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| It's darkest before the dawn? Perhaps. But sometimes it's just pitch dark. |
As an American of Italian descent, then as one with dual Italian citizenship, it was difficult to bear the election and re-elections of Silvio Berlusconi. To people around the world--and not least of all to people in the United States--this was often used as evidence that Italy was nothing more than a worn-out, corrupt old joke. Only a hopelessly rotten nation, such people said scornfully, a nation with neither any intelligence nor conscience, a hollow desperate nation in which puffed-up vanity had displaced any trace of dignity, could allow itself to be ruled by such a blatantly perfidious, debauched, ignorant, misogynistic, racist gas bag: a painful joke on the world stage, a disaster at home.
And now America--the self-professed "beacon" of the world--has outdone Italy....
Senza parole.
Is there a chance he might surprise us all? The victory speech this morning was so different from anything we had heard before.
ReplyDeleteHis abhorrent behavior as a person & a businessman are well-documented, Rosalind, his behavior & rhetoric & policy proposals during the campaign were reprehensible, and none of the policy proposals of the official Republican platform are any more promising. The president-elect of the US is due in court to face fraud charges on Nov 28, etc etc etc. And here is one of his first decisions: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/trump-picks-top-climate-skeptic-to-lead-epa-transition/
ReplyDeleteSo, no, I do not foresee a lifelong psychopath who has surrounded himself with people as loathsome as himself (Bannon, Giulianni, Gingrich et al) as likely to become another person as the age of 70.
Amen ~~~
DeleteWe can only hope for impeachment, I guess. Many of us in the US are in mourning. We were traveling in Italy last week, and one shuttle driver said the same as you: that when Berlusconi was in power people thought less of Italy. Now I know what he meant, as I now think less of my own country for having elected Trump.
ReplyDeleteWith a legislative branch controlled by the Republicans one can't even hope for that. For 15 years Americans have been willing to accept the unacceptable: war crimes and financial crimes for which no one was ever even charged, much less jailed, and a political and electoral system entirely corrupted by money and dirty tricks. Obama, in spite of any shortcomings or mistakes one might want to bring up, put a dignified face on all this for the last 8 years. There can be no illusions about the grotesque con man just elected--at least for people of other countries.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I love Italy, I've always shaken my head at the election and reelection of Berlusconi, praying, praying that it could never happen in America (I'm jaded enough to not have been sure that it couldn't happen here). So, we one-upped Italy - *that* was a surprise. 'The Simpsons' got it right 15 years ago, but even they couldn't have seen how bad it would be: http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2015/07/28/the_simpons_trump_prediction_cartoon_predicted_president_trump_would_lead.html. Enjoy La Serenissima.
DeleteThe disgust and shock hasn't faded one bit for me, Chapps; every time I see an image of the Predator-in-Chief I still can't believe it. And, yes, now that it's no longer just a gag on The Simpsons it's not at all funny.
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