Dangling from a strong man’s coattails

I believe John Steinbeck’s quote is prescient in 2024:

“I think because they trusted themselves and respected themselves as individuals, because they knew beyond doubt that they were valuable and potentially moral units – because of this they could give God their own courage and dignity and then receive it back. Such things have disappeared perhaps because men do not trust themselves any more, and when that happens there is nothing left except perhaps to find some strong man, even though he may be wrong, and dangle from his coattails.”

Despite the efforts of our parents and teachers, some of us end up dangling from some strong man’s coattails. Do you want the man featured on the cover of The New Yorker this month as your president?

The man who is running for president again also reaches out in awe to nine world leaders who are dictators. They reciprocate with campaign donations.

The New Republic says Americans are sleepwalking into a dictatorship. The Washington Post reports rightwing intellectual Republicans support “Caesar-ism” as a goal. The Los Angeles Times states, “2024 could be the year America fends off dictatorship or invites it in.”

 What say you?

Sheila McLaughlin Bell

Polson