Of Comic Strips And Dictatorships July 31, 2024July 30, 2024 But first . . . “Stop calling us weird!” (48 seconds). Who says it’s a cult?! And now . . . Doonesbury cartoonist Garry Trudeau is the first (of only two) comic strip artists ever to win a Pulitzer Prize. He begins his forthcoming book with this preface: It’s a beautiful spring day, and I’ve just concluded a spirited discussion with myself over whether this latest volume should be titled “Day One Dictator” or “Day One Dementia.” I chose the former on the grounds that it’s less terrifying. Some readers may disagree. The stench of pending authoritarianism is so overpowering that it may distract from the gathering psychiatric consensus that Trump is rapidly slipping into senility — doubly alarming as this new deficit is eating away at the brainpan of a sociopath. Last weekend in Dayton, Trump said, “Joe Biden won against Barack Hussein Obama! Has anyone ever heard of him? Barack Hussein Obaba (sic)!” Rallygoers, primed to cheer, instead exchanged nervous glances. As well they might. MAGA long ago embraced the crazy — Trump’s loud, transgressive behavior is what endeared him to the mob in the first place. Humans, like apes, are wired to respect the bellowing of alphas, which in Trump’s case, his followers still mistake for strength, not the hypomania it actually is. Dementia, on the other hand, is scary. Most people have seen it in their own lives — a sad, silent aunt, a raging, profane grandfather — and regard it with abject horror. As they listen to Trump free-styling around the stems of common words, at least some of them are surely starting to think, “Uh-oh.” Or not. Cult members are by definition resistant to reality, and with the help of right-wing media, they have set up false equivalencies, likening Biden’s occasional lapses to Trump’s aphasic word salads. But you have to wonder if there might be some concern among campaign workers, those who see Trump with his guard down, exhausted, floundering, deeply frightened that he’s sliding into the same dark realm that swallowed up his father. Do they worry, not for themselves, but for the country? Are they truly comfortable about the prospect of installing a mad king in the White House? Reagan was in absentia for the last year of his presidency, but at least he had a good heart and was surrounded by institutionalists, career public servants who kept the ship steadied. Trump will have no such support — he’s done with competence in his advisors. The old ones all betrayed him. Only ideologues, sycophants and idiots need apply. Let’s be clear: It’s no fun mocking someone falling apart before our eyes, but what are the alternatives, particularly given the country’s current glide path to calamity? As you peruse the strips that follow, don’t judge me harshly for doing exactly that to Trump. Garry Trudeau March 19, 2024 In this full-length interview, Mayor Pete suggests that, if this election turns out right, the fever could finally break. It certainly did in Venezuela this past Sunday. It’s just that it may have broken too late. Listen to an American friend who’s been living in Venezuela for 50 years helping the poor: The democratic opposition actually won in an overwhelming 70% landslide. Maduro’s claimed 51% victory was orchestrated FRAUD, as most “elections” are down here now. But this was by far the most blatant example to date, maintained only by brute force (the military and the government-sponsored criminal militia), and repudiated by the population. The bravery of so many in Venezuela in standing up against intimidation and documenting electoral fraud, at great risk, is MAGNIFICENT. So many people here once believed in the promise of Chavismo, just as so many North Americans currently believe in Trumpismo. Now they are deeply disillusioned and are fighting valiantly to recover the soul of their country. The huge lesson for the United States is clear. Do not let your country descend into authoritarianism because it is brutally hard to turn that around, once it happens. Reports CNN: . . . [T]he opposition, galvanized this election cycle and posing the most significant threat to Maduro’s grip on power in years, had promised to restore Venezuela’s democracy and rebuild the economy if it won. But there have been mounting concerns that the opposition would not see a fair contest, as Maduro’s government controls all public institutions in Venezuela including the Supreme Court – which could be the final arbiter on any claim of electoral fraud. The government has also been accused of rigging votes in the past, which it denied. A loss in the election could have devastating consequences for Maduro, who is facing drug trafficking and corruption charges in the US and is under investigation for crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court. If he were to relinquish control, he could end up in prison. Oh, my. However things play out in Venezuela, we get to determine how they play out here. The money and support keep pouring in.