Chris M. Barkley

Because the lawlessness, the fascism, and the fearmongering must come to an end

When Donald J. Trump came down the escalator in New York City in 2015, I just assumed, as many of us did, that this was just another variation of one of his vanity stunts to expand his brand (and, of course, his ego).

We should have known better: his sickening style of hyperbole, exaggerated importance of himself, diminishment of the vital issues of the day, and outright lies about his qualifications for the office were very evident to those of us who could see right through him to the soulless beast within.

And we underestimated him; he bullied and blustered his way through the Republican field of opponents to the GOP nomination, and we thought that would be the end of it. Surely Hillary Clinton would blow this selfish, narcissistic clown off the stage… and we were wrong.

He established a new brand: “Make America Great Again.” He sold this insidious, anti-democratic screed with loathing, scorn, and most of all, fear. 

Fear of immigrants, fear of rampant crime, fear of the LGBTQI+ community, fear of everyone and anyone who would oppose him or his idea of a “perfect union,” a country run by white supremacists, rich oligarchs, racist sycophants, with him as their monarch.

And on November 8, 2016, America went all in on fear.

And we’ve seen the results of his first term of his “presidency”: the loss of reproductive rights for all, the gross human rights violations of minorities, the degradation of the environment, the constant denial of climate change, the encouragement of voter suppression at the state level, the nomination of unqualified or partisan judges to the federal bench by Heritage Foundation and the Federalist Society to do their bidding, the demonization of local election officials who dare to defy him by trying to conduct fair and transparent elections, and the open sneering at the media, law enforcement, and legal system when they try to hold Trump accountable for  his criminal acts, whether alleged or, in some cases, actually proven.

Trump’s election would grow and extend this nightmare.

All of this—the lawlessness, the fascism, the fearmongering—must come to an end. 

The election of Kamala Harris will not end the partisan and political divisiveness that ails America. But it, along with a majority in the House and Senate, will be an important and vital first step toward restoring a sense that democracy, and the underlying systems that support and nourish it, can prevail and grow.

Fear sells—until we, collectively, stop buying it.

We have no excuse. We know better, and now we must do better.

Chris M. Barkley is the winner of the 2023 Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer and is also a columnist, reporter, and news editor for the daily online science fiction and fantasy newszine File 770 (www.file770.com), edited by Mike Glyer. He lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.