Midterms 2022: Gaslit Americans Pretend This Year Is Different
America Celebrates The Status Quo For Another Two Years As Promises Are Broken and Nothing Fundamentally Changes
When I got up Monday morning the day before Election Day, I couldn’t shake the feeling of dread and cynicism that another year of the “great experiment in democracy” was not going to result in any real change. The unexpected results did little to change my mind. I was, and remain adamant, that 2022 is my last year of making an effort.
The barrage of fear-mongering propaganda from both parties leading up to election day was unrelenting and uniquely repulsive. Despite The Democrat’s insistence that Elon Musk sealing the deal to buy Twitter heralded the demise of free speech itself, the Democrats liberally, and cynically, used the same platform to force-feed voters endlessly dire warnings that, unless they retained power, the end of the “democratic experiment” was imminent. Presumably, without their magnanimous presence in the halls of power, there would be no abortion rights, the end of Medicare, no one left to stand up against Big Pharma, that there would be cuts to Social Security, and for good measure, the acceleration of further climate disaster.
This would be, it was implied, the end of the “fighters,” hard-working politicians rolling up their sleeves, perpetually scrapping in daily battles on behalf of their hapless, dependent constituents. Of course, the Democrats have participated equally with the Republicans in making things worse over the past two years through lies, exaggerations, loyalties to corporations, perpetuating war, and reneging on major promises. Mitigating COVID and failing to protect public health comes to mind especially.
Historically speaking, and even in the current day, it appears the Democrats have wasted no time already reneging on their promises mere days after the election. No matter, as a giddy, blue-check corporate media and loyal supporters still claim forward progress even when reality dictates otherwise. Specifically, Biden’s promise of “breathing room” for debt-strapped Americans with crushing student debt looks like a no-go. All while billions ceaselessly flow to Ukraine and the Neo Nazis fighting a proxy war. The most glaring contradictions and hypocrisy are overlooked in the rush to “celebrate”. It would appear that United States GDP is soon to be primarily composed of the “output” of the unprecedented ONE TRILLION DOLLAR war industry.
This bad news concerning the cancellation of student debt relief conveniently emerged just days after the election. But, some loyalists will say, Biden couldn’t have anticipated the legal challenge, despite being briefed on any major decision by the top legal minds in the country. I suppose it escaped their notice as a possibility. Does it matter when the end result, always, is the upward flow of domestically produced wealth to the one percent, and nothing fundamentally changing ad infinitum?
Ironically, while bemoaning the fate of free speech, and Biden going as far as to accuse Musk of being a “threat to national security” the various official government political accounts had no issues with flooding individual Twitter feeds with exaggerated claims tinged with desperation.
The Democrats, in the interminable weeks prior to election day, insisted THIS election, and their retention of power was about preventing the very foundations of government from giving way to tyranny.
“Extreme MAGA Republicans” were attacking not only sacred institutions, but individuals in power. Insurrectionists were waiting in the wings with the intent, presumably, of destroying, as George Washington put it, “the last great experiment for promoting human happiness”. Ironically, the leaders of a country founded on insurrection and violence, currently active in financing and promoting war and hegemony globally, are warning against what they do on a daily basis.
I was fortunate that I had chosen to avoid crowds and vote by mail. For people on the East Coast Of Florida, some sudden, unbelievably bad news was brewing: a rare, late-in-the-season tropical storm, Nicole, expected to strengthen to Hurricane force, headed straight for the Florida East Coast. The trauma and destruction resulting from IAN mere weeks before had barely been assimilated. A pudgy and soon-to-be victorious Governor Ron DeSantis did his duty, solemnly urging preparation and precautions, and declaring a state of emergency. In between Hurricane updates, DeSantis campaign ads flooded the airwaves of corporate television and streaming media.
There seems to be no shame or low bar in political advertising that either party will cross, but the DeSantis ads were based on ludicrous levels of fantasy and exaggeration. DeSantis was, all at once, a leader who “fought” against the Federal government's “tyranny” of COVID lockdowns, keeping Florida “free,” as well as a true blue friend of the working family, legislating an unprecedented tax cut on diapers. I kid you not, DeSantis’s four years of holding the office of Governor of Florida have so few documented, practical positives, that they had to emphasize his valiant efforts to enact a reduction in the diaper tax.
Apparently, that wasn’t enough to hammer the point home, so DeSantis dressed up in a Top Gun military flight suit barking out his “leadership strategy” to “fight” the lies of corporate media. It was eerily reminiscent of George W. Bush’s “Mission Accomplished” PR stunt, similar in framing both of them as militaristic “fighters” in a literal, visual way. It was cartoonish and laughable. The same forced attachment to military imagery that killed the campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis was apparently a boon for DeSantis. Make no mistake, Ron DeSantis is the golden boy for 2024 in the soon-to-be endlessly speculated Presidential race. The past, and even the present, don’t matter to the disoriented American populace, who can barely assimilate what happened a day ago.
Going one step beyond, even THAT ad wasn’t enough to hammer the point home, so the campaign, at the risk of ultimate skepticism and ridicule, released a last-minute ad that strongly implied DeSantis was anointed by God. No doubt his Christo Fascist base lapped it up. The level of insanity that it would take to believe that DeSantis, an intellectually challenged narcissist and authoritarian, that makes it up as he goes along, is here to save Florida, and presumably, in the future, America, is alarming to contemplate. But here we are.
DeSantis is so busy celebrating his victory that he forgot the real Florida, not the one in his rapture-based fantasies, is literally collapsing economically and socially from the devastation of two Hurricanes. Infrastructure and private and commercial properties have been destroyed at an alarming level. This will require unprecedented levels of disaster relief. Insurance companies, already on the edge of failure are pushed further to the cliff. Practical issues like this are beyond the comprehension or leadership skills of the unempathetic DeSantis, despite photo-ops and “tours” that are largely PR exercises in demonstrating caring. Diaper tax reductions notwithstanding, Florida has serious problems.
The irony of seeing so much pain, suffering, and destruction wrought by natural forces, humans in dire need, while the Biden administration and other war hawks in Congress cheerfully keep funding weapons that are sure to bring the same destruction and misery to other countries in a man-made sense is maddening and infuriating. We are not a functionally sane society. Any rational, reasonable person would find no cause in “celebrating”.
Notable, and not immediately apparent in the aftermath of the midterm election results: the Russians have apparently retreated from their former role as chief instigators of US election interference and weren’t blamed for their anticipated actions in perpetrating interference, hacking, or general malaise. Faithful to the corporate Democrats, the New York Times, was there with a just-in-case scenario, that case being a “reason” The Democrats lost to Republicans in a landslide, were that scenario to occur. After all blaming Russia has worked for years. Is it a coincidence that Russia has backed away from this particular election? Is it, as chief war propagandists at The Atlantic Council imply, because Vladimir Putin is too busy losing a war in Ukraine and sulking from his alleged string of “humiliating defeats” to bother?
Of course, as with the dubious fallacies perpetrated by The Democrats of Russiagate interference since 2016, it proves the pathetic depths the Democrats will plumb to distract the electorate from their past and ongoing policy failures.
Perhaps the weirdest, and the most unsettling aspect of contemplating the future of the country from the results of the midterm elections is getting a grip on what voters were thinking. Personally, I’m astounded at the level of projection going on, framing Biden as an incredibly underrated President, a “good” man of great moral character, a dubious opinion shared by the Dem supporters. You seriously wonder if neurological dysfunction is a factor.
Reading beyond the truncated tweets, Joe Biden and The Democrats are actively pursuing a policy of surrendering national sovereignty to powerful warmongering financial interests, bleeding off the wealth of generations yet unborn. The alleged “progressives” including Bernie Sanders, rail against billionaires and corporations on the one hand, then vote to serve their interests.
Perhaps I’m alone on this, but I see the results of the midterms as a dangerous misreading of actual, popular sentiment. That sentiment is against hegemony, war, economic inequality, giving up on public health, and abandoning the essential components of the working class while pretending to support them. If we don’t stop looking at superficial aspects of power, like who has the most, without holding them accountable for their actions and policies at all times we do so at our own peril.
Update: 11/14/2022 As mentioned above, Biden’s promise to cancel student loan debt fell apart just days after the votes were tallied. That trend appears to continue as Biden announced (Monday 11/14/ 2022) that there won’t be enough votes to codify Roe, despite weeks of promises that they were the protectors of women’s rights. This follows the historical precedent set by Barack Obama. Same as it ever was.
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden said Monday that he did not expect Democrats to have enough votes in Congress to be able to pass legislation codifying Roe v. Wade
Asked at a press conference in Bali, Indonesia, what Americans could expect Congress to do on abortion access, Biden said: “I don’t think they can expect much of anything other than we’re going to maintain our positions.”