I am a United States citizen in good standing. I have voted in every election since I was old enough to do so, received an honorable discharge from the U.S. Coast Guard, and, since living here year-round, have been actively involved in town government as a member of at least a half dozen committees and advisory boards. I cheerfully pay my taxes — local, state, and federal. I honor our war dead, if not the wars themselves. I prefer our flag to any other country’s.
The question is: what do I do now?
My last column, written before the election, focused on a possible Trump victory (“What to Do After Tuesday,” Nov. 7). That is now reality. One thing I did not do in that column was caution against looking back at what went wrong on the Democratic side: no post-mortems, no Monday-morning quarterbacks. That is not my business; and for those whose business it is, there will be plenty of verbiage for months and years to come.
I also did not caution against deep analysis of the motivations of Trump supporters. The absolutely incredible outcome of millions of people voting for someone who has repeatedly shown through words and actions his reprehensible character and promises to do more reprehensible things, someone whom we — whoever we are, right, left, or center — would never hold up to our children as a role model for anything: unthinkable. But it happened.
There is no looking back. Let’s look forward.
In my last column I called for civility and enjoying the life we live in our blue bubble, with Cape Cod’s beauty and isolation to succor and protect us. I did refer to resistance, to “calling things as they are,” but I had not really thought through all the ramifications of a second Trump administration.
Now I have. As a result, this is a personal and, yes, a political column.
The aftermath of this election is coming every day. This is not hyperbole. Everything that follows is from Trump’s own words, his promised actions “on Day One” or soon thereafter. He believes he has been totally vindicated, and he is seeking retribution. Every day will bring new revelations, none of them good. Donald Trump, our president for the next four years, promised many things in his campaign. One of the constant rejoinders from his critics was: Believe him.
So, the question is not about him: it is about us. How will we respond?
When Trump announces the opening of his first immigrant detention facility, when he calls out ICE agents or the National Guard to go to workplaces or door to door to check for identity papers, it will probably not be you and me in danger — this time. But whom will he search out next? Will we take it for theater when he has General Milley arrested for treason? When the new Dept. of Justice goes after the “Biden crime family” or Hillary Clinton or other members of “the enemy within,” will we be astounded? When the news media become compliant, censoring themselves, will we react? When he turns his back on Ukraine’s struggle for sovereignty, when he helps Netanyahu “finish the job” in Gaza, will we speak up? When climate initiatives and the Affordable Care Act are eviscerated, will we say, “Enough is enough”?
I advocated for civility. But a friend responded that “reducing friction promotes a dangerous passivity.” I see his point. I am not disavowing civility but recognizing its limitations. Not all ordinary Germans supported Hitler’s policies, but did many begin by being civil, then shaking their heads in disbelief, then taking trips to the countryside to avoid the horror?
Few in history are great, but many of us are good — imperfect but good. What do the good do? Can we persist and resist? Is the idea of America just a myth, or is there substance to it? The answer will be in our response to President Trump.
