The first line in Shakespeare’s “Richard III,” Act 1, scene one, reads, “Now is the winter of our discontent.” Richard of Gloucester speaks these words. He wants to be King and uses manipulation and deceit to achieve his goal.
Sound familiar?
Take heart, by the end of the play, Richard is defeated in battle by Henry of Richmond. In real history, Henry becomes Henry VII, who is considered a good king who ruled with unswerving determination to transform England into a blend of harmony, wealth and social success.
I get it. Discontent is ubiquitous and visceral right now, not just in the United States, but throughout the world.
I believe in humanity, hope, and the goodness inside all of us. I have written a handful of columns recently where I have boldly and strictly adhered to sharing truth. Not a single person has been able to refute a single word. In this column, I simply offer my humble opinions. However, the statistics I reference all come from AI queries or as linked. You can look them up as well.
Trump. He is a modern day Richard III. He doesn’t want to be President. He wants to be King. It will never happen. He is a convicted felon, liar, narcissist, charlatan, sexual abuser, rapist, ableist, and racist. The closest he will ever become to being a King will be as a jester. I anticipate that when he dies, he will be a bitter, lonely, shell of a human being. Even with everything going on right now, I do not fear Trump. I really don’t. And I am not trying to sound bold. I will share who and what I actually do fear as we move along.
Musk. Oh what a tangled web he is. He is a tricky one. With Trump as the narcissist, Musk is somewhere on the spectrum between psychopath and sociopath. Some fear, while others joke about the power he has. The same things were said about convict Steve Bannon the first time around. Where is he now? I would not trust Musk to pour my coffee. But Congress and the American people from both sides will tire of him and he will ultimately find other toys to entertain himself.
Shock and Awe. All of the Executive Orders, random insults, and a large number of the threats from this administration are, to borrow another phrase from Shakespeare, much ado about nothing. A great number of these are intentionally like parlor magic tricks, a slight of hand to distract the audience. Make no mistake about it, of course horrible things are happening. But not all of them can or will come to fruition. We need to separate the wheat from the chaff. We need to prioritize. Which leads to my next point.
Democracy. We really do still have checks and balances, to include the Constitution, Laws, the Legislative Branch and the Judicial Branch. All Trump has some control over is the Executive Branch, ironically where he is degrading and firing much of the federal government employees who work there for him. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you. He has poked the bear.
Trump Supporters. Some of my friends on the left have questioned why I keep extending an olive branch to Trump Supporters. They tell me that I am wasting time trying to convince and educate them. And they may be right. But they are both the ones I fear the most and the ones we need the most. And they are a complicated group, I explained in a previous column, Trumpism Deconstructed, that you can’t define a Trump supporter by one description, one label, or one stereotype. But I think the great majority (not all) have one thing in common – they are good people who want what they believe is best for our country. My main message to them, and an approach I advocate for every one of us, is to stop focusing on people and start focusing on issues and to value truth and critical thinking. The truth shall set us free. Here are just a few examples.
Farmers. More than 70% of farmers are Republican. Many Trump supporters. But if a federal judge does not stop trump from freezing all funding for USAID, here is a second order effect they should consider – $2 Billion of the USAID budget goes to U.S. Farmers. If I am a farmer, and just learned that fact, it would certainly make me reconsider my allegiance.
Poverty. Some of the highest poverty rates are in Republican states, like MS, LA, WV and AR while some of the states with the lowest poverty rates are in Democratic states, like NH, MN, and MA. Umm. I would like to live somewhere with a low poverty rate.
Education. The lowest college graduation rates in Republican states like WV, MS, AR, and LA, while the highest college graduation rates are in Democratic states like MA, CO, NJ, and WA. I want my children to have the best statistical chances to graduate.
Health. Lower life expectancy and higher obesity exist in Republican states like MS and WV while higher life expectancy and lower obesity rates are seen in Democratic states like HA and CA. Do I even need to explain this one?
By all means, love Trump. Wear the red hat. But at least stand up to political decisions that do not favor your life, your job, your health, your family, or your future. We need you.
Republicans are In Worse Shape than Democrats. Remember, this is an opinion. Here’s my logic. Trump has woken up the sleeping giant of Democrats, Liberals, Moderates, Progressives, and the Diversity of the melting pot of America. We are pissed. We are energized. Protests are happening in every state. Congressional phones are blowing up in every state. Political campaigns are galvanizing. But that is not the only reason Republicans are in bad shape. They will go down on the wrong side of history. They have become sad little pawns and sycophants in a game of chess they are losing. They are cowards. And the more damage Trump and Musk do, the less chance they will have at getting re-elected.
Republicans are Missing a Golden Opportunity. If was a Republican in Congress, I would not only approve, but I would also aggressively pursue impeaching Donald Trump. Gather the votes behind closed doors. Build to it in secret if you must, but it is to your advantage to get it done. Here’s why – You fear Donald Trump and you can’t control him. The day he is gone, JD Vance becomes the new head of your puppet government, but this time, you will hold the strings. He doesn’t have a clue and will happily do as you say as long as he gets to go to the fancy dinners and ride in his own helicopter and plane.
Lack of Education. The whole reason we got in this mess is the lack of education in our country. I don’t mean to offend Trump supporters when I say this, but Trump has bragged, and it is a data-driven fact that his supporters are less educated. By all means, you can mock me by pointing out that you won, so how stupid are those of us on this side. Fair enough. The lack of education goes both ways and it is important that we address it. And I am not talking about Calculus or Physics. I am talking about simpler, more basic things, like the Constitution, how our government works, and the difference between authorizations and appropriations. Much of these my generation started learning in our single digit years, watching Schoolhouse Rock.
More than that, we need to do our homework on emerging issues, things that are new to us. It became very clear to me that the vast majority of people weighing in on the “horrors” of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs were absolutely clueless. They falsely believed, and an alarming number still do believe that DEI is the same thing as hiring quotas. It is not. Quotas did not end yesterday. They ended in 1972. Instead of learning, they allowed the blind to lead the blind. If you want the truth, you can find it, as I did when I recently published my column on DEI Truth.
Nov 7, 2028. This is my other great fear. We need to start planning for this yesterday. And I honestly and humbly admit that I do not have a clue what to do. While I hope that my columns give some folks things to think about, and that I provide some small amount of comfort or insight to a few people, my skillset pretty much ends there. If I had to guess, Trump will survive his presidency but will not become king or earn a third term. The Republicans will likely go with Vance as a traditional route. But what will the Democrats do? What should they do? It seems like they are damned either way. The Democrat Party has some outstanding candidates who are women, black, LGBTQIA+, or representative of some other minority. If the sexism, racism and bigotry in our country hadn’t already damned their chances, the continued onslaught that has begun with the elimination for any understanding or appreciation for diversity will only enable and encourage the sexist, racist, bigots who are still hiding in the closets to only get more bold. That haunts me. I meant what I said earlier, I believe in humanity, hope, and the goodness inside all of us. We just need to inspire that goodness to overcome fear and ignorance, which I believe are the foundation to most of the “isms” that are are obstacles to justice and equality.
Serenity Prayer. Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. I think that mantra is the main ingredient for inner peace and harmony, now more than ever. I also think that we all need to get plenty of rest, exercise, eat healthy, and stay hydrated. We have one hell of a battle still ahead. We are going to need our energy.
Stoneking Strategic Communications (SSC) 