CASH MICHAELS
THE GHOSTS OF H. L. MENCKEN AND DR. KING
by Cash Michaels
WOW! 2025 has literally started out with a bang!
There was the domestic terrorist attack in New Orleans; the long goodbye for former President Jimmy Carter; the increasingly tragic L. A. fires; and here at home, Republicans trying to steal a judicial election by challenging 60,000 votes after they’ve already been cast.
A virtual potpourri of topics for me to make commentary on, when out of the blue, my lovely wife (who tries mightily to keep me in line) sent me this juicy passage from the great conservative satirist H. L. Mencken of The Baltimore Sun:
“As democracy is perfected, the office of the President represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day, the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last, and the White House will be occupied by a downright fool and complete narcissistic moron.”
From the pen of H. L. Mencken on July 26, 1920.
Was this guy prescient or what?
To be fair, from what I’ve read about Mencken, he had little regard for democracy, was an elitist (some say racist), and opposed organized religion, among other things.
He’s considered a literary scholar known for The American Language, a multi-volume study of how the English language is spoken in the United States.
Mencken died the same year I was born - 1956. Can’t say we have a lot in common, again from what I’ve read about him, but boy that passage sent shivers down my spine because it so accurately describes the total mess we’re in as of 12 noon next Monday, January 20th with the inauguration of you-know-who.
From everything we’re hearing, President Convicted Felon has about 100 Executive Orders ready at the wait to unleash upon the land on Day One, and Lord knows what else. But make no mistake, this is incredibly his second bite at the apple, thanks to, as Mencken called them, the “plain folks of the land” reaching their “heart’s desire.”
Never thought of MAGA people as “the plain folks of the land” before, but Mencken got me thinking.
And wouldn’t you know it…just as I’m trying to figure out how to crack wise about the fact that we’re about to inaugurate “a downright fool and complete narcissistic moron” to be our 47th president, former federal prosecutor Jack Smith’s damning report on the alleged criminal activities surrounding you-know-who’s attempt to steal the 2020 election is released to the public.
Now much of that report we already knew in broad strokes, but Smith, who resigned from the Justice Department before its release, gives us the blow-by-blow in amazing detail of you-know-who’s brazen treachery and bottom-feeding attempt to effectively overthrow the U.S. government, and the will of the people with fake electors from the states, in addition to inciting the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 that saw 140 police officers injured, costing five of them their lives.
And yet next Monday on January 20th, we’re going to throw this “downright fool and complete narcissistic moron” a “welcome home” party back into office. Say what you want about former First Lady Michelle Obama, homegirl knows what social occasions to skip.
The only thing that saved you-know-who from a big federal trial and at least four more likely felony convictions to add to his name was his winning the 2024 election, Smith surmised. So no question, "the plain folks of the land " saved his bacon.
Boy, if only H.L. Mencken were here to see this! Half the country is very proud, and the other half, lined up behind Michelle and me, is disgusted and sickened to our stomachs.
Now what gets me is as of January 20th next Monday, there theoretically is no law any of us have to respect, let alone obey, unless you-know-who says so. Seriously. He’s already shown a clear disrespect for our established way of government by appointing a cavalcade of unqualified buffoons to head up various important federal government agencies, like Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth, who not only wants to rid the military of women and DEI, but also wants confederate names returned to military bases specifically to honor slave owners (Hail to Braxton Bragg!)
So you-know-who has those 100 or so Executive Orders at the ready, as well as control of both houses of Congress, not to mention now complete and utter ownership of the federal judiciary, including the Supreme Court, for decades to come.
Indeed, Congressional Republicans have already begun moving to preserve Trump's tax cuts for the rich by cutting the social safety net that the poor, sick and elderly of this country desperately cling to to survive.
And, as I’m sure you’ve been following, now the Republican Party, NCGOP and specifically NC Appellate Court Judge Jefferson Griffin, see this as the perfect opportunity to attempt to steal a state Supreme Court election and the Democratic seat that goes with it. I mean why not? You’ve got a Republican-majority NC Supreme Court that will more than likely aid and abet in what amounts to a crime against democracy few people beyond Democrats, editorial writers and commentators like myself, seem to care about.
As of Monday, January 20th, the day that our nation coincidentally formally celebrates the life, legacy and birthday of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the rules change. Hell, our quaint expectations of a society built on the values of our forefathers and foremothers are literally at the mercy of you-know-who from this point on.
And after him, his chosen successor, J.D. Vance. Or so goes the plan.
These are men who aren’t just satisfied with taking part in the government; they aren’t satisfied until they actually take government apart.
No wrong they do will be wrong. No crime they commit will be criminal. They do not feel compelled to abide by any law they themselves did not devise to become the beneficiary of.
On Monday, January 20th with the inauguration of Donald J. Trump as our 47th president, you can kiss our democracy goodbye, my fellow non-MAGA citizens, and we have the "plain folks of the land" to thank for it.
If some of us have a “good” economy after that, it will only be because he says so.
If some of us have any basic human “rights” at all, again, it will be only because he says so.
I remember reading something that singer Harry Belafonte, a close friend of Dr. King, once recalled.
They were together one day, and Dr. King seemed to be a bit troubled and preoccupied. Belafonte asked his friend, “What’s wrong?”
King replied, “I’ve come upon something that disturbs me deeply. We have fought hard and long for integration, as I believe we should have, and I know we will win, but I have come to believe that we are integrating into a burning house.”
“I’m afraid that America has lost the moral vision she may have had,… and I fear I am integrating my people into a burning house.”
It wasn’t long after that, that Dr. King was assassinated in 1968.
On Monday, January 20th, Dr. King's worst nightmare comes true. We will ALL reside in the "burning house."
It’s no secret that ever since the success of the 60’s Civil Rights movement, conservatives have been plotting and planning the dismantling of the societal tenets of decency and democracy King and others fought and died for.
It’s that conservative countermovement that the roots of the MAGA movement comes from, evolving into what we have today.
Quite naturally, “the plain folks of the land,” as Mencken called them, will bitterly defend the fact that they’ve elected the “downright fool and complete narcissistic moron” to the office of president, proclaiming that he’s what we’ve needed the whole time.
White conservative Christians are salivating at the thought that one day, they will be this country’s unchallenged religious ruling class. White supremacists are clearing the path for the unfettered power they’ll now have at all levels of government, thanks to the new president.
And powerful imperialists can’t believe their good fortune that now, they have one of their own at the helm who is actually talking about conquering other nation-states out loud, very much putting the use of military force on the table to get the job done.
Oh, this goes much, much further than just deporting a couple of million illegal immigrants out of the country, folks. The plans of the incoming president are much, much bigger than that.
And what you and I are doing right now - me using my so-called "freedom of speech" to share my opinion and insight about what I unfortunately see on the horizon of this great nation; and you, sitting there, reading it in the safety and sanctity of your home, office or library, will become a problem in the new world we’re about to enter into, if not under you-know-who, then definitely under Vance or one of the many other power hungry acolytes who will be empowered to threaten the freedoms we clearly have taken for granted today.
You think I’m joking. I’ve never been more serious, simply because it is clearer to me now more than ever before - the majority of Americans aren’t interested in decency or democracy that’s reinforced by the rule of law.
In re-electing Donald Trump to be inaugurated next Monday, January 20th, the majority of Americans have proven to me that just as long as they are assured of getting what they ultimately want, they don’t mind setting fire to the young nation that’s still growing and still learning how to be a place where democracy and the rule of law exist.
What's my evidence? Exhibit #1 - the insurrection of January 6th.
Want more? If it pleases the court, here's Exhibit #2 - Historically, a lot of conservatives have always believed that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 "... represented an unprecedented intrusion by the state into the daily lives of Americans." They’ve always coveted the right to discriminate against whomever they choose, regardless of what the law says.
That's "plain folks" Make America Great Again (meaning before the 1964 Civil Rights Act) to the bone!
You see, what H. L. Mencken wrote in July 1920 was dead right. “As democracy is perfected, the office of the President represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people.”
TRANSLATION - we’ve reached the point where our democracy has allowed the majority of us to no longer care about “we the people,” but rather “me” the person. “If I can’t have what I want, the way I want it and when,” the MAGA side of us demands, “then dammit, I’ll either burn this muther down myself, or elect someone who will do it for me.”
That’s where you-know-who comes in.
How did Mencken put it….
As democracy is perfected, the office of the President represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people.”
You mean the "inner soul" of MAGA.
“On some great and glorious day, the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last, and the White House will be occupied by a downright fool and complete narcissistic moron.”
That last part Mencken wrote makes me believe he’s saying in a nutshell that if you give enough crazy folks the power to change the country, they will, and not for the better. And that will be reflected in their elected leadership. Remember, a lot of people who don't normally vote, voted for you-know-who in 2024.
A lot of "plain folks," who voted for a convicted criminal billionaire because he spoke to their "inner soul" and "heart's desire."
Just because a group of people are in the majority doesn’t make them right. Especially a group of people who have been blatantly lied to, and deceived and blinded so frequently with hate and racism, they no longer trust the truth when they see it, and vote accordingly.
And what they’ll ultimately get, is what we’re about to have again next Monday - someone who has proven to have no respect for our values as Americans, no respect for them, and no respect for democracy, because he has no respect for the rule of law... the one slim thread that has always held our democracy together, and Dr. King always counted on.
Trump only has respect for power, and how much of it he and his kind can marshal!
That’s why he’s now talking about remaking the country in ways we've never imagined.
That’s why he boo-hoo’ed like a baby when he lost his second election, and broke every law in the book trying to steal it back.
And that’s why he’s so fond of the dictatorial strongmen of other nations, and once declared to supporters last July that "you won't have to vote anymore" if he won.
What was it that Pres. Joe Biden warned all of us about as he delivered his final address to the nation Wednesday night?
"Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead," Biden warned, later adding that there are "dangerous consequences if this... dangerous concentration of power in the hands of a few ultra-wealthy people is left unchecked."
And who got us here? Those "plain folks of the land" who are going to be just as screwed
as the rest of us when they finally realize what great damage they've done to the country.
But don't worry, my GOD up in Heaven tells me.
Because starting now, and certainly on Monday, January 20th and beyond, the true and abiding Democratic spirit of America will return from the ashes, and, as Dr. King encouraged us during his final speech to the nation, “Let us rise up tonight with a greater readiness. Let us stand with a greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge, to make America what it ought to be.”
H. L. Mencken was more right than he’ll ever know.
But I pray, for the future of our country, that Dr. King will be.
-30-
