by Jim McCarthy
Wokeness appears to have infiltrated or infected Republicans and conservatives following disappointment when the ballyhooed Red Wave failed to materialize in the midterms. Denial is the first stage of the grieving process toward acceptance of the passing of a loved one.
Trump Denial Simplex (TDS) is not a replacement for Trump Derangement Syndrome suffered, according to Trump apologists, by Democrats and progressives possessed by a virulent hatred or dislike for the President in Exile (PIE) and employed to stoke similar responses among their voters. Nor is the new TDS multi-faceted, as it consists at present of a single part, giving rise to the “simplex” designation. Anger is the second stage in the grieving process but evidence of that has not yet been identified.
During the term of the 45th POTUS and the interregnum of PIE, an unwritten first commandment operated: I am the Lord of the GOP and thou shall not have strange challengers or graven images before me. Now in the course of human emotions, grief encompasses a passing from this mortal coil but, unlike Caesar, the good is not always interred with the bones and those who once praised (or were silent) about the Lord of the GOP, seeking to bury him, may have leaned over their skis.
Bacon’s Rebellion published an article, “Trump’s Done, and It’s Patently Obvious” (11/10/2022), proclaiming PIE’s passing as a vital political being. Commenters chimed in with posts expressing a variety of opinions attesting to the doneness of PIE. A few paraphrased examples of the comments are redolent of the first stage of the TDS:
- While in office, his policies were very productive but his politics were destructive;
- He was bad but saved us from worse, Hillary Clinton;
- Democrats cannot thrive without him.
A second BR piece (also 11/10/2022) was less forthright in its farewell to PIE and his effect – or lack thereof – on the midterms, prominently featuring a conservative Republican delegate urging voters and the party to “move on” to pivot from Trump. And yet a third article published on the same date extolled the performance of GOP candidates in school board elections as “faring well” in the midterm-no-Red-Wave phenomenon. Trump Denial Simplex was in full bloom.
At the same time, none of these apostate expressions violating the first commandment of PIE referenced the legacies of his era. Oddly, none cited or enumerated the productive policies of the Trump presidency. That absence may relate to the present void of substance in the 2024 campaign preliminaries offered by the Speaker wannabe, Kevin McCarthy and a fear of resurrecting painful accomplishments like tax reductions for the wealthy. None praised the retention of four VA GOP Congressmen who voted to reject electoral votes on January 6th. No mention of the vaunted election integrity efforts in Virginia or elsewhere was noted — yet. As ballot counts continue, there may be life in the Big Steal myth from the TDS crowd.
In a pile-on, Virginians have been treated to yet another appeal to pivot away from PIE by LG Winsome Sears urging Trump to be a “leader” by acknowledging he is a liability. The multiple appeals from Virginians are as likely to be heard as those directed to the new governor to stay at home to work on indigenous issues. Youngkin has not listened, and PIE has no reason to do so.
If Trump decides to run for President, it will be impossible for Republicans to progress to the second stage of grief – anger. The BR articles are premature in burying PIE as some critics were disinclined to praise him. A decision by PIE to run in 2024 will surely encourage these newly woke Republicans and conservatives to reprise epithets about Trump Derangement Syndrome, permanently barring progress to the fifth stage of the grieving process – acceptance. Sadly, though, that will require reaffirmation of the first commandment of loyalty and a cure of the denial simplex.
But the loyalty of Virginia Republicans even to their own heroes like Youngkin is fire-tested. On Truth Social, PIE wrote (11/11/2022):
Young Kin (now that’s an interesting take. Sounds Chinese doesn’t it?) in Virginia could not have won without me. …or he couldn’t have come close to winning. But he knows that, and admits it.
It will be interesting to gauge any responses to the PIE.
Democrats, because they are woke, wish no ill to the opposition, offering only the sympathy customary in cases of physical and political disease while they continue to formulate remedial strategies and cures for the American public’s exposure to Trump. Repudiating Democrats will require surmounting the 7 million popular vote margin enjoyed by the current White House incumbent. Unable to succeed himself, Youngkin and allies will be looking hard at replicating his 66,000 popular vote margin following the 2024 Presidential.
Jim McCarthy, a former New York attorney, lives in Northern Virginia.
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