The subterranean Trumpsick blues

I came to a realization over the Easter weekend: I’ve spent the better part of the last three years thinking about Donald Trump, writing about Donald Trump and saying mean things about Donald Trump, but I may have finally reached a saturation point. At the very least, I need a break.
           
Because Netflix is keenly aware that wannabe political analysts and jaded young liberal arts graduates with no better way to spend their time—i.e. me—will waste hours of their lives watching anything that bears the name “Trump,” they’ve devised the genius strategy of pumping out a new documentary on our president every month or so. I can attest that it’s worked so far, but something changed as I finished “Trump: An American Dream” on Sunday afternoon.
           
I learned nothing that I didn’t already know. The Donald grew up in New York City as the son of a moderately wealthy real estate developer, constantly sought to make his father proud, rose to prominence at a time that the Big Apple seemed to be on the verge of collapse, became one of the richest and most famous men in the world in the 1980’s, bet big on Atlantic City and lost it all in the 90’s, repeatedly flirted with forays into national politics, rebranded himself on “The Apprentice,” and at long last took the presidential plunge upon discovering Twitter and floating the Obama birther conspiracy.
           
The only takeaway I could glean was that I actually enjoyed early Trump: he was smart, funny and engaging, and he used the media to promote himself like no one before or after ever has or will. When the press turned against him, however, a darker, more spiteful side emerged, and it gave way to the bitterness and resentment that cultivated a nationalist movement of which Trump would become the figurehead.
           
I digress. Is there any sense in waiting with baited breath for every political controversy that emerges and taking to social media instantly to make sure my irrelevant opinion is heard? Aren’t there more important things to worry about, like what I’m going to eat for supper or whether this next April snowstorm is going to force me out of Iowa once and for all? Is this what it feels like to grow up?
           
Politics is important, and it’s an addiction I’ll never fully shake. But sometimes, our fixations and fascinations warrant a step back and an honest reflection on whether or not we’re achieving our goals or simply annoying everyone around us. In my own life, I’ve done plenty of the latter. It comes with the territory, I suppose, and if I wanted everyone to like me, I should’ve opened an ice cream joint or learned how to build jet skis.
           
For now, I’ve got other concerns: a family at home, a stack of western and historical novels I should be reading, a grill I’d like to fire up if the weather ever cooperates, a lawn I should probably mow in the near future, a reckoning with the fact that I’ll enter my late 20’s in 23 days (and although it includes some of my musical heroes, I’m planning to avoid joining the 27 club), a house I should probably be tidying up (I hate cleaning) and a whole host of agenda items that have nothing to do with the guy in the White House.
 

So, thank you, Netflix, for reminding me of what’s important in life. Now try to wait more than a month before you tempt me with another Trump documentary.
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The eyes of Iowa will gaze upon the good people of Senate District 25 for at least 14 hours next week, and it’s a great chance to choose between two extremely qualified candidates. In the past, I’ve made it clear that I fully support the right not to vote at all, and that option is actually a quintessential aspect of the freedom we enjoy.
           
From what I’m hearing, however, it sounds like a whole lot of people are going to come out to the polls for Tracy Freese and Annette Sweeney. At Monday morning’s board of supervisors meeting, County Auditor Rhonda Deters reported that she’s received around 350 absentee ballot requests, and the momentum behind both women is palpable.
           
If you’re still on the fence, you can get a better sense of where they stand on key issues in this week’s Grundy Register and decide who better aligns with your values. It’s not often that a local state legislature race generates this kind of attention (or any at all, for that matter), but it’s hard to imagine that the Democrats and Republicans could do much better than Freese and Sweeney if they were trying to create their ideal candidates in a lab.
           
The voters have a golden opportunity to be heard this Tuesday.