This commentary is by Bob Stannard of Manchester, an author, musician and former state legislator and lobbyist.
The year is 2031. The folks in charge are contemplating what happened to America.
America #1
“Well, we did it. The disinformation campaign promoted by the late Donald Trump, Russia, that crazy group QAnon and Fox News sure did pay off. We were able to push through the most restrictive voting laws in history thanks to the ‘Big Lie.’ What a hoot. And thanks to Kochs and other big-money folks, we were able to take over state legislatures and local officials. We own them all and as it turned out that’s where the real battle was.”
“Yeah, it was amazing to watch unfold. The truly incredible thing was that we were able to do it right out in the open. Once the ‘Big Lie’ got legs, there was no stopping us. Oh, for sure, we had some setbacks. Those bozos at Cyber Ninja really blew it. Instead of helping the cause, those fools determined that Biden actually got more votes. Of course, that failed effort didn’t matter in the least. By that time we had things pretty well wrapped up. Once we owned the system and those who ran it, the rest was open sailing with the wind at our backs.
“And oh, what a gift that virus was! We were able to convince people that the lady rapper, what was her name? Manage? No Minaj, that was it, that she was right and that hundreds, if not thousands, of doctors and scientists were all wrong. Brilliant. It was such fun to see how the people would gravitate toward lies and condemn the truth.”
“Actually, it wasn’t all that amazing, was it? People would rather believe in lies like those told by that former, late president than the truth. If you don’t think so, just look at those insane tabloids that are still for sale today at the checkout counters in every grocery store in this country. They push all kinds of fake stories and lies, but they still probably sell more papers than the former Washington Post and New York Times combined!”
“You’re probably right. Boy, am I glad that we were able to tank those two papers, right along with CNN and MSNBC. They were really coming on strong there for a while, but the billions of dollars we ‘invested’ paid off dividends. This effort is now a lot easier with them out of the way. We now own this country.”
America #2.
The year is 2031. The folks in charge are contemplating what happened in America.
“It’s still mind-blowing to recall what happened only a decade ago, isn’t it? We, the majority of voters in this country, were able to wrestle our democracy out of the hands of the American oligarchy who were working overtime to transform this country into an authoritarian, fascist state.
“It’s terrifying to look back and see how close they came to succeeding. They did everything they could to dispel the Jan. 6 insurrection, but thanks to America’s free press, the truth finally did come out. Of course, they only told us what we already knew, which was that the late Donald Trump and his minions had orchestrated the event. They had big money from big donors who Trump famously said, ‘I just made you guys a whole lot richer,’ or something like that. That tax cut gave them billions, and they were happy to return the favor by giving back a few million to their traitorous cause.”
“For sure, and I thought we were goners after he was able to stack the Supreme Court and filled federal courts with some of the least incompetent judges in history. It’s hard to believe that we were actually able to get this country back on track.”
“It did look hopeless, didn’t it? The grassroots campaign by average Americans that put enormous pressure on those two senators — I can’t remember their names right off, but Lordy they were a pain in the you-know-where — paid off.”
“Right, I seem to recall that this was when things really started to turn around for us. Once those two made the calculated decision that it was better to represent their constituents versus their rich donors, things changed. It was like the kid who set up 10,000 dominoes and then tipped over the one on the end. The collapse of the other side was poetry to watch. The fascists, the white supremacists, the racists and the radical right were simply outnumbered. Once the masses decided that nothing was ever going to stop them from voting, and making damn sure that their vote counted, that’s when it all began to come around.”
“Indeed, it was something to behold. Breathtaking actually. People decided it was time to come together and fight for our democracy and a government that truly was ‘of the people, by the people and for the people’ and that made all the difference.”
•••••
The above futuristic conversation is, of course, fiction. Or is it? Which outcome for America would you prefer?
