Re-Elected is an Obsolete Term in a Climate of Political Illegitimacy

Charles Blow has it right, but Trump won't return to power through a legitimate electoral process

Comment on https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/19/opinion/trump-indictment.html

“Celebrity culture" is mentioned and rightfully culpable, along with the role of reality TV in the grooming of a cult of this scale. It’s worth noting that, although the The Apprentice first aired here in 2005, it’s somewhat ironic that there was a preponderance of those ‘writer-less’ situational voyeuristic snark-troll shows in the wake of the 2007 WGA strike.

Jonestown, Heaven's Gate etc...can't hold a candle to what's not only been made possible through psycho-social engineering but appears to have been successfully achieved by the actual deep state, the uber-state. The intransigence of MAGA members is truly remarkable, if not utterly hideous. No non-evangelical cult has recently approached its scope—this is truly body-snatcher-grade stuff we've witnessed.

The words "if Trump is re-elected" ring somewhat hyperbolic in light of that reality being a long shot via any legitimate Democratic process. At this point haven’t we all become increasingly inured to a certain elasticity of ‘electoral legitimacy’? MAGA's been coaxed to doubt everything/anything but their redeemer, and the rest of us have seen enough Democracy threatening measures— the thwarting/chilling of viable voter participation, district gerrymandering and other manipulative practices— that now most have doubts about there being sufficient constitutional guardrails in place to save us from off-the-rail procedural shenanigans. More than a few constitutional mainstays indeed invite malfeasance—the Electoral college system and Citizens United two mere examples, archaic and nascent respectively.

The affirmation of that new cultural/societal/political reality should replace all talk of "re-election" to terms such as "reinstall", "seize" and "return to power". That's how they think, and we should begin to think that way as well. Corp media like MSNBC, folks like Charles Blow and all rationally warned citizens should be tenaciously banging the drum of anti-Fascism until further notice. The time for it is now and all should be wary and activate.