“The legacy media suddenly sound like Bernie Sanders,” read a January 13, 2025 online headline. Back in the day Bernie and I had our disagreements, I recalled, but his basic message always seemed correct. A week before Trump’s second inauguration, some so-called “thought leaders” were admitting it.
In 2016, I did think he had missed the opportunity to clearly separate his progressive populism from Trump’s right-wing variation. Perhaps he hoped to win over some of Trump’s supporters. Nevertheless, Bernie’s basic message was on target. And I remained hopeful that someday other political leaders would pick up the torch and succeed.
I regretted being negative about the near future. But I was seeing little evidence that either political party — or the mainstream media — would soon change. They were mostly captive to or owned by corporate elites or oligarchs, and most had already begun to normalize the brutal approach that Trump, his accomplices and enablers had sold to America. I wasn’t too surprised.
Here is a selection of the social media posts that followed during 2025. To read all the posts, click hyperlinked headlines for each part or go to Substack.
Part One: Trump Is the Disease
There are decades where nothing happens, and there are weeks where decades happen. As Leonard Cohen sang, “It′s coming from the sorrow in the street / The holy places where the races meet.”
Part Two: Sorrow in the Street
These days, I sometimes feel like a bummer when asked about politics or where the country is headed. Aside from the day-to-day outrages, there’s the overriding sense that we’ll be stuck in a minority-run country indefinitely.
In the foreseeable future, it is unlikely that the cultural and political differences between “blue” states and “red” America will be resolved. More likely, some divisions will become more pronounced. Whatever you call it, the current state of affairs looks unsustainable and calls for a response more serious, honest and liberating than future elections are apt to provide.
Absolute power can lead to irrational or tyrannical behaviors, regardless of the underlying mental health condition. But at this point we need to look straight at the problem and figure out how to handle it. Trump is increasingly delusional, but his team — who are fast becoming guardians, human shields and nannies — certainly won’t level with us.
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| Vermont Homeland Security graffiti: vandalism or false flag? |
The “peace president” is also a “war president.” In 1984 Orwell nailed the Trump doctrine: “War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength." We haven’t seen this level of doublespeak since Vietnam.
