Hard Reset
The United States is the most powerful nation in the history. Through its leaders, it has long proclaimed itself to be exceptional. To be fair, in many ways, it is. By dint of will, intellect, ingenuity, ambition, perseverance, grit, and a healthy helping of God’s grace, we have attained a standard of living that is the envy of the world.
For more than a decade, Americans have been growing increasingly weary of, and disenchanted with historical norms and traditions, especially in government and media spaces. A cynical view of what fueled this rapidly emerging tempestuous reaction holds that the election, and subsequent re-election of Barack Obama was a mind-exploding catalyst.
In 2008, Obama was a relatively new US Senator from Illinois, who had dramatically entered the national political consciousness four years earlier with a stemwinder of a speech at the Democratic National Convention. Still, his auspicious introduction notwithstanding, he was a decided underdog when he entered the 2008 Democratic Primary. At that time, Hillary Clinton was considered the odds-on favorite to capture his Party’s nomination. To shorten the story, that didn’t happen. Senator Obama went on to win the nomination, and would later defeat Arizona Senator John McCain, becoming the nation’s first Black President.
McCain ran a spirited campaign, but he faced significant headwinds due to the Great Recession. However, after Clinton conceded and withdrew from the race for the Democratic nomination, Obama was able consolidate his Party’s support. Winning the 2008 Presidential Race was a seminal moment for both the Democratic Party and for the United States. The 43 Presidents before Obama had all been White, and if truth be told, it’s likely no one had first Black President on their Bingo Card in 2008.
While the dawn of the Obama era proved to be a prodigiously pivotal moment in time and history, not everyone celebrated. Democrats exulted in having stopped a third consecutive Republican administration from occupying the White House, and for having won both the House and the Senate. Black America was euphoric. Most in the community thought they might never see a Black Man in the Oval Office.
Conversely, Republicans were gobsmacked. They were in utter disbelief, and for many, McCain became a pariah for having lost…to the Black guy. After all, it was not unheard of to be out of power for four years, or even for eight, but never in the history of “exceptional” America had anyone among them seriously considered the prospect of ceding occupancy of 1600 PA Ave. to a Black man.
The opposition fortified immediately. On the evening of January 20, 2009, after President Obama’s inauguration earlier in the day, a group of 15 high-ranking Republicans, including Senators and House members met for dinner to plot the plan of action for the official GOP resistance to Barack Obama. The strategic assault continued throughout both of Obama’s terms in office. Author Robert Draper, wrote a book about the GOP exploits, entitled, Do Not Ask What Good We Do: Inside the U.S. House of Representatives (later republished under the title: When the Tea Party Came to Town). Spoiler Alert, judging from the second title, you can infer, the Tea Party sprang up in response to Obama’s presidency, at least in part because nothing else was successful in neutralizing him.
The resistance, while unable to derail his re-election bid, did reduce his numerical support, advantage, and leverage in Congress. That opposition grew increasingly mean spirited during the Obama years and was often racialized. It was common for the evening news to capture depictions of Obama effigies, and other negatively racialized images of the President.
Enter Donald Trump. Some people debate whether Donald Trump created the Birther trope. I will not split hairs on this matter. The fact is Trump was in on the use of it, early, and often. This slight, which was rooted in Trump’s oft-repeated assertion that President Obama was not born in America, served to further exacerbate racial tensions.
Since those days, we’ve seen the end of the Obama administration, the Trump administration, the Biden administration, and the advent of a second Trump presidency. Along the way, Trump, Congress, and SCOTUS have taken turns engaging in escalatory actions.
Now, the President, armed with the aid of Senate and House majorities, a collection of malleable cabinet members, a heavily conservative-skewed Supreme Court, and a director of disruption, appears poised to change the very nature of the way the United States operates its government. I believe a legitimate question is, “Will we continue to be a constitutional federal republic?
Trump and his gofers are actively engaged in pushing, pulling, and prodding to consolidate more and more power in the hands of the Executive. Congress, which technically controls the purse strings, has consistently, willingly ceded its authority to Trump. Perhaps, when all is said and done, the most radical result of the assorted machinations will emerge from the slashing and burning of federal agencies and their staffs, which currently, is a concept that seems to find favor among people who call themselves conservatives. What remains to be seen, is how these self-proclaimed conservatives will view it when Musk and the Oligarchs assume the role of heads of privatized formerly governmental functions?
Unless there is a quick and decisive turn, I sense, We The People, are in for a…”Hard Reset!”
I’m done; holla back!
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