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Tuesday, September 20th, 2022

‘What happened to your country?’: The poisoned well of the Trump era

Author:     John T. Bennett
Source:     Roll Call
Publication Date:     eptember 16, 2022 | 12:04pm
 Link: ‘What happened to your country?’: The poisoned well of the Trump era
Stephan:   I watched bits of the Trump rally the other day, and thought I was listening to Joseph Goebbels on a bad day, and watched the crowd raise their arms and make what amounted to a Nazis salute only with one finger raised. In my view, Trump is frightened he is going to be indicted, and he is gearing up the MAGAts for civil violence to frighten the weak leaders of Congress and the DOJ and keep them from indicting him as he deserves. The Great Schism Trend has never been greater, nor our democracy at greater risk.
An activist participates in the “March On for Washington and Voting Rights” in August 2021. Pew found voters have intensely negative views of people not in their political party. Credit: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call

The small SUV bounced along one of Washington’s many pothole-scarred streets as dusk set in when its driver asked a simple but complicated question.

“What happened to your country?” the Lyft driver, who identified himself as Patrick, asked this columnist as we locked eyes in his rearview mirror.

Born and raised in Kenya, Patrick explained on the evening of Sept. 10 that he emigrated to the United States three decades ago. Back then, and until a few years ago, he said, he was able to understand American politics and culture — even as it underwent inevitable changes.

An affable fellow with a hearty laugh and thin black eyeglasses, Patrick listened as the Donald Trump years — which I covered up close as CQ Roll Call’s White House correspondent — were summarized from the backseat. He nodded as former President Barack Obama’s shortcomings and the driving […]

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3 Comments

  1. Albus Eddie on Tuesday, September 20, 2022 at 5:42 am

    A by far over simplified analysis. Trump is the symptom of systemic rot. Not the cause.

    • John B Alexander on Tuesday, September 20, 2022 at 9:11 am

      Partially true, but Trump and Trumpism greatly exacerbated the problems.

      • Albus Eddie on Tuesday, September 20, 2022 at 9:15 am

        You are correct they did; however, the solutions which will pass the Democratic party will not result in the needed systemic change.