These have been dark years for America. A very personal yet social alienation and hatred has attached itself to a large percentage of the body politic, both on the right and the left. While America had witnessed an increasing lack of political civility during the Obama years because of the intransigence of Republicans, with the nomination and election of Donald Trump the situation has morphed into a deep dysfunction which threatens our democracy.
Trump is the very essence of darkness. Many have called him a person with Narcissistic Personality Disorder, but it is much worse than that. Not only does he have a lack of empathy, no genuine interest in others, and exploits people. Not only does he have pathological personality traits such as grandiosity, arrogance, and haughtiness. Not only does he require constant admiration and loyalty. He is the master of hatred; of appealing to the basest instincts of people; of leading people away from their humanity. He foments division and violence for his own personal gain. Nothing that he does is in the public interest; it is all about him.
And as has happened in other countries in the past, people are attracted to this larger than life personality, to his grandiosity, to his smashing of political and social conventions. This happened in Europe in the 20s and 30s when countries were hit by the aftermath of WWI; economies and people were down. And although the economy may be booming here, at least in terms of the stock market and corporate profits, the middle class, the majority of Americans, has been hurting for decades and they feel, rightly so, ignored. America is full of forgotten people. And so they are ripe for Trump’s manipulation.
What makes this national experience even worse is that this hatred from the right has brought forth a corresponding hatred from the left, or as they are called now, progressives. And so we have two warring tribes in America. Even within the Democratic Party, the warring tribe of progressives threatens to sink any nominee who does not reflect its positions.
It is a spiritual truth that only a force of light can defeat darkness. If one looked at the Democratic debate before the New Hampshire primary and the recent debate in South Carolina, while there were no forces of darkness there (contrary to many Republican pundits, Senator Sanders is not the left’s Trump; he may be very angry but he is not darkness), most of the candidates were filled to a greater or lesser extent with this reactive hatred or hostility to the Republican right.
There is only one existing candidate who has consistently been a source of light. Who is a voice of reason, of unity. Who while passionate does not let his emotions get the better of him. Who has the political and philosophical desire and wherewithal to lower the rhetoric and heal America. To find that commonality that Americans used to feel, even if of a different mind. To save us from a self-inflicted destruction.
That one source of light is Pete Buttigieg. He may not be the perfect candidate. He does not have a stirring voice. He is young and lacks a certain gravitas. And yet out of all the candidates, he is the right person for this time. And I think that with more exposure, he will only get more effective and people across a broad political spectrum will be attracted to his message. The numbers aren’t there now, but he can beat Trump.
