 |  |  |
First off, I hope to fucking-God this is the last political blog I write for a very long time. Over the past six months there have been many topics I've wanted to explore, including North Korea, American Horror Story & Walking Dead, private space travel, Cermak's disgusting meat department ... and watching Barbara Streisand morph into Joan Rivers, while trying to look 30 at 90. Though I have strong political opinions, I'm not a political blogger; the fact that politics have commandeered this forum's past six months shows just how much this election has intruded into my life - and the lives of those around me. From news headlines to SNL skits, from interactions with coworkers to conversations with friends, the election has loomed over every aspect of life like Godzilla looms over Tokyo - or karma looms over the Clinton campaign. Seriously, it's been exhausting. And as a lone Trump supporter fighting the thousands within the C.A.G.H.B.C. (Chicago-Area-Gay-Hillary-Borg-Collective), I'm a bit more shell shocked than most. Resistance is NOT futile. I will NOT assimilate...
It's hard to discuss specific election issues in a monthly blog because topics change quickly, often several times in a daily news cycle. What I can say is that this has been a horrible month to be a Trump-supporter, not with the candidate himself, but with the assault he's/we've taken in the media. With the exception of FoxNews and conservative talk radio, every single news channel, paper, and news magazine has launched an all-out WAR against him, 24/7. They've dropped all premise of being objective, manufacturing news rather than reporting it . Granted, Trump's given the media some cringe-worthy sound bites, and I do agree with calling him to task with issues like his tax returns - and love of Pussy Riot's music. But it's still blatant censorship for CNN and the rest of the gang to flat-out refuse to report far worse news about Clinton, especially when daily Wikileaks dumps reveal corruption on a scale of the Kim regime. No wonder Obama pressured Ecuador into cutting off Julian Assange's internet. I hope Matt Drudge has Wikileaks' same contingency plan.
It's hard to discuss specific election issues in a monthly blog because topics change quickly, often several times in a daily news cycle. What I can say is that this has been a horrible month to be a Trump-supporter, not with the candidate himself, but with the assault he's/we've taken in the media. With the exception of FoxNews and conservative talk radio, every single news channel, paper, and news magazine has launched an all-out WAR against him, 24/7. They've dropped all premise of being objective, manufacturing news rather than reporting it . Granted, Trump's given the media some cringe-worthy sound bites, and I do agree with calling him to task with issues like his tax returns - and love of Pussy Riot's music. But it's still blatant censorship for CNN and the rest of the gang to flat-out refuse to report far worse news about Clinton, especially when daily Wikileaks dumps reveal corruption on a scale of the Kim regime. No wonder Obama pressured Ecuador into cutting off Julian Assange's internet. I hope Matt Drudge has Wikileaks' same contingency plan.
Yesterday I was watching live coverage from Trump's new hotel in Washington DC. Apparently he just opened it. It's a top-to-bottom renovation of the old post office on Pennsylvania Avenue, originally built in 1899. The story caught my attention because it hit on three of my favorite things: historic buildings, big hotels, and the candidacy of Donald Trump. Though Ivanka's head movements were a bit distracting (she looked like she was watching tennis), I loved how she talked about restoration things like preserving doors, crown moldings, and a century-old-exterior ... all while taking something old & broken and creating something new & functional. (What a great metaphor for a potential Trump presidency!) The "big picture" was obvious - Trump can fix things - and in his brief message following his daughter, the Donald described how rehabs are much harder than building something from scratch (because you have to address existing structural problems, in order to preserve the integrity of the building. Again, the metaphor!). Though not a campaign rally, this was a glimpse of Trump at his best. He was smart, honest, and humble in the sense that he didn't overshadow his daughter, though he did take a few liberties at the end. He was ... presidential.
But going back to my original point, this past month has reeeeeeeally sucked to be a Republican. Every news story, every current events magazine cover, every top-of-the-hour radio blurb, and every FaceBook headline has attacked Trump in a coordinated effort, growing nastier the closer we get to November. I've discussed this issue in my last few blogs, and the censorship it imposes on a large segment of our society. We twist ourselves into knots to accommodate every crazy-assed vegan-transgender-furry, but we censor any level-headed voice that dares suggest something traditional.
... And as a gay man living in the burbs, I happen to like traditional. I like my traditional house, traditional job in a bookstore, and I respect those with traditional values - values that for better or worse have built our modern country. But just because I "respect" traditional values doesn't mean I embrace every last one of them. For example, I still think my Catholic neighborhood is trying too hard to be a Norman Rockwell painting. I also think that despite the fact that Hispanic culture eats every part of the horse, the meat department in Cermak - our local Hispanic grocery store - looks like the set of a Saw movie. And I really think that the gays in C.A.G.H.B.C (see above) are hypocrites for not respecting my (or other's) support for Donald Trump ... especially when homosexuals have fought for decades to get the same respect as straight people. It doesn't make sense. We're all so much smarter than that. And after embracing Obama's flaccidity for the past eight years, it's time to embrace a more traditional administration ... and a President who likes to do traditional things like pay off debt, stimulate job growth, keep illegals from voting in our elections, and tell fringe special interest groups that they can't all have their own bathrooms.
At least the end is finally near.
... And as a gay man living in the burbs, I happen to like traditional. I like my traditional house, traditional job in a bookstore, and I respect those with traditional values - values that for better or worse have built our modern country. But just because I "respect" traditional values doesn't mean I embrace every last one of them. For example, I still think my Catholic neighborhood is trying too hard to be a Norman Rockwell painting. I also think that despite the fact that Hispanic culture eats every part of the horse, the meat department in Cermak - our local Hispanic grocery store - looks like the set of a Saw movie. And I really think that the gays in C.A.G.H.B.C (see above) are hypocrites for not respecting my (or other's) support for Donald Trump ... especially when homosexuals have fought for decades to get the same respect as straight people. It doesn't make sense. We're all so much smarter than that. And after embracing Obama's flaccidity for the past eight years, it's time to embrace a more traditional administration ... and a President who likes to do traditional things like pay off debt, stimulate job growth, keep illegals from voting in our elections, and tell fringe special interest groups that they can't all have their own bathrooms.
At least the end is finally near.