America Has Become Crippled By Fear
President Franklin D Roosevelt once said that the only thing we had to fear, was fear itself. Fifty years later, songwriter Randy Newman sang that now we’re supposed to be afraid. That it was patriotic and color-coded. What were we supposed to be afraid of, he asked. Why, being afraid, of course. That’s what terror means. That’s what it used to mean. If America fails, it will be because we were so busy being afraid of what could happen that we didn’t have the fortitude to stop it from happening. It makes you wonder if Rome really fell due to hubris and apathy, or if the people just got tired of being afraid and gave up. I’ve written several pieces recently concerning the 2024 election, and what a mess the GOP field is. The reaction has been predictable. The left is so gun-shy, so shell-shocked from the aftermath of the 2016 election, that they can’t even think logically anymore. Trump has become this larger-than-life demonic force, an anomalous specter with supernatural abilities and no accountability. God forbid you speak openly about what a poor candidate he is, how weak the field, and how shallow the electorate. People will pop out of the woodwork and demand that you recant everything you said, or even thought, lest you anger the gods and bring ruin down upon us all. There’s an enormous difference between hubristic overconfidence and cowering in fear. These are not our only options. We can be realistic, logical, and open-minded, yet still conclude that the Republican Party is in shambles, Donald Trump might actually do time, and that despite the ridiculous dysfunction of the Democratic Party, they are still our best chance of saving democracy in America. This is not delusion. It’s critical observation.
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