Dualities about the moment today’s inauguration abound.
Some dualities are just juxtaposed coincidences, including the swearing-in of a Donald Trump who invites white supremacists to dinner on a day meant to celebrate the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a rarity of timing. It’s not as if we will hear anything remotely related to MLK concerns today.
Some mixed images are in the claimed ‘masculinity’ of his administration’s approach on a day when he moved the ceremonies indoors because it is too cold, and still Trump will claim the biggest inaugural audience in history. Meanwhile, conspiracy theories are buttressing the decision to come in from the cold. Some are in the claims of populism when Trump agrees with the position, while speaking to inaugural invitees who include the world’s richest men who have paid for the privilege of whispering in his ear.
Some dual messages are the serious splits between what Trump says and what he does, which, beginning this afternoon, will unfold in a list of executive orders that mete out policy that will put partisan values before the country’s, leaving concerns about civil rights and women somewhere off the table while catering to those convicted for charges stemming from January 6 attempts at a coup.
Some mirrored images are in the gaps between Trump’s promises and what he can achieve, like cutting federal spending by a third with policies that add to debt and add costs for his own agenda and promising politically charged ‘retribution’ against prosecutors and investigators in the very Justice Department he calls politically weaponized.
Come noon, the good news is that the United States will pass power peacefully from one administration to the next. The not-so-good news is that much of what follows will be undemocratic in nature, a roller-coaster of changes unconnected by much more than whatever Donald Trump believes serves his own pursuit of power and admiration. A convicted felon will be taking the oath to uphold the Constitution and its laws.
The Divide in Expectations
Just over half of voters are ready to celebrate a win and to seek Trump-promised clarity in immigration, high prices and more drilling for oil. Just under half already are ruing the calamity they fully expect through campaigns to attack health and safety net systems, mass deportation programs of migrants lacking documents and the deployment of armed U.S. military on city streets, elimination of school, transportation and legal immigration.
The inauguration does not reflect a landslide victory. It is no mandate, no matter what the tiny congressional majority Republicans say. Rather, the inauguration kicks off a period of constant, likely ineffectual battle ahead over values as well as over specific programs. Many will simply concede, others will withdraw altogether, some will retreat to partisan gatherings to plan already for the next election.
The portent of many of the changes, however, are real and immediate, even if loosely limited by what the Trump team can accomplish beyond talk.
We’re hearing from friendly countries worry about our alliances, and from adversaries about how they look forward to deal-making with Trump — with a good measure of distraction over takeovers of Greenland, Panama, and Canada thrown in for good measure. Trump is singling out China as chief competitor without seeing that Chinese businesses are moving operations to Mexico and other places to sidestep the steep tariffs that Trump promises. None of the tariffs will lower a single price for U.S. consumers.
In hearings of his Cabinet last week, appointees talked of refocused attention on addressing the safety of the country in all respects but offering few specifics of how to go about doing so other than to rid the country of undocumented immigrants and adding new weapons systems while trashing policies that have supported inclusion of women and trans troops in combat roles for three decades. We heard principled statements about offering support and comfort to all Americans regardless of political allegiance while Trump himself was leading a campaign to withhold support for tens of thousands of Californians burned out of their homes unless state officials show him sufficient fealty. How long will it be before reality intervenes for these appointees?
Beyond federal policy, Trump was giving conservative states a free hand at limiting what we read, what we see, how to treat pregnant mothers needed medical attention. Trump was appealing to social media titans who gladly were showing support by dumping protocols about checking posts for misinformation and clearly was threatening or appealing to publishers who would soften or abandon effort that he would find critical.
We have the image of a hand-over of democracy clashing with the realities of what amounts in many areas to be an incoming dictatorship. What is giving pause is that what passes as celebration for 51% is seen as restoration of monarchy, good or bad, for the other 49%.
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