No surprise in doubling down

No surprises following the election as Donald Trump doubles down on becoming dictator by picking unvetted, unqualified cult loyalists Matt Gaetz, Tulsi Gabbert, RFK Jr. and Pete Hegseth for key Cabinet posts! Trump told innumerable lies on the campaign trail but his insatiable need for power was never in doubt.

Do his voters really want to live under a dictatorship?

David Brooks argues persuasively (Spokesman-Review 11/10/24, Opinion | Voters to Elites: Do You See Me Now? - The New York Times ) that the working class justifiably feels forgotten so emotionally relates to Trump’s angry rhetoric. But neither Trump’s previous administration nor other Republicans have treated workers well. Vowing to make Barack Obama a one-term president, long-time Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell opposed everything Obama proposed to help the working class. Republican House leaders John Boehner and Cathy McMorris Rodgers followed suit; for example, they withheld a full House vote on Obama’s signature immigration reform bill--already Senate-passed--despite sufficient House votes for passage to become law.

And don’t expect the present Trump administration to help workers. He’s already appointed mega-billionaire Elon Musk, who contributed $118 million to Trump’s campaign, to lead the “government efficiency drive,” likely cutting millions from programs helping the working class. Trump praised Musk for saying he would fire any striking workers in his Tesla company, the only non-unionized US major automaker, and just hire new workers.

Many people vote their emotions. Working class voters, in particular, hurt themselves doing so; they win when Democrats win.

Norm Luther