Author’s note: This piece was written before the attempted crucifixion of the Right’s Messiah, and his subsequent choice of redneck “author” and junior senator from Ohio, J.D. Vance. In street parlance, this is called a “double fucking.”
Throughout my life, I’ve never said, nor believed, that someone is “too old” to do something, whether that be to achieve a goal or chase a dream. Never. Until now. I’ll expound on this in a minute.
I’ve been chronicling my attempt to abstain from drinking too much alcohol—not quit, mind you—but tone it down to a more moderate, and safer level.
As I’ve recently been reflecting on my reasons for drinking, the number one being I fucking like it, especially the near-instant mental and emotional novocaine that accompanies a good belt, I can’t ignore the changes in my body as I age. I can’t ignore that drinking to excess will shorten my life.
I can’t ignore the fact that hangovers require a longer ‘recovery” period—even the low-grade ones. And, again, despite my being fit, the booze, if not enjoyed as it should be, in moderation, can have a kick.
I’m sharing this because, as I contemplate a world, a life, where a convicted felon could quite possibly blow up everything that we hold dear, I want to get blasted. Part of me says, Why not?”
If Donald Trump again takes over the White House and our country—and I do mean, takes over—what will be left to look forward to? And, it will be people like my husband and I, and everyone else who merely wants to live out the rest of their lives with a semblance of tranquility, who will have the most to lose, in my opinion, anyway. Those of us who rely on Social Security and Medicare to put food on the table and whatever drugs we need to draw breath will be fucked. And that is merely the tip of the iceberg for Trump’s “to-do” list. Once he gets in, the only way to get him out will be to take him out.
Let’s not pretend we haven’t thought about that because that’s what a dictator does. They dig in and don’t let go unless one person or many, with the courage of their convictions and the guts to confront evil, does what is necessary for the greater good.
Now, I don’t mean to imply that younger people won’t also feel the pain of a Trump presidency, but they will have a chance to see the forest for the trees. They’ll have the opportunity, sheerly by their age, to see and affect positive change. Those of us in our sixties, seventies, and beyond, not so much. As I said, “fucked.”
Given this dim outlook, Joe Biden must be prepared to shoulder the blame unless he puts his ego aside and steps aside. That said, he’s not having it, folks. If you saw the interview with George Stephanopoulos, who did an admirable job of holding Biden accountable for his past slip-ups, and who tried to get answers to the questions we all have, perhaps you’re as troubled as I am at the President’s response to Stephanopoulos’ question, “How will you feel if you lose?”
“I’m gonna win and if I don’t, I know I gave it my best shot.”
I’m paraphrasing, but that’s what I heard and it leaves me cold. Biden’t refusal to believe his low ranking in the polls is also troubling. And yes, heartbreaking. At a point, our President’s humiliation at being thought cognitively “challenged,” was palpable. But, empathy goes only so far when the stakes are this high.
In case anyone has forgotten, or hasn’t been able to fully take in what Trump plans to do in a second term, take note of this account from Rolling Stone:
Trump will indict Biden and all other political enemies.
Of course, he will, because that’s what gutless bullies do. As one of Trump’s right-wing allies told RS, “Yes, we want to burn it all down.” Reflect on that, for a bit.
Trump will round up, intern, and deport undocumented immigrants.
This means detention camps for those who this convicted felon says are “poisoning America.” Does this remind you of anything? How about the Holocaust and Konzentrationslager, or concentration camps, like Auschwitz, Dachau, and Buchenwald? And let’s not forget the thousands of Japanese Americans who were trundled off to detention camps during World War II. Hell, we’re dealing with a psychopath. Any one of us could be “detained” for damn near anything that smacks of rebellion.
Trump will invade and attack Mexico.
He despises Mexicans and all brown people. Enough said.
Trump will ban abortion nationwide.
The Supreme Court’s (aka, The Man Who Would Be King’s Court) overturning of Roe v. Wade has plunged us back into the dark ages and is unfathomable to anyone with a functioning brain cell. Although he’s claimed that he’ll leave the issue “up to the states,” to believe this from a habitual liar and convicted felon is naive, at best.
Trump will round up the homeless and send the National Guard into cities to fight crime.
If this doesn’t make your blood run cold, nothing will. Or, make you want to take a drink or three if you’re teetering on the edge as I am. He plans to “scour” the nation to round up those unfortunate souls who, by whatever catastrophe has befallen them, are without shelter, decent food, or healthcare. Of course, his sycophants are too dim to understand that they, too, could be one paycheck away from the streets, believing that their Megalomaniac Messiah will magically make their shitty lives as shiny and without substance as an episode of “Keeping Up With The Kardashians.”
Trump will indict Biden and his other political enemies.
Of course, he will. This is his raison d'etre for pursuing a second term: Revenge. And Joe Biden, who he wrongly believes is the reason for his status as a multi-convicted scumbag, but those also in his crosshairs are Special Counsel Jack Smith, Attorney General Merrick Garland, FBI Director Christopher Wray, no doubt a slew of truth-telling journalists.
Trump will send the military to the border.
The self-declared dictator will dispatch hundreds of thousands of troops to the border to not only seal it but also, to build detention camps to house immigrants. He is also willing to enlist military aid inside the States to round up and rid the nation of brown people.
Trump will bring back the death penalty.
During his final year in office, Trump and his lackeys oversaw the execution of thirteen individuals in six months. In the sixty years previous, the federal government had put to death three people. Look at the math, here. Rolling Stone reports that according to two sources, the psychopath is considering execution by firing squad and hanging.
Trump will make everything more expensive by taxing imported goods.
Talk about hypocrisy! While in the same breath blaming inflation on Joe Biden, Trump and toadies have announced plans to devalue the dollar which could make exported goods cheaper while possibly causing inflation to skyrocket. Too, as reported by The Washington Post, Trump wants to institute a “universal baseline tariff,” which would effectively create a ring around our economy. For us, this means paying higher prices for formerly-imported goods.
Trump will reevaluate America’s participation in NATO.
At a recent rally where Trump sounded more unhinged than ever, he admitted that he knows very little about NATO. Yet he shits on our longstanding military alliance, wrongly stating that European nations “aren’t paying their fair share.” He wants to significantly reduce our participation in NATO, which would make Vlad the Impaler a very happy despot as he continues to fight for control of Ukraine.
According to Dr. Aaron Stein, a Black Sea Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, our pulling back from NATO would be “A tremendously stupid endeavor, especially at a time when war in Europe rages, and much of Europe is looking to the United States to deter further conflict.” But, hey, not to worry because Trump has repeatedly bleated that he can end the war in Ukraine “in a day.”
Trump will roll back all of Biden’s climate progress and reinvest in fossil fuels.
“Drill, baby, drill” is what Trump promises to do starting his first day in office. If this doesn’t turn your stomach and pray to the Universe that Trump will drop dead of an aneurysm, nothing will. Or a cardiac “event” or any other fatality that will permanently take him out of the picture. In bed with oil executives he’s asked to help him raise $1 billion to help seal a win in November, he promises to reverse dozens of Biden’s climate measures, allowing them to resume drilling “immediately.” And, once again, he plans to pull the United States out of the Paris Climate Accords which strives to hold the global temperature beloved two degrees Celsius. This fucking guy.
Trump will try to overhaul education to conform to the MAGA image.
And we know what that is, don’t we? This sick twist vows to “Cut funding for any school or program pushing critical race theory, gender ideology, or other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children.” For you folks with young kids who don’t want to raise a Christian Nationalist Stepford Child, you’d best start boning up on homeschooling.
Trump will do his best to flood the nation with guns.
And, why not? We haven’t had enough mass shootings, correct? Unless I'm mistaken, we’ve gone at least a couple of weeks without one. This insane declaration, especially, has the MAGA morons pissing their flag-draped drawers and the NRA is over the moon after Trump declared he will “roll back every Biden attack on the Second Amendment.” If you believe we’re in the shit now, gird your loins for the resurrection of the wild, wild west.
Trump will trash the First Amendment by going after non-MAGA media.
This is no surprise given his attacks on outlets like CNN and MSNBC. And you can bet your last dollar that he’ll target those journalists, especially, those who’ve not held back in publicly bitch-slapping him. One of my favorites, MSNBC’s Joy Reid, is probably at the top of his hit list. “Fake news,” my ass.
Trump will pardon the January 6th insurrectionists.
This includes those “patriots” who were convicted of violent offenses. Those good people who took dumps in our nation’s capitol and who vowed to kill Nancy Pelosi and Mike Pence. You’ve seen the gory videos and if there’s one reader here who believes these MAGA maggots should be let loose on our streets, come on, bring it.
Trump will legally delegitimize trans-Americans.
Trump despises and has great contempt for transgender folks. I’m surmising this is because he’s a pussy who doubts his masculinity. Tiny hands and a mushroom for a dick? Maybe he’s onto something. Meanwhile, this hatred will spur him to enact a federal law stating that there are only two genders. He’ll also push Congress to ban gender-affirming care for minors and punish doctors and hospitals who treat transgender youth, because “empathy” is nowhere in his racist, sexist, utterly twisted wheelhouse.
Trump will gut the federal government and take control of what’s next.
His first move will be to declassify thousands of civil service employees so he can fire them. While Joe Biden has created thousands of jobs, this maggot is hell-bent on reversing everything good that our President has accomplished. In simple terms, everything positive will become a negative under a second Trump term. Per the bastard himself: “The departments and agencies that have been weaponized will be completely overhauled so that faceless bureaucrats will never again be able to target and persecute conservatives, Christians, or the left’s political enemies.”
Finally, there is Project 2025. I won’t say anything more about this other than the horrifying propositions outlined in this piece of garbage by the Trump-helmed, uber-conservative Heritage Foundation are readily available online.
Hell, I need to stop here and get a drink.
I’m kidding, sorta. But I will share that writing this piece has taken me days, because my head is spinning with the constant talk about whether Biden should stay or go. Like the iconic song by the British. punk-rock band, The Clash.
What are your thoughts? I’d love to hear them as I’m no longer sure that my belief that Joe Biden should bow out of the race is based on truth, or fear because I am terrified. And I’m guessing you are, too. Or, most of you. Terrified that we will have a convicted felon and sex offender, one who will strip women of their right to own their bodies, back in the White House.
Last night’s press conference was, how do I say this, “mostly good.” But, it was one hour. One night, one hour. How will President Biden cope, going forward? In a sense, since he pulled us from the darkness and chaos that ensued from four, long years of having to endure a reality TV star in the Oval Office, I feel guilty and ungrateful in stating that I believe Joe Biden must, must, give up his role as the presumptive Democratic candidate for President of the United States, and let Vice President Kamala Harris step in and prove that she’s the ass-kicker who can beat Trump in November. She can do it.
And anyone who has a problem with a woman of color becoming President of the United States can fuck right off.
And on the other side of the coin, there’s this: If Biden continues to dig his heels in and whisper that he’s “not going anywhere,” then we must back him to the hilt and level the high beams on a convicted felon and his Project 2025.
Friends, it took me several days to complete this piece because, with all the rhetoric and back and forth, the “Should he, or shouldn’t he?” I haven’t been able to think straight. Too, and this scares me as does the very admission that, for the first time, I’m feeling my age. As I told a good friend of mine, everything seems harder.
Household chores are harder. Shopping is harder. Those fucking daily workouts that I’ve been slogging through for years, are harder. But, even as I hope this feeling of being wiped out is temporary, I can only reflect on what the pundits are saying about Joe Biden. He’s only going to get older. As am I. As are you. But I sure as hell can’t fathom aging in Trump’s America. Not without a drink.
But, that’s my cross to bear. Joe Biden will have his own if he loses to Donald Trump in November.
© Sherry McGuinn, 2024. All Rights Reserved.
Hola Ciao -
2 ounces mezcal or tequila
1 ounce fresh lime juice
¾ ounce Cointreau
½ ounce Campari or Aperol
2 teaspoons agave, or more if desired
Shake with ice and strain, garnish with orange slice
The drink is a lovely shade of orange, like both of our candidates (WHY SO MUCH BRONZER)
Sip until you can no longer count the days until November. What a fucking nightmare. If someone made a movie of this mess, no one would believe it. I say drink, smoke, dance like no one's watching, hide your money in a coffee can and throw your tv out the window ala Network.
SHERRY,
I believe and agree with your article here.
If FT self destructs further, perhaps Biden can prevail.
Otherwise I say turn Kamala loose! Way loose so she can grab the attention of every Dem and Progressive and younger voter to try to kick ass.