Readers: this blog is set in the future (sometime after the year 2020).  Each entry assumes there has been a 5th revolution in the US — the Revenge Revolution.  More about the Revenge Revolution and author, Entry #1.  List and general description of entries to date.  

Note: most entries are formatted as conversations.  Characters appear in a number of entries, with many entries building on previous conversations.  Profile of characters.  You’ll catch on quickly.  Thanks for your time and interest…and comments.

Scene: Coffee shop near Jordan’s office, Washington, DC

Matt:  “Jordan, thanks for taking time to meet.  Gelly said you were busy trying to catch up after taking last week off.”

Jordan:  “Yeah, I needed a break from Washington.  What’s up?”

Matt:  “I’m writing another chapter in the book about the Revenge Revolution.  The focus is how normal citizens began to take back control of the government.”

Jordan:  “Take back control before or after the Revenge Revolution?”

Matt:  “They clearly regained control after.  What I’m trying to explain is actions by citizens that may have accelerated the Revenge Revolution.”

Jordan:  “That’s interesting.  So your premise, if I can call it such, is that actions of ordinary citizens might have accelerated the Revenge Revolution.  How will you support the idea?”

Matt:  “I picked a timeframe to review and measure actions.  To help establish a baseline, I looked back at the media reports, print articles – newspapers and web, radio and broadcast for what I thought were three key periods – (i) first 6-12 months of the first Obama Administration; (ii) first 6-12 months following Obama’s re-election and (iii) early part of the Trump Administration.”

Jordan:  “So, what, if anything, stood out?”

Matt:  “At the beginning of the Obama Administration there was lots of frustration with Congress.  Really frustration with Congress and the Executive branch.  Despite the frustration, the discourse was reasonably civil.”

Jordan:  “But weren’t there were some fairly public hate groups?   Seems like a lot of guys were vocal about not wanting a black president.”

Matt:  “For sure hate groups were there.  And some were vocal.  But, aside from some websites, there wasn’t a major public platform for them.”

Jordan:  “C’mon, Matt.  You don’t think Fox News was an outlet for these guys?”

Matt:  “Not as much as you might think…at least at the beginning of Obama’s presidency.  Until I did the research, I’d forgotten how much farther right and more outlandish O’Reilly’s and Hannity’s commentaries became each year Obama was in office.”

Jordan:  “Least we not forget commentaries from the paragon of truth and objectivity, Rushman.”

Matt:  “For those three guys and a few others it was a race to see who could stretch the truth the most.”

Jordan:  “Despite Larry, Moe and Curly, I mean O’Reilly, Hannity and Rushman, the Republican presidential candidates seemed to keep a reasonable lid on things.  McCain and Romney were both professional, save a few slips here and there.  Palin was another story…she’s still looking for Russia or some polar bear.”

Matt:  “Then post Romney, the Republican party starts to fracture and in walks Trump.”

Jordan:  “You know, if you look back at Trump’s remarks in the late 1990’s and even up to pre-Obama, he was much more mainstream…even rational.”

Matt:  “Who knows what started eating at his brain.  Whatever it was he became more and more outrageous with his remarks.  But more importantly…”

Jordan:  “…more importantly Trump provided a public platform for the fringe groups.”

Matt:  “Then he got elected.  Well, elected by a majority of the Electoral College.  OK, elected.”

Jordan:  “Then what?”

Matt:  “You know what.  The king kept throwing red meat to fringe-group supporters in order to feed his fragile ego.”

Jordan:  “Here’s an issue for you to explore.  As he became more and more deranged, why did mainstream Republicans get lockjaw?  Why didn’t Republicans in Congress publically try to stop him?”

Matt:  “Apparently no kahunas and focus on themselves rather than constituents.  Other than a few equally delusional rabid-right House members, everyone else knew his behavior was bad for the country.”

Jordan:  “So why did Republican House reps and most Republican senators do nothing of substance.  Why?”

Matt:  “Fear of losing a re-election I suppose.”

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Jordan:  “Ironically, that’s exactly what happened.  Voters said, ‘Throw the bums out.’”

Matt:  “And that takes us to 2018.  Based on my analysis, the 2018 election was a pivot point when people began taking back control.  Not a complete control but a start.”

Jordan:  “Do you think the 2018 election laid the groundwork for the Revenge Revolution.”

Matt:  “Pivot point, yes.  But the causes of the Revenge Revolution started to build years earlier.”

Jordan:  “What about all the Republican Trump supporters that were voted out of office in 2018?”

Matt:  “Jordan, you and I both know that the party of the president historically has lost seats in mid-term elections.  Not as many as 2018 but Republicans losing seats was not unexpected.”

Jordan:  “You don’t think anything changed politically in 2018?”

Matt:  “To me the real change in 2018 was more and more individuals began to take action to make change in society.”

Jordan:  “When you mentioned individuals taking action, I recall an editorial written by the rabbi emeritus at our temple.  The content was personal but also laid out a call to action.  Hard to ignore.”

Matt:  “Tell me more.”

Jordan:  “Part of her father’s family was lost in the Holocaust.  One of her points was we…citizen we…need to recognize that such events could occur in the US if we don’t stop hate groups.”

Matt:  “Was she OK with free speech?”

Jordan:  “Free speech was not an issue.  But there’s a distinct difference between free speech and actions taken by hate groups to thwart rights of others.  Free speech and oppressive actions are clearly different and should not be confused.”

Matt:  “The editorial reminds of something else I need to explore.”

Jordan:  “That is?”

Matt:  “Evangelicals.  Why did do many support Trump?  Obviously, not all evangelicals supported Trump but a very high percentage did…even after he’d been in office for 6-7 months.  For evangelicals, all of Trump’s unethical behavior before the election which continued after the election…yet they continued to support him.”

Jordan:  “What’s even stranger to me is the percentage of Jews that continued to support him.  Granted the absolute numbers were not high but what were they thinking?”

Matt:  “Any ideas on why seemingly religious people would continue to support Trump, whose behavior was so contrary to their beliefs?”

Jordan:  “No logical reason.  I think the fundamentalists forgot their scripture.  Someplace in Torah…probably Leviticus but I’m not sure…there’s a section that talks about when leaders are humble and admit mistakes, the populous will also be more humble and caring.”

Matt:  “And what happens to the populous if leaders deny mistakes?”

Jordan:  “People will begin acting the same way as their leader.”

Matt:  “And we know Trump never, ever admitted a mistake.”

(Continued)