Nation of Idiots

When Sigmund Freud said that depression is anger turned inward, he meant that internalized shame becomes anger at oneself which, unresolved, can lead to depression. Most people, being idiots, like to take the good head-doctor’s words to mean that unexpressed anger at others leads to depression, therefore they must express any annoyance at full volume and with maximum churlishness to whomever is at hand, usually family members or service people, resulting in more anger all around. 

And while being angry doesn’t feel great, it does feel better than being afraid. I personally think it is fear, not anger, that is more likely to lead to depression, and I'd like to think that expressing that anger in non-toxic ways can be more productive in helping to keep the ever-present dread of our current era at bay. Some people keep gratitude journals, a daily practice to keep oneself connected to the people and things that matter most. I know it would probably be therapeutic to get into the habit of starting one, but I want to try something else instead, an anger journal, which I'm thinking of calling "Make Mine a Vent-i".

Today I target my anger at the Democratic Party. One might wonder why I'm not directing an initial burst of anger towards Trump, his cronies, his bootlickers in Congress and in the Judiciary, and his secret police running around the country terrorizing innocent people. To be honest, I feel less anger towards them than I feel disgust, horror, and honest hatred for these fascists and collaborators.

Besides, there are at least ways to take personal action against wannabe nazis that can feel cathartic. Witness folks saying “no pasaran” to ICE agents

or the variety of signs at any anti-Trump or anti-Musk rally.

I'm at a bit of a loss, though, on how to productively process my anger towards my own party. I write to my representatives, but I doubt they are listening. All I can do at the moment is vent.

Let's admit it: the Democrats fucked up what should have been an easy win in 2024 and they show every sign of continuing to fuck up their response to the Trump administration. I've been a reliable Democratic voter my entire adult life, voting for the most progressive candidate in primaries and "blue no matter who" in generals. Joe Biden was not my first choice in 2020, yet I sobbed in relief when he was declared the winner of the general election. I wasn't the only one.

I didn't have great expectations for a Biden presidency, but I had hopes for at least sane policies to shore up our democratic institutions as well as public health during the pandemic. And I think he actually did a good job for the first couple of years of his term. Covid vaccines rolled out, emergency funds flowed to school districts and families in need, fewer children lived in poverty, and green energy infrastructure projects were on the rise. Biden stood up to Putin in support of Ukraine. The American economy recovered from the pandemic faster than any other country in the world, though inflation was hurting a lot of people.

And then... complacency. I think the administration rushed to establish that things were "back to normal." There was no fight to continue tax credits and other anti-poverty measures for ordinary families. There was no effort to remind people that we were (and still are) being affected by a deadly disease. The justice department's efforts to hold accountable Trump and the worst actors of his administration were anemic at best. When public pressure resulted in the appointment of a special counsel, it was too late to make a difference, and when the federal courts did act, their actions were overturned by the Supreme Court that Trump had packed in his first term (a gift that continues to reward him thanks to the idiot voters in 2016). Democrats showed no interest in SCOTUS reform. Efforts by Biden to take action via executive order were thwarted. And instead of rallying the troops, letting people know that we were still recovering from Trump, there seemed to be an effort to put everyone to sleep. Everything's great. Nothing to see here.

Biden's response to the war in Gaza also sucked. The October 10th attack by Hamas was horrific and brutal, but Biden did nothing to restrain the Israeli response and seemed okay with the idea, now seemingly set in concrete, that pro-Palestinian protesters or anyone vocally criticizing the Netanyahu government was somehow anti-semitic. That Biden did nothing to address American outrage over apparent war crimes on the part our ally cost the Democrats dearly.

I am especially angry at the people in Biden's inner circle who convinced him to run for a second term. He could have declined to run from the start, and Israel/Gaza aside, could have retired as the hero who saved America from Donald Trump. Instead, we were subjected to intense scrutiny of his ever increasing frailty. His disastrous debate with Trump felt like the death of hope.

And yet, a phoenix arose from the ashes bringing a sense of joy and hope back to Democratic voters. And then Kamala Harris' campaign proceeded to fuck that up, too. The early days of the Harris campaign felt amazing. People were excited at the prospect of having someone smart, accomplished, young, and compassionate as an alternative to either Biden or Trump. She eviscerated Trump at their only debate.

Her selection of Tim Walz for running mate was brilliant. Here was an example of positive masculinity: a football coach and beloved teacher, a family man and a great parent, and a progressive leader with a history of standing up for the LGBTQ community. He delighted us by pointing out how weird the MAGA crowd is. He even called Elon Musk a "dipshit."

That sinking feeling came back once the political consultants had their way with the Harris campaign. Walz was relegated to the background and Harris went all in on courting so-called "never Trump" Republicans and independents who were never going to vote for her, and she all but ignored the progressive base that put Biden over the top in 2020. She made appearances with Lynne Cheney. She talked about how she was a capitalist who carried a gun. She talked about how lethal our armed forces are. She refused to offer a harder line on dealing with Netanyahu. When the hosts of The View practically begged her to differentiate herself from Biden she refused. Worst of all for people like me, she ran away from showing any support for the transgender community which was under direct threat of losing rights in red states and now nationwide. She had no trans speakers at the Democratic convention, she made mealy-mouthed references to "following the law" instead of just saying she supported our existence, and she refused to counter the Trump advertising onslaught attacking us. Her example has allowed the media and many Democrats to make transgender people the scapegoat for the 2024 loss.

And here we are. Democrats in Congress are still reluctant to obstruct Trump's agenda for fear of scaring off wealthy donors. They are running away from NYC Mayoral candidate Zoran Mamdani, who has the temerity to be popular with working people. The likely frontrunner for the nomination in 2028 is California Governor Gavin Newsom, who once showed bold leadership in approving marriage equality in San Francisco twenty years ago, but is now practicing his kayfabe heel-turn by taking policy advice from his ex-wife and Trumpist remora, Kimberly Guilfoyle, and inviting fascists to his podcast to find common ground in attacking trans rights.

Democratic cowardice in the face of authoritarianism and the possibility of a Newsom candidacy when Tim Walz, JB Pritzker, and Andy Beshear are standing right there, has me contemplating the unthinkable - not supporting the Democratic candidate in 2028. I'll have more to say about that particular trolley problem and the dialectic struggle between that impulse and my ongoing anger with the American voter in part 2 of Nation of Idiots.