There are three underlying premises and basic assumptions of these commentaries which, at least for the time being, will be simultaneously posted at the website for my novel, Substack and perhaps Medium.
The first premise is that we will eventually get past Donald Trump and his era. The United States will move on. The second premise is that the core of what America is will survive the onslaught. We will remain a nation that makes mistakes, evolves too slowly–but hasn’t sunk into the netherworld that seem possible today. The third premise is that we won’t be able go back to a place in which it didn’t all happen. Even if it’s healthy, what will come after Trump will be radically different than what would have been if he had not held two out of the past three presidencies.
On one level, of course, is obvious that we won’t be the same. Think for a moment of all that will – indeed, already has – changed. You can’t go back to a country in which the emoluments clause meant something, where the Justice Department hadn’t been the president’s enforcers, where people weren’t disappeared, where an entire political party didn’t work to enrich the rich at the expense of the lifelines for seniors and the indigent, where a shadow outfit run by kids and without credentials didn’t fire thousands and cripple critical services.
Making believe it didn’t happen doesn’t work. You can’t go home again.
These blogs will be written from the perspective of a non-expert, which as often as not is an advantage. The focus will be on raising questions and suggesting possibilities. I am not a lawyer, political professional or sociologist. I am reasonably good at asking questions and using common sense. Hopefully, in time, I will have guests on who have the knowledge and background to provide educated answers to the questions and pose better ones than mine.