Republicans are enthusiastically voting to make our country unsafe, under insured, uneducated, underpaid, underfed, uninformed, unable to vote. Why? Because at the end of the day they believe themselves immune from such misfortunes. Bad things only happen to those who deserve it. The heady, yet vague promise of “winning” overrides the creeping fear they will likely be thrown under the bus. Because Trump is one of us; he will protect his own. Such are the delusions of racists.

Why do people crave what will ultimately hurt them?

Followers of authoritarian leaders become averse to risk, similar to gambling addicts. They become cruel and hostile towards those “weak minded” others. They put their faith in the Charlatan, the con artist, because he promises them more than they know, deep down, is really possible, simply because they believe they are entitled to it.

Why are we letting one man destroy our nation, right before our eyes? Why did Germany let Hitler do it? Because he made it look like he was saving them. He told them exactly what they wanted to hear, that someone was going to take care of the whole mess. When entitled cultures struggle, they look to magic saviors for comfort and to fight for them.

As for everyone else? Cruelty and threats are directed toward those he and his followers perceive as “weak” or “misguided” or “other than us.” Dividing people into us and them becomes the only way of returning us to the “greatness” his followers feel they’ve lost, yet somehow deserve.

Like Hitler’s Germany, economic prosperity will be short lived because, as with Hitler, it was all just a shell game, moving resources around to make it look like he was doing something. Slapping Tariffs, building walls, pushing for draconian immigration policies, enacting huge increases in military spending, tearing up treaties, then negotiating the same agreements with his name on them provide the optics he needs to demonstrate his “strong” leadership. There is no problem he can create for which he doesn’t have the perfect solution. But there is no long view for success. Eliminating the “enemies of the people” is not a sustainable economic policy.

We must not let him destroy what millions have died to preserve. lmpeach or vote him out; the choice is yours.