Twilight's Last Gleaming

As I write this, we are less than 21 hours until the Trump Regime takes over in Washington. As I posted on November 9, I fear that there will be dark and troubled times.

In recent weeks it has occurred to me that Lakewood is a preview of Trump's Administration. There are many parallels between Team Trump and Team Summers. So perhaps we shouldn't be too alarmed by Trump...We have already seen many of his tactics locally. As the Bible says, "There is nothing new under the Sun."

Here are some of the parallels I've noticed.

*Both Summers and Trump are members of the "Lucky Sperm Club," comprised of heirs that inherited the family business from their parents.

*Despite acquiring their wealth via family, both have convinced voters that they are "smart businessmen."
*Both ran campaigns touting themselves as "successful businessmen" running against "career politicians."

*Trump has feuded with the media, especially Meghan Kelly. Team Summers sued Jim O'Bryan in an effort to put the Observer out of business. They also pulled the Observer from City Hall until public outcry became too strong. Trump has pondered banning the media from the White House altogether. God help us after he is sworn in.

*Trump famously refuses to release his tax returns. Team Summers has fought release of information on the Hospital deal at every turn. There is much they still haven't released. Both Trump and Summers loathe transparency. (Rich guys don't like to be questioned.)

*Team Summers sent the police to harass a critic. Just wait until Trump gets control of the FBI.

*Both Summers and Trump love simple, empty slogans, such as "The Future of Health Care" and "Make America Great Again." This sloganeering is a byproduct of their expensive MBA educations.

*Both Trump and Summers have hijacked a political party for political expediency. Lifelong Republican Summers pretends to be a Democrat. Longtime Democrat Trump joined the GOP Circus. In both cases, officials of those parties cynically enabled these men. That's because many leaders in both parties are Corporatists -- big business rules...social issues are "just for show." Party leaders also crave power. Ryan and McConnell overcame their initial rejection and eventually embraced Trump. Marx, O'Leary, and Anderson did the same with Summers.

*Both offer no specifics on their big plans. We still don't know what Summers plans to do with the hospital site. Just like we have no idea who will pay for Trump's Wall, or what the GOP will use to replace the Affordable Care Act.

*Both are corporatists that place the importance of business over citizens. Team Summers advocated eminent domain abuse for Issue 47. Trump has personally benefitted from eminent domain abuse in his businesses.

*Both Trump and Summers are happy to divide the population for their own benefit. Team Summers has created Lakewood's Civil War, which dates back to Issue 47. Trump joyously divides the nation by race, religion, gender, etc.

I'm sure that many so-called "Lakewood Democrats" will take offense to this comparison. They will say "Summers is a nice guy, Donald is a pig!"

It's true that their styles are different. For example, Team Trump loves to be openly and loudly racist. Team Summers prefers softer "dog whistle bigotry" on issues such as pit bulls and basketball hoops. However, once you peel back the stylistic differences, there isn't that much difference between the two.

I hope I'm wrong, but I fear for our future.