Not Everything Can Be Fixed

Dearest Rachel –

The last few results from Tuesday have come in, and the funny thing is, none of it really came as that much of a surprise. The news organizations and channels Daniel and I were listening to actually predicted the results as they’ve come in – although they did seem to hedge their bets at the very last minute about several states, while keeping the overall result the same – the only surprise being the degree and the margin of victory. Me being the pessimist that I am, of course, I wasn’t sure about any of these predictions until they started to come true, but once they did, it all seemed fairly much in the line with what we’d already heard. So there was very little about it that was particularly shocking.

Likewise, it doesn’t surprise me that lessons could be learned from what happened that won’t be. When your entire platform is based off of a message that the “other team” is both stupid and evil, there is no room for compromise when your own policy choices – which as a general rule, are essentially the opposite of what your opponents’ – start to objectively fail. You can’t go back and admit that those evil fools had anything right, let alone course-correct in order to keep the ship of state afloat.

On that subject, do you remember how this has been going on for decades? Your folks seemed hellbent sometimes on antagonizing us back in the day, because they kept insisting that the president at the time was both dumber than a box of hair while simultaneously an evil genius bent on destroying the country. After forcing them to admit that both positions couldn’t be simultaneously true, they relented and asserted that the man’s second-in-command was the evil genius, puppeting the figurehead executive behind the scenes. What would they say about “their” party embracing that “evil” former vice president (or would that be “former ‘evil’ vice president”?) these days?

I digress; the point is that one party has postulated that everything the other does or considers is wrong because of who and what that other party is (be it evil or stupid). Therefore, the only course of action is to always do the opposite; either undo what has been done by a previous (opposition) administration, or do the opposite of what their opponent had proposed. However, if and when that begins to go objectively wrong, there can be no admitting of fault, no backtracking to find a better solution, because that would require admitting that certain people who are always wrong by definition were right; it’s a logic bomb to them, and they can’t go and blow up their foundational ideology. So they can’t fix what they’ve broken; indeed, they can’t even admit that it’s broken in the first place in order to fix it. That responsibility has to, eventually, fall to the electorate.

And while setting things back they way they were seems like the logical plan for the new/old incoming administration, it’s not as easy as all that. The man at the top should know this better than most, as he was in construction and real estate; construction takes more time and effort than demolition. Sure, he can re-institute his previous policies, so the fix may be considered simpler than most such crises, but it will take time to get back to a manageable place for the country; it won’t be fixed overnight.

Meanwhile, there are some things that are beyond repair; some bells that can’t be unrung. I’ll tell you, for all the time and effort I’ve spent coping, the reason I would say I’m not as well off as I was four years ago has nothing to do with politics, nothing to do with economics, nothing to do with current events in general. No administration had anything to do with your departure (unlike certain people, whose deaths have become rallying flashpoints); while the last four years have been a trial (to say the least), I can’t blame the political climate for it. Nor can voting them out, and installing the previous administration, as unprecedented as that is (yes, Mr. Cleveland, I know, but you weren’t in living memory) actually wind back time and fix everything for us, any more than it would bring back all those other folks. This is how it is when you only move through time in one direction; not everything can be fixed.

I honestly hope I can stop having further thoughts about this whole situation at this point; it brings me no joy, even if I were in support of the winning side, since it won’t make a difference in where you are and where I am, and will probably anger those reading over your shoulder who will take a certain view of me that I would rather they not – that I am stupid and evil (well, I’ll accept an accusation of stupidity; let’s face it, no one should be wise in their own eyes, and those who are ought to be brought down a peg or two). As much as we would discuss the topic, that was meant to be a two-way street; speaking into the atmosphere of the interwebs is not the place for it. But it is what dominates that atmosphere in the moment, so I had to continue to address it.

For now, though, I need to get on with my day, honey. Take care of yourself, keep an eye on me, and wish me luck; I’m going to need it.