‘The Donald’ — #Lyrics To A Rock Opera

This is my attempt to tell the story of the 2016 presidential campaign in verse. It’s very casual and very rough draft, but the song titles came fairly easily and it’s a rock opera, not a musical like Hamilton. But if you’re interested, I’d love to flesh this concept out with someone who, like, knows music and stuff. I’m sure someone out there is going to do exactly what I’m attempting but they’ll actually have the know-how to do it right.

Most of this is really, really bad. But I see this is just a rough draft. I wish someone would help me actually do something with this.

This first one is meant to set up the character. Again, this is barely a first draft. But I have some time on my hands and it seems the 2016 does lend itself to a rock opera of some sort. I just wish I could find someone who knew music to help me.

Donald J. Trump
lyrics by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls
please give credit if you produce or perform

a ‘small loan” from my dad
and I was ready to bet
been on your set since before Lennon’s death
I’m the man of your dreams don’t you fret
they call me The Donald
got my name on everything under the sun

they call me The Donald
I’ll sell you an invisible bridge
’cause I’m The Donald
The Donald
The Donald

I’m not going away
you’re going to respect me
others come and go
I’m here to stay
people claim to know me
want to scold me for being a fool
they’re just losers ’cause I rule
drool all you like you
I’m ready to hit a home run
bold is my style
when I’m not breaking my bank

dreams are meant to come true
so what am I to do
but throw down the gauntlet
proclaim myself the best to lead
this great nation
into the darkness
we’re going to make America great again
by tearing it down
with an exclamation

they call me The Donald
I’ll sell you an invisible bridge
’cause I’m The Donald
The Donald
The Donald

[bridge]
in my heart
it’s very dark
I used to be in on the joke
now that’s all up in smoke

I’ve always got a plan
making money is what I do
though I lose it just as quick
but it’s other people’s money
and I’m a big dick

they call me The Donald
I’ll sell you an invisible bridge
’cause I’m The Donald
The Donald
The Donald

This one is meant to explain the origins of Trump’s run for office. As I understand it, Trump legend has it that him being picked on at the White House Correspondence Dinner made him so mad he wanted to run for president. (Thanks Seth Meyers.)

They’ll Laugh At You
lyrics by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls
please give credit if you produce or perform

don’t run for president
don’t you dare
they’ll think you’re a joke
you’ll end up a punchline
the whole country will laugh and laugh
making you regret your act
they’ll laugh at you

they’ll laugh at you
I’m telling you straight
they’ll laugh at you
they’ll laugh at you
they’ll laugh at you

Meyers and his ilk
up at the podium smirk and mug
hoping you’ll get up and run
you have to sit there and take it
even though you’ve got the goods on Obama
know for a fact his Mamma knows the truth
he was born in Kenya and a Muslim to boot
they’re all laughing at you
they’re all laughing at you
they’re all laughing at you

now’s your chance
to turn their laughter upside down
make a run for it
a run for the summit
they’ll put you on Rushmore soon enough
once you get into the Electoral College
you’ll lance the boil
of a father who was way too cold

they’ll laugh at you
I’m telling you straight
they’ll laugh at you
they’ll laugh at you
they’ll laugh at you

[bridge]
in all seriousness
you’ve got to get going
time is not on your side
you’re not getting any younger
if you don’t move fast
they’ll laugh at you

so now we’re ready to go
you’re going to explode
popularity is your thing
the people will sing your name
not a dry eye in the scene

This is meant to be when Trump opens his campaign and rants about Mexicans.

Sending Their Worst
lyrics by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls
please give credit if you produce or perform

they’re a crisis on the border I tell you
rushing across into our nation
rapists and murders escaping justice
don’t know when it’s going to end
the losers in Washington can’t get it done
so I’m going to build a wall
to keep out the worst

they’re sending their worst
dark and dangerous
that’s who they are
they’re sending their worst
they’re sending their worst
they’re sending their worst

taking your jobs
leaving you on the curb
coming after all you hold dear
you have so much to fear
I’m the only one who can keep it clear

let me lob another attack
with me in charge things will change
law and order will be back
all your fears will be eased
you’ll have a job ’cause of me

they’re sending their worst
dark and dangerous
that’s who they are
they’re sending their worst
they’re sending their worst
they’re sending their worst

[bridge]
It’s all a lie
I know the truth
but I’ll make some money
be a star the way I want
all my dreams will come true
I’ll laugh and laugh

so give me your vote
we’ll drain the swamp
we’ll at last be on top
with me in charge we’ll stop them from

sending their worst
sending their worst
sending their worst

With this one, I just like the idea of talking about the conspiracy that Trump’s camp was involved in throughout the campaign.

Get Me Roger Stone
lyrics by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls
please give credit if you produce or perform

he’s the man to get the job done
we’ve got a shot of winning this
won’t run from my fate
there’s just one man I know
who can get us across the finish line first
get my Roger Stone

get me Roger Stone
get him on the line
he’s got the dark arts down pat
we’re in it to win it
for that we need Roger Stone
get me Roger Stone
get me Roger Stone
get me Roger Stone

I’m not going to lie
he’s my kind of guy
always up to dirty tricks
the type that gets your opponent licked
he’s a go-to guy for Russian spies
when this all ends he’ll have a grin

Roger Stone and I go way back
far into the darkness that you can’t see
but together our future is bright
we’ll be ruling the roost with all our might
just need a little bit of his juice
the type to give us a boost

get me Roger Stone
get him on the line
he’s got the dark arts down pat
we’re in it to win it
for that we need Roger Stone
get me Roger Stone
get me Roger Stone
get me Roger Stone

[bridge]
Roger will rush the Russians
no one has to know
might not even work
but what’s wrong with a little flirting
with an enemy of the state
if we win on the right date

Roger can get it done
I’m expecting my phone to ring
with him on the other side
ready to sing

This one is about the shenanigans at Trump Tower.

Take A Meeting
lyrics by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls
please give credit if you produce or perform

I love it
especially later in the summer
I love it
especially later in the summer

daddy’s always been good to me
gave me power over the company
as the election approaches
ready to make my name
going to meet “about adoptions”
if you know what I mean
love to take a meeting
later in the summer

I love it
especially later in the summer
I love it
especially later in the summer
love to take a meeting
love to take a meeting
love to take a meeting

no one will ever know
that adoptions are just for show
we’re here to connive
on the sly
with the Russians to get a leg up
with dirt they release

maybe we’ll be able to drive a stake
into Hillary Clinton’s campaign
by the end of the summer we’ll be on a path
to 300 electoral votes
dad will be so proud
finally give me the love I desire
won’t just be another son for hire

I love it
especially later in the summer
I love it
especially later in the summer
love to take a meeting
love to take a meeting
love to take a meeting

[bridge]
who am I kidding
why do I even try
I could hand the presidency on a platter
to old man
he’d just wink and nod

you never can tell
try not to dwell
my old man could win just yet
all our problems will be solved
I call your bet

This one is meant to be a dance pop song about Trump’s dumb campaign slogan.

Build That Wall
lyrics by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls
please give credit if you produce or perform

they’re sending their worst I tell you
it’s time we do something about it
I’m not going to rest
until we have a way to make your wish come true

it’s a white elephant
obvious to anyone who can see
but it’s not my money
what does it matter to me

build that wall
have Mexico pay for it
build that wall
have Mexico pay for it
build that wall
have Mexico pay for it
build that wall

we’re all going to live in a prison
one of our own making
but we’ll all be so proud once we’re in it
something there is that loves a wall
at least with my voters I know so well

it’s a white elephant
obvious to anyone who can see
but it’s not my money
what does it matter to me

build that wall
have Mexico pay for it
build that wall
have Mexico pay for it
build that wall
have Mexico pay for it
build that wall

[bridge]
never expect to win
but I’m riding the tiger
where it stops no one knows
if it’s at the White House
well, so it goes

build that wall
have Mexico pay for it
build that wall
have Mexico pay for it
build that wall
have Mexico pay for it
build that wall

Another song about Trump’s dumb campaign slogans.

Lock Her Up
lyrics by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls
please give credit if you produce or perform

she’s got so many emails
floating out there I believe
Russia if you’re listening
send them out
all I gotta say is
lock her up

lock her up
she’s broken the law
lock her up
if I’d one half the stuff she’d done
I’d be in jail
lock her up
lock her up
lock her up

here I am a man of the people
hoping you’ll listen to me
all the ships at sea can you hear me
when push comes to shove
I think you’ll agree
it’s time to
locker her up

we’re all citizens of the republic
but she’s above us all
’cause she’s got the gall
I’m ready to call a vote
if you’ll just shout

lock her up
she’s broken the law
lock her up
if I’d one half the stuff she’d done
I’d be in jail
lock her up
lock her up
lock her up

[bridge]
let me go
keep me free
I may have broken the law
colluding with a foreign power
but no one has to know
until I win

when this is all over
and I’ve lost
I’ll have so much to shout about
making money hand over first
without a doubt

This another song about a frequent retort during the 2016 campaign.

But Her Emails
lyrics by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls
please give credit if you produce or perform

people gather round and listen to me
I’ve got a voice and things to say
I may be a liar for all to see
but at least I don’t have emails
weighing on top of me

but her emails
is all I gotta say
but her emails
we’re just getting started
but her emails
but her emails
but her emails

no matter what I say or do
people know in their heart what I’ll do
those emails are more important than my lies
it shows Clinton’s a crook
gotta vote for The Donald
yes you do
I’ll bring bring back the jobs
what else can you do

I’m in the clear
let me tell you
we’re all going to win the lottery
once I’m in power
we’ll finally get a chance to lock her up

but her emails
is all I gotta say
but her emails
we’re just getting started
but her emails
but her emails
but her emails

[bridge]
never use email
no not once
all I do is tweet out my crimes
knowing no one will give a fuck

when this is over
and it will be soon
I’ll be raking in the dough
basking in the sun

This one is about the Access Hollywood tape.

Grab Them By The Pussy
lyrics by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls
please give credit if you produce or perform

I can’t help myself
I gotta step out (of bounds)
gotta grab and strut
show ’em that I’m tough
put a tick-tack in my mouth
after that it’s a black out

grab them by the pussy
is my thing
grab them by the pussy
will make me a man
grab them by the pussy
grab them by the pussy
grab them by the pussy

people look at see
what I say in private
get mad at me
why would do they that I ask
it was obviously just a joke
it was a crass piece of gas

but I’m no loser
never been one that’s just not me
going to say I’m sorry
hope this will all go away
so I can be the winner in the end

grab them by the pussy
is my thing
grab them by the pussy
will make me a man
grab them by the pussy
grab them by the pussy
grab them by the pussy

[bridge]
what am I going to do
they’re on to me
maybe I’m really going to lose
but that’s the plan all along
you know, don’t you?

in the end
you just don’t know
maybe one day people will regret
that they have me another chance
but not this time
this time I’m on top again

This is about the second Comey letter, the one that sank the Clinton campaign for good.

Second Letter
lyrics by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls
please give credit if you produce or perform

you’ve been very bad I must say
we’re going to give your emails a second look
maybe you did something wrong
we don’t know
so we’re going to poke around again
don’t you know

a second letter is here
one to knock you down
a second letter dear
a second letter for you to fear
a second letter
a second letter
a second letter

I think you’re going to win
not to write this letter would be a sin
so here I am hurting you so
but you’re a winner
don’t you know

we’re all going to laugh about this
in the near future I can feel it
people will look back and say
he did the right thing at the time
much to everyone’s dismay

a second letter is here
one to knock you down
a second letter dear
a second letter for you to fear
a second letter
a second letter
a second letter

[bridge]
my conscious is clear
I know I did the right thing
there’s no way you’ll lose
is there

things rushing towards the end
I guess then we’ll know
if I should I have written
that second letter or no

This one is about Trump’s closing argument.

What Have You Got To Lose?
lyrics by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls
please give credit if you produce or perform

the end is neigh
we’re all going to die
so listen to me
as explain my closing offer
what have you got to lose?

I’m not ready to end this debate yet
we’re all going win this tonight I say
why would you worry that I’ll doom us all
when I can say to you with all honesty

what have you got to lose?
what have you got to lose?
what have you got to lose?

how could it possibly get worst than now
don’t even know where the president was born
so like me say with a roar I’ll change things
when all is said and done
what have you got to lose?

what have you got to lose?
what have you got to lose?
what have you got to lose?

[bridge]
you’ve got everything to lose
I have no idea what I’m doing
just a bozo with a voice
a guy you wouldn’t trust with a dog
here to lead you into the dark

what have you got to lose?
what have you got to lose?
what have you got to lose?

This one is about how Trump didn’t expect to win.

Election Night
lyrics by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls
please give credit if you produce or perform

the results are coming in
looks like I’m going to win
what have I done
how am I going to spin this
victory into defeat

election night
here we are
victory is assured
election night
election night
election night

everything is going to change
the Russians will know
how I bent their will
that will be hanging over my head
what am I going to do
what am I going to do
what am I going to do

we’re all in this together
I should feel light as a feather
but things aren’t as they seem
the weight of the world is now on me

when this is over what will I do
how will I explain the nature of
my victory
people won’t understand
that I just wanted to win
they’ll think it’s a sin
a sin, a sin, a sin

election night
here we are
victory is assured
election night
election night
election night

[bridge]
this is not want I expected
did not want this outcome
feel like I’ll soon be on the run
victory is defeat
I will soon meet my fate

what happens next is anyone’s guess
I’ll be president soon
God bless
when January arrives a new life begins
all my lies will come back to haunt me
is all I know

This one would be something of a codex.

Winter For The Donald
lyrics by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls
please give credit if you produce or perform

winter has arrived
the sky in falling I’m afraid
much to my dismay I have to tell the truth
as Mueller’s army rules the roost
what am I going to do
the truth will will out

winter is here
winter is here
winter is here

I’m not prepared to fight the last fight
people better than me have cracked
now it’s up to me to cast out the dark
hopefully find life in the light

it’s not within me to do such a thing
I live within the dark
the light is not my friend
winter’s darkness won’t last forever

winter is here
winter is here
winter is here

[bridge]
spring is coming soon
how will I survive
once the rains arrive
now it’s time to make plans
for when I’m behind bars

once the summer arrives
I could be back in New York
a prisoner of my own making
high up in the tower
I so love
forever remembering what once was

A Deep Dive Into Trump’s Potential Strategy Going Forward

by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls

I may not be all that great at “game theory,” but I’m pretty good at strategic thinking. I have been wracking my brains the last few days as to what Trump is thinking now that he’s lost the House. It is telling that he fired Sessions so quick after this happened. But what, exactly, does it mean?

Look at it from Trump’s point of view — he knows he’s done some very, very bad, un-Constitutional things, but he also knows that no matter what he’s not going to be convicted in the Senate. It’s just not going to happen. There’s no way 67 Senators are going to convict the president, no matter what he does.

This is why it’s so difficult to figure out Trump’s strategy at this point. He knows some basic things to be true. He has two month so do whatever he wants to, but at the same time once those two months are up things change dramatically. If he’s thinking long-term, he knows anything drastic he does simply increases the already high likelihood that he will be impeached sometime in the first quarter of 2019. It’s a real struggle for me to figure out what he does. It seems to one scenario is he might leverage the next two months by striking first. It’s a risky strategy in some ways, but in other ways he’s simply what comes naturally to him — strike back and strike back hard.

So an argument could be made that he would rather declare war first and then hunker down for an impeachment fight rather than wait until January when it’s almost inevitable that there will be investigations and he will, in turn, be impeached. A lot depends on Mueller. If Mueller throws down the gauntlet between now and January, we will enter a surreal moment in our nation’s history when we pretty much just sit around and wait for the new House to be sworn in.

That’s why is seems from a cold, hard white-knuckled political point of view, it makes a lot of sense for Trump to strike first by firing everyone he feels he needs to fire and pardon everyone he feels he needs to pardon — looking at you Don Jr. — and declare war on the House using every available political tool and resource at his disposal. Trump knows that he is, because of the 67 votes needed to convict him in the Senate, pretty much a dictator at this point. He’s a king. And he’s almost certain to be re-elected for various reasons including a riled up base, an exceptional economy and general Constitutional rot.

So, in that sense, I have a hunch that very, very, very soon Bob Mueller will be fired, half a dozen people will be pardoned and absolutely nothing happens in real terms for two months. Trump will have two months to pound away at the in coming House, he can frame any investigations in cold, hard political terms to his base and the country is completely torn apart for the few months it takes to investigate everything, impeach Trump, have it go to the Senate and then die there. Of course, given the states, Trump’s trial in the Senate is likely to be a modern day OJ trial for a lot of people.

On a personal note, I would like to call bullshit on anyone who waves off the need to impeach Trump. I feel it’s out of hands at this point. History has made its decision and it won’t take too much investigation on the part of the House for it to become apparent that Trump has to at least suffer the historic shame of impeachment, even if we all know he won’t be convicted. Remember, the absolute last argument of MAGA will be, “Yeah? Well convict him.”

In other words, we will all know the gory details of Trump’s obstruction of justice, his conspiracy with a foreign power to influence his election….and nothing will happen to him. He will be impeached, but not convicted and that, as they say, will be that. He will win re-election and there will be a lot — a lot — of stories about Trump is now “unbound” because we had one silver political bullet and we didn’t manage to strike the werewolf.

Or, put another way, what will have to learn about Trump will have to be simply staggering for us to get anywhere near convicting him in the Senate. I would also like to note that the moment MAGA people do the “Pence Pivot” whereby they talk about what a “man of God” Pence is and they really voted for Pence, not Trump in 2016 is the moment Trump’s goose is cooked. But what would have to happen for the Pence Pivot to happen would be so astonishing as to leave me astonished.

In short, Trump is likely going to get impeached, be acquitted in the Senate and cruse to a pleasant victory in 2020. That is without considering the possibility of a major terrorist attack or war with either Iran or the DPRK. So, Trump will start campaign in 2024 for his “legacy” and hopefully by that point The Resistance will have come up with the leadership necessary to deny him one.

Shelton Bumgarner is a writer and photographer living in Richmond, Va. He is working on his first novel. He may be reached at migukin (at) gmail (dot) com.

Bill Clinton’s Legacy, A Reassessment

by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls

Then President Bill Clinton’s impeachment was the first major political event of my adult life. I felt so strongly about it all, that I wore perhaps wisely, a black armband to work to signify my opposition to it. But now, 20 years later, we find ourselves forced to reassess his legacy because of the numerous horrible accounts of sexual misconduct that people are finally beginning to take seriously.

All of this is complicated because the Right is quick to point out that Hillary Clinton “stood by her man” through it all an as such is “complicit.” Before it’s over with the MAGA people are all but demanding you vote for Trump again and you’re left shaking your head given what Trump is accused of doing, as well.

But let me be clear: if the only way I can get Trump out of office is to say Bill Clinton should have resigned 20 years ago, then so be it. He should have. Now what. Now will Trump leave office so we can go back to fighting over the usual stupid shit instead of having to worry about an unhinged president potentially being the death of us all?

It is an embarrassment to the American experience that we even having this argument over Bill Clinton versus Donald Trump in the first place. Both are self-evident in their loathsomeness on a human level and I will gladly concede Bill Clinton’s status as a monster if the other side will do the same for Donald Trump and agree with me that he needs to immediately leave office, never to be heard from again.

But they won’t. The MAGA people are so deluded by the political blackhole that is Donald Trump that they are completely unable to see the actual, legitimate more equivalency of what Bill Clinton did and what Donald Trump did. They’re all such raving sycophantic lunatics that all they can see is the bad of the their political opposition and the good of their God king. They simply can’t comprehend that by attacking Bill Clinton that they are admitting, in effect, that Donald Trump did was, like, bad and stuff.

It’s all really surreal. It’s all tragic and surreal and difficult to process. I don’t really know how things progress from this point. What Bill Clinton is accused of doing is really bad and, like I said, if the only way I can get rid of Donald Trump is to say Clinton should have resigned 20 years ago, then so be it. But at this point it doesn’t make any difference either way, really.

Bill Clinton isn’t president anymore and Donald Trump definitely isn’t going to resign.

‘Cheap Cracker’ — #Lyrics To A Woke R&B Song

These lyrics are meant to have the same vibe as a Marvin Gaye Song. I don’t really have a beat in mind. And, really, I’m just writing this because I feel like it.

Cheap Cracker
lyrics by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls
please give credit if you produce or perform

you have all the money in the world
you have a golden apartment in the sky
and a hot woman who’ll let you rub her thigh
you’d think you’d be willing to give a little to the people
as you sit in Trump Tower
thinking of how much cake we’re supposed to eat

but you’re a cheap cracker
it’s true
you’re a cheap cracker I’m afraid
someone who won’t give money to
the needy
cheap cracker
cheap cracker
cheap cracker

I wish there was something I could say
that would persuade you
to stop your evil ways
but you’re determined to tweet your way
into infamy

but what can I say
but observe that you have
all the power in the world
but no dignity
you’re your own worst enemy
but you’re not listening to me

but you’re a cheap cracker
it’s true
you’re a cheap cracker I’m afraid
someone who won’t give money to
the needy
cheap cracker
cheap cracker
cheap cracker

[bridge]
wish you’d listen to my words
but you don’t care
you’re too busy tweeting
to heed my call
for civility

sometimes I feel the end is near
but no one listens to me
so I scream into the void
hoping something will change
but it never does
it never does
it never does

‘The Talented Ms. Hicks’ — #Lyrics To A Woke Power Ballad

This is meant to tell the theoretical story of Donald J. Trump and his communicates director, Hope Hicks. I have my suspicions that they’re, um…doing it and because it’s a really screwed up situation it seems like great fodder for a power ballad that, say, Bernie Taupin might write.

The Talented Ms. Hicks
lyrics by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls
please give credit if you produce or perform

she directs communication late at night
telling her man he has the world
in his very, very, very large hands
what Melania doesn’t know what hurt her
Donald is of the flesh and weak for
the talented Ms. Hicks
the talented Ms. Hicks
the talented Ms. Hicks

the talented Ms. Hicks
brings with her vitality
she’s perfect as can be
makes the darkness flee
even at night she shines bright like the moon
her touch is ever so smooth
what’s a man to do

Donald doesn’t care what the press will think
he’s above the law
at least he thinks
he’ll pardon himself if need be to be with her
what happens in the Lincoln bedroom or
the Oval shouldn’t matter to anyone
when you have the nuclear codes

the talented Ms. Hicks licks her lips
moves her hips just a little bit for kicks
she has Donald wrapped around her thumb
who knows what fate will bring with it
in the end it will just be she and The Donald

Some Thoughts On Roger Stone & The Possibility of Civil War

by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls

I consider myself an amateur historian and it definitely seems as though the United States is hurdling towards some sort of armed domestic conflict because of Trump. What’s going on in the United State is much like what — after the fact — was obvious about the late 1850s — America is tearing itself apart.

It will be interesting to see how all this plays out. Things could get pretty hot over the next 10 years

‘Modern Day Presidential’ — Lyrics To A Woke BritPop Rock Song

So, Donald Trump is going on a Twitter rant today and he keeps spewing out song titles like crazy. No one ever reads any of these lyrics and if they do the don’t care. So, I’m just yelling out into the void because I’m upset over what a insane moron we have as a president right now. The music I’m thinking for this would be something like Pulp’s Common People.

Modern Day Presidential
lyrics by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls
please give credit if you produce or perform

it’s the second decade of the new cent’ury
we’ve got a reality TV president I’m afraid
what are we gong to do with his madness
it causes me great sadness when he tweets
tweets about stupid shit in fits of rage
he declares Mika was bleeding for her face
he makes me want to roll my eyes
but he says it’s

[chorus]
he says it’s modern day presidential
no need to have a press secretary
he’s modern day presidential, modern day presidential
there’s nothing more for us to say
but that we wish he’d be impeached
to end his version of modern day presidential

we got Trump with Russian help
the tweets come and come all day long
make us all wish Trump would leave us alone
maybe move to Moscow for a new home
he won’t leave, though we’re stuck
with a president as mad as can be
that’s my fear, you see

[chorus]
he says it’s modern day presidential
no need to have a press secretary
he’s modern day presidential, modern day presidential
there’s nothing more for us to say
but that we wish he’d be impeached
to end his version of modern day presidential

[bridge]
we’re all going to have to deal with this
Trump’s the president I’m afraid
for the next few years
he could push the little red button
get us a nuke instead of a coke
by mistake, mistake, mistake

now nothing will happen anytime soon
but we would be remiss if we didn’t hiss
that Trump’s not modern day presidential at all
he’s just a reality TV star
with failing ratings
that is all
that is all
that is all

The Nature & Origins Of Trumplandia

By Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls

The central question of the day is how a major industrial nation like the United States managed to elect a highly unqualified reality TV star with a conspicuous penchant for thugs and autocrats as its leader. How did this happen and why? And what do we do next to fix the problems all of this causes?

These are very difficult questions to answer, but I will try to do my best to answer them as briefly as possible. Trumplandia, as I call America under Donald Trump, was born, in part, I believe because of a unique set of circumstances.

Among those circumstances are the hysterical nature of the Right’s opposition to President Obama, an general hatred for Hillary Clinton on a personal level because of her gender and maybe a little bit of national boredom from eight years of “No Drama Obama.”

To me, the core of Trumplandia is how is it that otherwise normal voters bought into the long con of a racist, bigoted, misogynist demagogue. That’s the crux of this historical moment. And they had their eyes wide open. Trump went out of his way to tell the center-Right who he was. He may have promised them the stars and moon, but he definitely made clear what an asshole he was in the process.

What’s sad is that one a personal level, it’s not like the differences between Trumplandia and The Resistance are going to be fixed anytime soon. Trump has damaged civil discourse on an existential level and it will take many years for it to recover. It’s sad, but true.

Let’s pick apart the different aspects of Trumplandia. We have the racism. Now, I have had more than one conversation with Trumplandia citizens who absolutely refuse to acknowledge that Trump is a fucking racist. They just don’t see it. And it is the racist aspect that is so obvious and yet noting it pretty much shut downs any civil discourse about Trump. But given that Trump was went from being a celebrity to a major politician by peddling a bizarre conspiracy theory about Obama’s land of birth that is central to the existence of Trumplandia.

Then there is the misogyny. Many books are to be written about how America simply wasn’t ready for a woman president, or at least not Hillary Clinton. Clinton was not an ideal candidate by any stretch of the imagination, but she wasn’t an existential threat to the American Republic like Trump is. And, yet, the residents of Trumplandia did not have a problem with that. They made a guttural grunt in Trump’s direction on election day and the rest was history.

The bigotry of Trump against anyone one might consider the “other,” be it Mexicans or Muslims is also a central aspect o the Trumplandia experience. You have to include the word “bigot” when describing Trump because inevitably some Trumplandia person will try to make the case that Trump can’t be a racist because Mexican’s “aren’t a race.” That makes my blood boil, but I add bigot to the litany of charges against Trump to cover that line of reasoning.

Having said all that the case could be made that it was just, on a historical level, the center-Right’s time to run things and no one was prepared for how hysterical it was. So, in that sense, the real failure of the system happened during the Republican primaries when someone like Trump managed to best 15 professional political opponents. That Republican primary voters fell for such an obvious demagogue is something that should give all of us pause for thought.

So, how do we fix this problem?

First, I continue to think that technology may be one way to end the Trumplandia era. Trump is not only FOX News incarnate, he’s also pretty much just a celebrity Twitter troll. Let that sink in for a moment. Perhaps if a new site, one that serve as a “Twitter Killer” came into existence, maybe we could force our leaders to be a bit more cogent online. If it was expected that they were able to write more than 140 characters at any time, then maybe we could expect more from them.

When it comes to ending Trumplandia, one issue that I simply don’t know the answer to is — does The Resistance embrace the progressive movement, or does it bank more towards the center? It seems as if the most basic answer is to embrace the progressive movement, and, yet, the social aspect of that may be difficult to sell to the Trumplandia voter who obviously is cool with a racist, bigoted, misogynist demagogue. It is difficult to put the genii back in the bottle, as it were.

Trump gets his power from how divisive he is. He forces people to make decisions on a personal level that they never expected to have to make. It is mind blowing to me that people on the center-Right made the cognitive leap to vote for someone like Trump and that a core 30% of them continue to do so, no matter what. Some of this is a tribute to the stability of the American form of government, in that most people vote in November, then forget what about their vote for several more years.

But this election cycle is obviously different. So much smoke is coming out of the Trump Administration, that there are increasing calls for impeachment, barely over a hundred days into the existence of Trumplandia. That core group of 30% is so potent to the political goings-on of Congressional Republicans, however, that it’s unlikely they will do anything about Trump even if it’s proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that he or his associates are treasonous.

Additionally, the United States has one of the most vibrant civil societies in the world and it is interesting that the first group within that civil society to address Trumplandia effectively has been comedians. That could be the fact that in middle-school the only person willing to stand up to a bully is the class clown, it could be something else. But the fury that comics have thrown at Trumplandia indicates that the American Republic may be a little bit stronger than I am giving it credit for.

Yet, other aspects of pop culture have been relatively quiet since the Trumplandia era began. I mean, where are the movies and songs that are designed to incite The Resistance to action? The silence of both movie and music industries when it comes to Trumplandia is telling. Some of this may come from their longer creative gestation and some of it may come from the simple fact that the Trumplandia infection has not gotten bad enough to evoke a reaction by the average person who doesn’t really think that much about politics. So my hopes for a return to late 60s, early 70s quality movies and music may be a bit presumptive.

Regardless, all of this is going to be serious food for thought for decades to come. The question, of course, is this just a hickup in our Republic’s life, or is this its death knell? That existential question is something that will only be answered in the years and decades to come. It could be that the only the assurance of an open presidential seat every eight years may keep America from slipping irrevocably into autocracy.