As unrealistic as they may be, your humble spirit has some heartfelt wishes for 2024.
Wishes for Donald Trump and MAGA: Putting aside the obvious—such as Trump not getting reelected and/or his MAGA base no longer believing his lies—in no particular order, here are some New Year’s resolutions, or rather New Year’s realizations, that Trump’s MAGA supporters might aspire to in 2024:
- It’s the top 1% who deserves their wrath, NOT liberal Democrats, coastal elites, immigrants, or people of color—most definitely not people of color.
- Giving up democracy in favor of a power-hungry authoritarian dictator only because they believe he will brutally enforce their own world view is not a wise long-term strategy.
- Gun owners are more likely to die from gun violence, including suicide, and continuing to increase the nation’s arsenal based on fear and paranoia of the “other” is a fool’s errand.
- They should accept the realities of American history, no matter how unpleasant they may find them, and stop obsessing over critical race theory (CRT), or at the very least, take the time to look it up on Wikipedia and understand what it really is.
- Just because they believe the current system is “rigged” against them—which it is, but by the top 1% rather than the Republican’s manufactured boogeymen—it doesn’t mean the 2020 election was “rigged” as Trump claims. In particular, they might show a little respect for the 81,283,501 Americans who voted for Joe Biden in 2020 and stop believing the “Big Lie.” Do they understand that trying to disenfranchise more than 81 million of their fellow citizens is awfully rude?!
- AND “country club Republican” MAGAs, who are willing to support Trump even though they should know better, shouldn’t put themselves and their fellow Americans at risk of authoritarianism simply because they (mistakenly) believe Trump and his MAGA allies in Congress are better for their investment portfolios.
The Gallant Pelham Would Like to Know What Your Wishes are for 2024. Please let me know at @GallantPelham or [email protected].
Speaking of realizations. . . too many members of our political leadership, both Democrat and Republican, should acknowledge they are long past retirement age and need to make way for the younger generation. People may be living longer, but young people shouldn’t be alienated from the democratic process because they feel like their representatives are from a different era (and planet). Diane Feinstein, for example, may have been a great lady in her time, but no member of Congress should die in office at age 92.
And lest this humble spirit be accused of being one-sided, here are some wishes for President Biden and the Democrats: Biden and his administration should realize that if they think a rising stock market improves the lives of everyday Americans, they have begun to think like country club Republicans, Ronald Reagan, and Milton Friedman. The vast majority of Americans could care less about traditional economic indicators, many of which are obsolete measurements anyway. As I’ve said before, if people can’t afford groceries, rent, and gas, and see no hope for a better future, which right now many of them don’t, they’re not going to value “Bidenomics.” I wish the Democrats would find some competent communications professionals who realize that many young and working-class people are financially desperate and thus more interested in their immediate survival (making it through another week!) than preserving “American democracy.”
I’d feel lucky if any of these wishes come to pass before I die, but since I’ve already been dead for over 150 years, it’s a little late for that.