The Dark Side
Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson foretold Donald Trump 50 years ago when he wrote this about Richard Nixon:
“(Nixon) represents that dark, venal and incurably violent side of the American character…. He speaks for the Werewolf in us; the bully, the predatory shyster who turns into something unspeakable, full of claws and bleeding string-warts on nights when the moon comes too close.”
That’s Trump.
Like Nixon and demagogues like George Wallace and Jesse Helms, Trump has a gut instinct for the dark side of America’s psyche.
He gives the ugliness an outlet.
He says the nasty things – about Blacks, women, immigrants, handicapped people, his opponents, the media, even war heroes like John McCain – that his fans once feared to say.
He emboldens right-wing bullies like the Proud Boys, neo-Nazis and Confederate flag-wavers.
He coarsens politics, and he coarsens American life.
Is it a coincidence that, in Trump’s America, homeowners shoot innocent people who stumble onto their property or turn around in their driveway?
Is rising road rage a coincidence? Once, if somebody got mad at you in traffic, they shot you the bird. Now, they might shoot you.
The bad news is that polls show 37% of Republicans want Trump to be President again. That’s why he leads their race.
The good news is that the same polls show 25% of Republicans don’t want Trump to be President ever again. That’s why he’s not likely to be elected.
But weird things happen when the moon comes too close. Remember 2016.
Let’s pray we don’t fall prey to the dark side again.
Hunter Thompson (pictured, with George McGovern) wrote what I consider one of the two best books about modern politics, “Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ’72.” The other is “What It Takes” by Richard Ben Cramer, about the 1988 presidential election – including unsuccessful candidate Joe Biden.
The Dark Side
Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson foretold Donald Trump 50 years ago when he wrote this about Richard Nixon:
“(Nixon) represents that dark, venal and incurably violent side of the American character…. He speaks for the Werewolf in us; the bully, the predatory shyster who turns into something unspeakable, full of claws and bleeding string-warts on nights when the moon comes too close.”
That’s Trump.
Like Nixon and demagogues like George Wallace and Jesse Helms, Trump has a gut instinct for the dark side of America’s psyche.
He gives the ugliness an outlet.
He says the nasty things – about Blacks, women, immigrants, handicapped people, his opponents, the media, even war heroes like John McCain – that his fans once feared to say.
He emboldens right-wing bullies like the Proud Boys, neo-Nazis and Confederate flag-wavers.
He coarsens politics, and he coarsens American life.
Is it a coincidence that, in Trump’s America, homeowners shoot innocent people who stumble onto their property or turn around in their driveway?
Is rising road rage a coincidence? Once, if somebody got mad at you in traffic, they shot you the bird. Now, they might shoot you.
The bad news is that polls show 37% of Republicans want Trump to be President again. That’s why he leads their race.
The good news is that the same polls show 25% of Republicans don’t want Trump to be President ever again. That’s why he’s not likely to be elected.
But weird things happen when the moon comes too close. Remember 2016.
Let’s pray we don’t fall prey to the dark side again.
Hunter Thompson (pictured, with George McGovern) wrote what I consider one of the two best books about modern politics, “Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ’72.” The other is “What It Takes” by Richard Ben Cramer, about the 1988 presidential election – including unsuccessful candidate Joe Biden.