I like humility in people. Most of us do. No high hat, no royal robes, no swagger. That’s especially true in politics in our democracy. Here’s Donald Trump’s version of humility. He said, as the votes were still being tallied, that his win was “the greatest political comeback in the history of the United States of America.”
You may think that’s not quite humble, but it may well be true. I thought he would lose, that swing states would swing away from him and elect Democratic senators. I was certain the House would flip. As you may have heard, none of my dreams came true. Stunned doesn’t quite describe my reaction. I am shaken still and frightened, and that doesn’t do it either. I’m scared extremely.
My greatest disappointment was right here, by the way. I expected, because recent polls said that Christina Bohannan would win, that she would flip a seat. She was a package of talent and personality that said future leader. She would have risen in the House leadership and brought honor and power to Iowa.
In anticipation of this week’s postelection column, I started a number of versions, all beginning with some declaration of Democratic victory. I thought we might sweep — president, Senate, House. That was a column of “I told you so” aimed at Sen. Grassley and the governor. On some bad days, I thought Democrats might lose the Senate, but I was convinced, no matter what, that we would flip the House beginning here.
My easiest version was on the GOP saying goodbye to Donald Trump forever, recognizing his embarrassing habit of lying and his ignorant approach to the world. But he will soon be sworn in. I expect President Donald Trump to declare himself “President for Life.” If that doesn’t work, their party and our nation are stuck with JD Vance as a candidate soon.
If Nikki Halley or Mitt Romney or even Mike Pence had been the nominee and won, I would have shrugged and moved on. They are conservatives, but not idiots, bigots, sadists filled with not love, but the dyspepsia of get even. Donald Trump is not really a conservative either. Yet he beat Kamala Harris, a smart, experienced, knowledgeable candidate. She was a good bearer of the liberal torch. Was it our liberal positions that doomed her, especially abortion options?
I thought our Democratic honoring of a woman’s right to choose would bring us enough independent votes to win. It certainly brought us votes but lost them as well. That is likely to remain our dilemma.
Trump followers in Congress now have no restraining factors to consider. They will have their way with us. We can expect deportations, probably camps to hold people on their way south, children casually separated from parents.
We will soon see what Trump means by ”getting even.” Will convicted felons be easily pardoned, as if they were jay walkers? I am particularly concerned about women’s rights to control their own bodies without Trump and Evangelical approval. This is not campaign rhetoric. Women will die in back alleys across Trump’s America.
Norman Sherman of Coralville has worked extensively in politics, including as Vice President Hubert Humphrey’s press secretary.
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Publish date : 2024-11-10 22:12:00
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