Thanks, Obama: My Hopey, Changey White House Years

by David Litt

it’s worth noting: the party of Ronald Reagan died with Donald Trump. For years, Republicans like Paul Ryan pretended their voters cared about conservative ideology: tax cuts for rich people; widespread deregulation; manly chins. Trump exposed all that as nonsense. More than anything, he realized, the Republican base was motivated by a kind of equal-opportunity resentment. To the question, “Who’s screwing you over?” Trump’s answer was simple. Everyone. He attacked undocumented immigrants one minute, Wall Street bankers the next. He was buoyed by fears of global elites and racial minorities alike. And he guessed, correctly, that many Americans felt democracy was a luxury we could no longer afford. “I alone can fix it!” he announced in his convention speech. In the hall, the audience cheered. On our gray Martha Stewart Living couch, Jacqui and I stared at our TV in shock. “There’s no way voters will actually go for that, right?” I asked. “No,” Jacqui said. “No way.” But her voice lacked confidence.