L&T Publisher Earl Watt
Maybe there is a sliver of hope for the future after the hate-filled rhetoric from both sides for the past few years.
Sure, there has been an escalation of online hate and vitriol following Donald Trump’s re-election as president, but it has garnered little traction.
To this point I have yet to see a woman shave her head bald, nor have I seen anyone wearing a blue bracelet signifying their undying loyalty to the political left.
They are out there, for sure, but it is not some widespread movement, and those who believe there is about to be a revolution simply because the left lost an election aren’t reading the tea leaves I’m reading.
Right alongside this radical movement seeking recounts and calling for everything from a do-over election to Biden nullifying the results are others taking a step back and possibly realizing that the far left may not be the leaders America wants right now.
Some of the biggest signs are those who are no longer afraid to be canceled and are showing their support for Trump. That may not have happened if he did not win the popular vote, and maybe some are just bandwagon fans that go with whoever wins, but many are showing they are actually engaged at least a little bit in the culture wars and are still willing to show some love.
Take a look at the NFL this week and how many athletes repeated Trump’s “YMCA” dance when they scored a touchdown. Most of them, by the way, were Black.
Trump also returned to Madison Square Garden over the weekend and entered to a raucous applause that made it difficult for the announcers to even hear themselves while trying to report it.
Some talking heads on television variety news shows are also taking note. While the far left is still greatly represented on CNN shows, some are starting to provide pushback now that the American people have spoken.
Couple that with two of the most vile far left hosts — Joe and Mika from MSNBC, who contacted Trump and had a sitdown with him at Mar-A-Lago Friday.
After Mika appeared on “The View” and said the lives of women are at stake, there she was, sitting with Trump to visit about how their coverage would be moving forward, and she told her audience Monday that it was time to stop talking about Trump and to start talking with him.
Trump himself stated he was not seeking retribution for those who have been mercilessly attacking him for the past eight years. Instead, he offered an olive branch and said he was willing to give second and even third chances. But not four. Even that was a bridge too far.
All he asked for was fairness.
Is it fair to compare someone to Hitler? Is it fair to call someone a Nazi just because they don’t believe in big government?
Was it right to say Trump’s election would lead to a dictatorship?
Of course not, and Trump has every right to be upset about it.
But none of it had a large enough effect on the electorate to swing the election.
It did help radicalize a certain segment of the population, for sure.
Even Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, one of the most socialist members of Congress, asked her followers to explain to her why so many voted for both her and Donald Trump. Many of the responses compared the two as champions for the working class and energetic. It’s not much and it’s not deep, but it is perhaps a beginning for even an AOC to see the appeal of Trump and how it compares to her own, which baffles the right as much as Trump support baffles the left.
Some of the more extreme videos from the far left are actually resulting in consequences. Some teachers have been dismissed or resigned from classrooms after posting some vile rhetoric.
While a recount for a Senate seat in Pennsylvania is currently under way with Republican Dave McCormick leading Democratic incumbent Bob Casey by about 20,000 votes, some Democratic activists are challenging the state’s Supreme Court which said mismarked ballots are not to be counted. County Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia said court decisions don’t apply to her, and she was going to have illegal ballots counted, anyway.
Even with that egregious statement and action, most Americans are accepting the results of the 2024 election and maybe even taking a step back from the edge of the abyss.
Thos who threatened to move out of the country aren’t. Those who called Trump Hitler are now meeting with him, and pop culture events are actually copying his dance moves.
Sure, some just can’t bear the thought of having Thanksgiving with those politically different than themselves, but the talk of America splitting in two, for now, seems to be put on hold.
For now, it seems there is an acceptance and maybe even cautious optimism from the opposition that Trump can secure the border, enhance the economy and bring peace to an otherwise chaotic international climate.
No one party is supposed to hold the reins of government forever, and with the election of Trump including the popular vote and an overwhelming victory in the Electoral College, the talk of revolution is now subsided.
The voters are keen on the balance of power. When Trump finishes his term, America will have split the presidency between Republicans and Democrats 52 years to 52 years in the past 104 years. Even the last 40 years including Trump’s current election is evenly split at 20 years each.
America has been ideologically split since its founding, and whenever the nation wanders too far from balance, the voters have a way of reeling it back in.
And with that process recently completed, the talk of revolution has gone away for the time being.
Who knows how long it will last, but for now, most voices are calming and looking forward. It’s normally referred to as the honeymoon period, and it won’t last forever. Let’s enjoy it while we can.
