Into the Woods

For those of us who have been saying for years that Trump is going to prison, this is no surprise. The wait has been miserable. But surely it’s safe to assume that the U.S. Department of Justice knows what it’s doing. And no doubt the DOJ has been particularly cautious and meticulous in a case like this one.

Obviously we’ll soon learn a lot from what comes out in court not only in this case but also in the other court cases that Trump is facing. But, just as important, we’re also about to learn a lot about the media and about the punditry.

Any media person who continues to push the notion that Trump will still somehow magically get away with everything, just to keep us anxious and angry, is a media person to whom we should pay no attention ever again. And any pundit who says that these indictments are a dark day for America is a pundit to whom we should never again pay attention. The Trump dark days are past. The dark days in American history were when Trump was in the White House. Today is a grand day in American history. One of the strongest blows ever for equal justice has been struck. We can cheer with our heads held high and with every meaningful principle on our side.

And yes, there also is schadenfreude. There, the principles are not our side. Still, I refuse to feel any guilt about taking pleasure in watching them pay for what Trump and the Republican Party have put us through. Now we can look on and laugh as the Republican Party, which brought this on itself, splits right down the middle. And the people who gloated about liberal tears and repeatedly said to us “fuck your feelings” will whine, vent their rage, and come up with new conspiracy theories. But their demoralization is inevitable now, and, politically, that’s where we want them.

I’ve been saving a bottle of champagne for this moment left over from a canceled celebration after the horrible election of November 8, 2016. It’s too late tonight to pop a cork and properly celebrate. So I think I’ll save the champagne for next Tuesday, after Trump appears in court.