Conspiracy with Russia wasn’t the only thing that commentators—both liberals and Never Trump conservatives—got wrong, though. There was another, related charge that was graver and, on its face, more implausible: that Trump would (or could) destroy American democracy. And he would do so with the help of his Russian enablers. Here, the two claims came together—that the Russians wished to end the American experiment and that Trump provided the vehicle for their ambitious designs.
This was part of a grand narrative. But what if the narrative of American democracy under mortal threat—with or without Russian help—was fundamentally flawed from the very start?
Grand narratives are appealing because they help us comprehend the incomprehensible. In this case, they helped to make sense of the endless shock of Donald Trump’s victory. The democracy-is-doomed narrative is crumbling, and rarely do you hear it anymore—at least not with the full-throated zeal that became routine throughout 2017 and 2018.
I was perplexed that so many on the left sincerely believed Trump would create a dictatorship complete with concentration camps. I tried to reassure people that Trump would be constrained by many forces representing checks and balances in America--just like any other president (although Obama faced little of the media's constraints). That post holds up pretty well, eh?
I suspect some of the institutional checks may have been a bit too enthusiastic for the health of rule of law, but hopefully our system works that out, too. But the panicky, running-about, screaming-at-the-sky frenzy that followed Trump's election really got to me. For God's sake, why? Are you people insane, I thought.
And let's not even start on the sudden Democratic opposition to Russia.
I tried to get it out of my system. But they dragged me back in out of frustration that the media was enabling and stoking the insanity. Opposition to policies and even style I could understand. But the fantasy levels of the resistance amplified by the media seriously baffled and frustrated me. I couldn't let it stand.
And the unhinged attacks on people who voted for Trump really pissed me off. Indeed, the attacks by the left were so unfair that I was unwilling to even admit that I hadn't voted for Trump in 2016 until last summer. Although I could have because of Team Hillary. A little solidarity with the unjustly accused "deplorables" seemed proper.
But I resented the time suck responding to such left-wing nonsense placed on me. At one point after over a year of addressing them, I just went cold turkey on Trump-related issues. That firebreak (with varying degrees of success during 2018) seemed to do the trick. Now I am willing to comment on issues touching that subject without noting every deranged anti-Trumper as if they represent all opponents of Trump and not just the inbred Twitter universe of anti-Trumper rage. I hope it is a small contribution to lessening polarization.
At this point, Trump has been far better on policy than I feared he might be given his liberal background. And the Democrats have been far worse in their unhinged opposition than seemed possible. At this point, how can I not vote for Trump in 2020? Even if Trump acted as I feared he might, could I reward the Democrats for their behavior? I think not. But luckily that's not how it worked out. All the Democrats had to do was not act crazy. And they couldn't pull it off.
We'll be fine, people. Relax. Get on with your lives. You can still hate Trump even though he isn't a Russian stooge setting up a dictatorship. Maybe with that first article there is hope that the resistance will come out of their
UPDATE: After the Mueller Report this seems appropriate:
I made this, BTW.
UPDATE: Yeah, that isn't happening any time soon. Tip to Instapundit.
