Hot Air Rises
Let the orange balloon blow away, maybe?
This is not what it looks like. Much of the coverage of a certain high-profile US politician asks the question: “When will his supporters come to their senses?”
Explicitly, those exact words, in the magazine article I’ve just read, but versions of the same question appear everywhere: when will US voters realise that he’s not a person to support?
I’m not a US voter and I know nothing about US politics.
But I’ve watched the coverage and I’ve read the articles, and I know that the opposition to the man they call Donald J Trump focuses almost exclusively on his alleged wrongdoings, alleged incompetence in office, alleged et cetera. It’s all about him.
There was a film shown to — what? Congress, was it? — in which various people testified to their experiences of working with him, and now there are various legal cases, and that mugshot, and lots more of the same. Even the opposition to Donald J Trump points to Donald J Trump.
Is it about him, or about politics?
I wonder. Speaking of films, watch Brewster’s Millions (1985). I won’t overdo the spoilers, but Richard Pryor stands in an election with the message that voters should vote for “none of the above”. None of the candidates, himself included, are worth electing. So: none of the above.
As I say, I’m not a US voter and I know nothing about US politics.
I watch just as much coverage of the mess in the UK. People are still talking about Brexit, and Boris Johnson, and blah blah blah. But — yes, I do also see a lot about problems in the US, and frankly, it’s an avoidance strategy to think about those instead.
But this is a question for all of us, I suspect. What would be the point of campaigning against Brewster, if he’s the “We’re fed up with politics” candidate? What would be the outcome of focusing all the attention on the “We’re fed up with politics” option?
Unless, of course, everybody’s happy with politics as it is.
Here’s a question:
