U.S. POLITICS

Take a Deep Breath Before the Big Plunge

Think we’re free of Trump? Think again.

Photo by Famartin, Creative Commons 4.0.

When Biden won the 2020 election a year ago, I was certainly relieved. Four more years of Trump would undoubtedly have been disastrous for the US and the planet on many fronts.

But I also felt a serious sense of disquiet that took form in these distinct words: “This is just our chance to take a deep breath before the big plunge.” In the year since then, this feeling has not only persisted but has deepened, and has been confirmed by events and by other cultural observers.

Put another way, Biden’s election was not an automatic “undo” of Trump and everything he did. (Or as I would say to my geek friends: “Biden was not a ctrl+Z.”) First because some of what Trump did is virtually irreversible (like court appointments), secondly because some will take time (like rebuilding regulatory agencies) and thirdly because some is consistent with what Biden also wants (neoliberal economics, militarism).

We should also note that the full extent of the damage inflicted by Trump’s administration was under-reported by the corporate media at the time and remains off-the-radar for many people now, including too many activists. Way too much precious airtime was squandered on the Russiagate conspiracy theory…