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Ulysses Grant, the commanding general of Union forces during the US Civil War, wrote about his experience leading troops into battle for the first time in that war. His story provides a useful reminder for those of us facing the coming Trump nightmare.
As Grant tells it, his troops were advancing up a hill, expecting to find a Confederate unit on the other side. He describes feeling more and more nervous as his troops approached the top of the hill, worrying about what would happen when his troops came under fire.
Then, when his force crested the hill … nothing. The Confederate forces had retreated. Their commander had apparently decided HIS troops could not withstand an attack from Grant’s men.
Reflecting many years later, Grant recalled that at that moment he realized his enemy had been as scared of him, as he had been of his enemy. Grant wrote that that had never occurred to him before … but that he never forgot it after.
People: Trump and his minions are not invincible. They are not ubermen who lack fears and doubts and weaknesses. They’re con men peddling lies. They will lose in the long fight. You just have to worry less about being scared of them, and more about making them scared of you.
So, as I watch coverage of the Trump cabinet nominees, and of the impending Trump demolition derby, I am struck at how reactive, how passive everything seems to be. Everyone seems to be reposting Trump tweets and noting the profound and serious competency deficiencies of Trump’s various nominees to lead various offices. Like during the campaign itself, much of the “opposition” to Trump seems of the “you can’t really support him now, can you?” vein.
People, this is a mistake. The people who like Trump LIKE his bowling ball disruptions of the social order. They WANT agency leaders bent on destroying the agencies they lead. This IS what they voted for. They’re getting what they want.
Worse, in retweeting Trump and passively reacting to his nominees we are collectively turning the initiative over to him. We are reboosting HIS message and merely begging his nominees to hurt us a bit less, or a bit more slowly. This is not a strategy for victory.
Forgive another Ulysses Grant story, but shortly after he was named overall commander of US forces during the Civil War, he shifted his headquarters from the Western armies (where Union forces had mostly won during the first three years of the war) to the Army of the Potomac, which was the army that kept losing over and over again to Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. A rivalry emerged between officers who came with Grant and those who had fought mostly in the East: the western officers thought the easterners just didn’t know how to win, while the easterners insisted the westerners had been fighting an inferior enemy. They hadn’t faced Lee, and so didn’t know what they were talking about.
The first time Lee and Grant fought, the eastern officers immediately began insisting that Grant was going to see just how good a general Lee was, and that Grant wouldn’t have an easy time in this fight. Grant finally got exasperated and told all the officers to shut up: it was their job to figure out how to beat Lee, not to wait to see how Lee was going to beat them.
It’s our job to beat Trump, not to hope he won’t beat us.
America is about to be that part in the lion king where where pride rock became all shitty bc Scar became king
have yet to see a better analogy
Are you implying Hilary Clinton’s daughter will assassinate Donald Trump because I’m okay with this
Actually, if we follow the narrative, I think it would be the Obama daughters. Which would be even MORE awesome.
Malia’s gonna fight Trump on the roof of the Whitehouse while it’s on fire.
Didn’t Scar get killed by the hyenas, who turned against him when he tried to throw blame at them while begging for his life?
The equivalent would be Trump cornered by both Obama sisters on the White House roof (yes, while it’s on fire, I can totally believe that Trump will somehow lead to the White House catching fire at some point) insisting that “we’re all friends against the Republican establishment, it’s their fault” and Sasha and Malia quote one of Trump’s tweets back at him to tell him to get the fuck out; Trump scurries away and runs right into Pence and Cruz.
“Our fault, is it, Donald?”
Alternatively, since Scar originally gained the support of the hyenas by promising them a better life with lots of food, Trump is clearly going to fall off the roof of the White House into the arms of the Republican base that voted for him because he promised them a better economy.
Okay but then who’s going to dress in drag and do the hula?
Trump’s inauguration musical lineup: DJ Ravidrums, 3 Doors Down, The Piano Guys, Tim Rushlow, Larry Stewart, Marty Roe, Toby Keith, Lee Greenwood, and Jackie Evancho.
Everybody:
No but seriously
otherwise known as: people will will always be remembered for this, and, for my part, never forgiven
I want to talk for a moment about the infamous Trump Happy New Year tweet. We’re all familiar with it. It went like this:
“Happy New Year to all, including to my many enemies and those who have fought me and lost so badly they just don’t know what to do. Love!”
The general reaction could best be summed up as, “What an asshole!” But I’m glad he tweeted this, because it really clarifies things. Trump views everyone who didn’t and/or doesn’t support him as a conquered enemy. This ought to put to rest any talk of Trump “uniting the country” or “giving him a chance.” In fact, you know what, Donald?
If you are going to treat me like a conquered enemy, then I have to assume I am now living in an occupied country. And that means that from me, you get:
* no benefit of the doubt
* no cooperation
* no respect
and
* no legitimacy.
That tweet frees us all from any remaining scruples any of us might have had about rejecting his legitimacy and authority. You can’t be someone’s “enemy” and be their president at the same time.
Thank you for putting into words what was skeeving me the fuck out about that tweet, in a manner more eloquent than the “dear non-faith-specific God, he sounds like a literal supervillain out of central casting” that was springing to mind.
