In America’s great battle between hope and fear, fear certainly gained the upper hand this month.
When our president threatens to end an entire civilization because his war of choice painted him into a corner, and our Congress couldn’t be bothered to come back from vacation to stop him, it’s easy to give up hope.
Even though he rescheduled the apocalypse for later this month, I find I can’t quite fill my lungs with air. It feels like we’re on the precipice. The ceasefire didn’t work because Israel refused to cease firing on Lebanon.
News outlets worldwide called out Trump’s so-called peace plan with Iran as a huge gift to Iran, a shadow of the actual Iranian nuclear deal Obama negotiated.
(You know, part of me wishes that journalists put aside their allegiance to the truth and accept Trump’s gaslighting; make him think he really did win the war, so we could start rebuilding and moving on.)
Our economy, and the economies around the world (with the notable exception of Russia), are beginning to crater.
Our standing in the world has never been weaker. We’ve made enemies of our democratic friends, and friends with dictatorships enemies.
Where the hell can we find hope amid this terrifying mess one mad king has created?
The only hope I find is looking for the cracks in this fortress of evil and incompetence.
When I consider the high-ranking generals and admirals, over a dozen of them, recently fired by man baby and cosplay tough guy Pete Hegseth, I see resistance. I assume these men and women took to heart the idea that war crimes are lines that can’t be crossed.
When I see the craziest of the MAGA faithful, Marjory Taylor Greene, Megyn Kelly, Candace Owens, Tucker Carlson, and Alex Jones, come out against Trump’s failed war, I see resistance in the most unlikely places.
Then, there was that bizarre out-of-nowhere statement from Melania on Thursday.
The first lady told reporters that she “never had a relationship” with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.
Is there some big new document coming to light that she’s trying to get ahead of?
I also found hope on Friday night, meeting Phil Weiser at a local fundraiser in a private Colorado Springs home. Weiser, Colorado’s attorney general, will run against U.S. Senator Michael Bennett in the Democratic primaries set for June.
Bennett has had a few YouTube-able moments standing up to Trump in the Senate, particularly in hearings about the Signal Chat scandal. We need him in the Senate.
But Phil Weiser is better suited for the fights ahead in Colorado. He’s dealt with criminals his whole career. As AG, he has sued the heck out of Trump, filing 64 lawsuits, 34 of which have led to blocked or partially blocked policies, with 22 pending. The suits have focused on defending the state’s authority over elections, protecting SNAP benefits and limiting federal employee layoffs.
Weiser, who takes no PAC money, had always struck me as a smart, ethical guy. But during this campaign, he’s turned into a smart, ethical guy with fire in his eyes. He gives me hope.
Finally, I get hope from Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD8), who is calling on the White House physician to give Trump a cognitive test. In the wake of his insane, profane Easter address and posts, that’s certainly a reasonable request.
All that hope is tempered with some frightening realities. Trump’s doctor certainly will refuse that request. The Democrats talk of invoking the 25th Amendment to remove him from office for being unfit will lead nowhere unless the Dems can take the midterms. Trump’s sycophants probably will continue to protect him, no matter what. And as long as this deranged man has the nuclear codes, none of us are really safe.
All opinion columns are the opinions of the writer and not the Pikes Peak Bulletin. No compensation was given for this column.
