The Smell of Desperation
There has been a rush on social media as we watch the horrific performance by the Harris-Walz campaign. It isn’t from President Biden, because he is basically an invalid. And Vice President Harris is too busy in all the wrong places and conducting all the wrong interviews. Governor Walz is too busy being “A Knucklehead”. The Democrat Party is starting to step in using President Obama as their “Dad Shame” mouthpiece, but that’s not what I am talking about. No, this rush is from far-left voters, and it is a little disturbing.
Most of what I have seen reeks of desperation to the point of violent reaction, and THAT is what is disturbing.
I get it. The election is closing in. We are under a month and now counting days. The poor performance by FEMA after Hurricane Helene put a bad light on the administration and VP Harris just CAN’T disassociate herself from President Biden as much as she tries. Comparatively, Governor DeSantis has put in an epic performance in the recovery from Milton. So that isn’t good.
There has been plenty of coverage of the Average American either suffering or pitching in after the hurricanes. It seems the media, as witnessed during the 60 Minutes interview, is now holding VP Harris to actually give answers to questions, even though they are allowing her to re-shoot her answers when she fumbles them. The circle talk seems to have reached the end of its lifespan. The shine has worn off Governor Walz as the other half of the ticket. His debate performance wasn’t quite Biden-esque, but his recent appearance at a local football game wasn’t well received and his attempt to look and act like the hunter he claims to be came off even worse.
The feel I get on social media is of dread. Like everyone can see the train coming and they can’t stop it. And they are angry. It’s very strange, when you think about it.
President Trump spent the last four years being accused of “denying the election results”, as if he is the first and only person to do that. Al Gore did it. Hillary Clinton did it. It’s not new, but he has had to defend some serious accusations that are literally no different than some of his predecessors. Now, the shoe seems to be landing on the other foot and what are we ALREADY seeing?
The rhetoric is already there. “If he wins, I’m leaving the country,” or “if he wins, it will be the end of the country,” or “he can’t be allowed to win”. That’s when things get a little dicey. And I am seeing more and more of it.
Strangely, it is coming from some of the least likely people. I get the Hollywood angle. It isn’t them. They are all performers and the live in extreme emotional states so that is what they project. They are also very wealthy and the impact of who is in the White House has very little impact on their actual lives. But, that isn’t what I am talking about either.
These extreme reactions mostly seem to be coming from the white, suburban Beta Male.
Yeah, the guy that will let the burglar take everything in the house while he hides in a closet. That same guy is now the one threatening violence if President Trump wins. On the surface, it is extremely laughable. Then you think about how desperate these people seem, and it loses its humor very quickly. In today’s world, desperation turns into violence rapidly. These aren’t movie plots, and they aren’t superheroes fighting against an evil empire. These are normal people who are starting to lose their grip on reality.
Listen, I am not trying to paint all Democrats as crazed lunatics. That is clearly not the case. I am not even saying this is isolated to only Democrats. There were plenty of people who were not happy about President Biden winning the last election. You can still see it in the number of people who repeatedly talk about a stolen election. People aren’t happy and they speak out. Sometimes they say things they don’t mean. It can be emotional. I get it.
Something in my gut tells me this is different.
When I see these things on social media like “we have to do everything in our power to prevent him from winning”, that scares me. Really. Sometimes it is the poster that scares me, especially when they start to look like Ryan Routh and have that lack of a grip on reality. What scares me more is the number of times statements like that are reposted or shared.
In 2017, when Kathy Griffin held up something that was supposed to resemble the severed head of President Trump, it was pushed all over the internet, mostly because everyone thought she was off her rocker. Now, when you see images like that, people are reposting them and CHEERING. Talk about a societal shift. Wow.
After two assassination attempts on President Trump, there was a momentary pause on violent rhetoric. My use of the word momentary is not hyperbole, it literally lasted that long before people were at it again. We have gone beyond normal levels of disappointment. People are no longer just “upset”. We as a society are beginning to lose our morality on a biblical scale. I am not overplaying this. I believe this to be the absolute truth.
The question I am asking myself is, in the face of this kind of desperation, what do we do to protect America without compromising her principles? That, ladies and gentlemen, is the million-dollar question.
The answer is pretty simple: Leadership. Right now, more than anything, we need real leadership. We need the winner of the election to be humble in victory. We need the loser to be gracious in defeat. We need the winner to honestly look to the other side of the aisle and extend a hand. We need the loser to grab and shake it with gratitude. We cannot have ego right now. Celebrations should be muted. Loss should be conceded without hesitation.
These messages need to start now, from both sides. Both candidates need to take the high road and tell their parties to do the same, but they cannot wait until election night to do it. President Trump and Vice President Harris need to stand up and act like responsible leaders. They need to clear the air because right now, all there is, is the Smell of Desperation.