable train wreck is America hitting itself in the head with a hammer. The blows are raining on us from all directions and even some Republicans are noticing the pain and crying out. Some legitimate observers believe Trump is mentally ill. His dishonesty, painfully obvious narcissism and impulsivity are simply remarkable for someone in a high elected office. There are many signs that his presidency may come to an inglorious end, one way or another. Removal by 25th Amendment remedy is feasible, although unlikely. Impeachment is possible, although not probable. Most plausible is that Robert Mueller has or will soon have sufficient evidence of wrongdoing to lead to a resignation before indictment or impeachment, reminiscent of the Nixon era.
And then, may we be so fortunate, the hammer blows will stop: the insane tweets; the offensive, misogynist recordings; the constant, aggressive, sociopathic lies; the truly breathtaking lack of knowledge of government or governing. And we will feel good.
Critics frequently worry that we have been “normalizing” this abnormal political behavior by covering the incessant craziness as though legitimate news. That aspect of normalization is relatively trivial. Trump is unlikely to beget Trump. I suspect that even members of his inner circle are acutely aware that neither he nor his projectile outbursts are normal. But it’s just a sideshow while the rest of the circus tent burns to the ground.
Here are a few of the things being “normalized”:
As Trump enables neo-Nazis, an outrage so severe that it makes his Justice Department seem “normal,” civil rights are being rolled back, voter suppression marches forward, draconian drug laws are being reinstated, guaranteeing a resurgence in mass incarceration of young black men, affirmative action is under attack and LGBTQ rights are being eviscerated.
Trump and the GOP’s unsuccessful (so far) proposals to destroy health care, depriving tens of millions of Americans of insurance coverage, possibly leading to millions of deaths, were so cruel and severe that the Affordable Care Act seems not just “normal,” but an exemplar of compassionate social policy, despite the fact that it is a very flawed policy that enriches Big Pharma and the medical industry at the expense of citizens’ well-being.
Trump’s climate change denial, withdrawal from the Paris climate accord and appointment of Scott Pruitt to destroy the EPA from within, are so severe that the ongoing dependence on fossil fuels, the rapid expansion of fracking and the business-as-usual practice of extraction and polluting seem completely normal.
Trump’s crazy and dangerous threats toward North Korea, with the unthinkable possibility of nuclear war, make the ongoing debacles in Afghanistan and Syria seem normal.
When Trump claimed his entitlement to grab women by the crotch, called women fat pigs and used other crude and demeaning language, he made things like disparity in pay or threats to reproductive rights seem completely normal.
I could go on.
When the hammer blows stop, and they will, we may feel a great sense of relief and begin to heal those sharp head wounds. But the heart disease underway in the shadows may be irreversible.
Steve Nelson lives in Boulder, Colo., and Sharon. He can be reached at stevehutnelson@gmail.com.