No - I am not suggesting that political assassination is a good thing nor am I wishing that the bullet had struck a fraction of an inch to the right. I'm not making jokes about it; I'm not sharing "clever" memes. It's not funny. Even as bad as things are now, that's not how to do things.
I'm holding off on forming an opinion about the shooter's motives, about whether it was a false flag operation, whether someone in the Secret Service was in on it or incredibly incompetent or any of the myriad conspiracy theories percolating from all quarters the last few days until some facts are presented.
But do I think Trump dying (of natural causes) is a good thing? Absolutely.
Politics is, and always has been, a dirty business. Idealistic people of all political persuasions run for office but get caught up in the system and often are corrupted to greater or lesser degree. They spend so much time and effort raising money and campaigning for the next election that it's amazing that anything ever gets done. Members of the House of Representatives are up for re-election every two years! But Trump is an entirely different political animal. Policy is beside the point with him and his legions of followers are loyal to him no matter what he does and says. He is upfront about wanting to tear down any semblance of democratic institutions - the danger that he poses is well known and documented in detail.
But what about Project 2025 and the many Trump supporters who have been taking over the Republican party? Wouldn't they still be a threat? Of course. The anti-abortion movement didn't suddenly spring up in 2017; Mitch McConnell was stealing Supreme Court seats during Obama's time in the White House. But the grass roots support, voters who will turn out for their guy just wouldn't be there without Trump. I was in a cult and have seen first hand what happens to a cult when their charismatic leader dies. And make no mistake about it, Trumpism, "MAGA" if you will, is a cult. Can you see anyone in MAGA-land who can energize the crowds like Trump does? Anyone who can, without fail, cause millions of people to believe their every lie?
That person does not exist.
The reason that Project 2025 is such a threat is that its authors are counting on Trump getting elected. They are counting on Trump appointing 2025-friendly cabinet members and staff. If the Republicans have a majority in both the House and Senate they are counting on Trump bullying members into supporting the program. If the Democrats win one or both Houses of Congress they are counting on Trump using executive orders or novel constitutional interpretations to achieve their goals. It all falls apart without Trump. All the local MAGA election officials, school board members, county board members, they all lose interest and fade away without Trump.
As long as he is alive Trump is a threat. Even if he loses again we'll see a repeat of "Stop the Steal". This time it won't be Confederate Wannabes and Sentient Oakleys beating up cops with flagpoles, or Rudy Giuliani's hair dye running down his forehead - it will be real lawyers flooding the zone with lawsuits and challenges just inside the boundaries of legality. Without Trump - no one cares. And you don't have the MAGA cult leader telling them to care.
Losin' Don can't live forever, and the poison that he has spread will take a while to dissipate, but there is no doubt that the country will be a better place. And the daisies in the dell will give off a different smell because Losin' Don is underneath the ground. *
* Apologies to Rogers and Hammerstein
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