A Time for Moral Clarity

Four years of writing "America, America" and—especially amid the hostile takeover—a mission driven by the promise of a better America

The photo used with the very first essay published in America, America. (Photo by Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images)

It’s hard to believe that I wrote my first essay for America, America exactly four years and three days ago. It was titled “Silence Is Not an Option,” a theme that has remained present through the writing of over 700 essays.

There have been days I would have loved to just go to the movies or veg out or venture to some other place of distraction, escape or pleasure. But over the last four years, I haven’t lost my sense of duty—to do what I can to make sense of things and lay bare what I have seen, known or feared was happening.

Honestly, I hoped that the election of Kamala Harris would provide a reason to kick back a bit more and luxuriate in the knowledge that there was a healthy, rational, intelligent and compassionate person occupying the White House. Her election would have meant that our country would not be held hostage by vengeful bad actors abusing the levers of power. Alas, it wasn’t to be. Now we must deepen our determination to fight for our country and a better future.

Revisiting that first essay, I’m struck by how Jan. 6, 2021, four years of Donald Trump and the continuing threats to democracy defined my commitment to this work. Consider a few sentences:

If I dreamed that the election of Joe Biden and the eviction of Trump from our house would make this publication unnecessary, that I could simply move on to other work as a new and better America arrived to replace four years of pathological lying, malignant narcissism and cruelty, sociopathy and criminality, the deadly insurrection on January 6 put an end to that.

We have seen how seditious extremists and millions of Americans, including a majority of elected Republicans, continue to stand with Trump and against our democracy. They are willing to toss aside the rule of law to keep Trump and his acolytes near the levers of power.

That was written more than three years before the right-wing supermajority of the Supreme Court exacerbated the problem by offering near-total immunity if Trump got back into office. It was well before the Heritage Foundation and the authors of Project 2025 laid out their dastardly plot to dismantle our government and wreak havoc throughout our government and across our land. It was also penned before we would witness American billionaires sickeningly kowtow to Trump, before the world’s richest man became Trump’s top donor, before that megalomaniac exploited his investment to insert himself as de-facto co-president and hasten the destruction.

Throughout these four years, I haven’t lost sight of the values and principles that have defined America’s promise and potential. They have continued to nourish me, even on the darker days when hateful, extremist rhetoric triggers more bigotry, lies and violence.

On each of those days, whenever there was an essay to write, I could tap into my optimism and hopefulness that there were decent people in power who believed in good governance and pro-democracy advocates who could help activate the country’s better angels. I could relax relax a little because the worst among us were loud but generally contained; there were still signs that the guardrails of our society and the basic frameworks of democracy were holding, despite the attacks.

The voice of Gen. Mark Milley still reverberates in my thoughts. “We don't take an oath to a king, or a queen, or to a tyrant or dictator, and we don't take an oath to a wannabe dictator,” asserted the general, dressed in full military regalia, in his final words as the Joint Chiefs of Staff chair.

But that was then (Sept. 29, 2023, to be exact). And now, five weeks into the soul-crushing demolition derby that is Trump’s second term, we face a daily demand to understand the violations, confront the desecrations, hold firm to our values and principles, and refuse to be broken by a cruel regime comprised of obedient oligarchs and miscreants and driven by hostility and vengeance.

This is a time that requires our moral clarity. Because it’s this clarity about what’s right and wrong and what’s true and false that will give us the strength needed to see it through. Even on my worst days, I refuse to let these hateful, outrageous people drive me to despair, to burn out with rage or give up.

It helps that I hear from, talk to and see so many Americans and decent people from around the world who know what’s happening and refuse to buckle under to the lunacy. They continue to voice their recognition of the value of democracy, diversity, equality and justice, the need to oppose authoritarians and dictators, and the power of democratic alliances and institution-building to create a stable, prosperous and peaceful world.

Surely, many of these issues were on the mind of France’s Emmanuel Macron, the United Kingdom’s Keir Starmer and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky in their decision to come to Washington this week and make a show of glad-handing Donald Trump. I expect that will be on the minds of many of us who participate in today’s economic blackout—an act of economic resistance to express our collective power and rejection of malignant oligarchs and corporate influence by refusing to buy from major retailers, including Amazon.

Allow me to leave you with a few snapshots from the first meeting on Wednesday of Trump’s cabinet—not to discourage you but to remind you what we’re up against, how far we’ve drifted from decency and sense, and how we must double down on our commitment to overcome this madness.

• There was Elon Musk, wearing a black MAGA hat and a t-shirt emblazoned with “Tech Support,” standing over the seated president and cabinet secretaries. At one point, he lied and laughed that funding for Ebola protection had accidentally been shut off, but has since been restored. This same person, whose companies have received $38 billion in government funding, falsely insisted his attacks on government agencies are crucial for America’s survival: “If we don’t do this, America will go bankrupt.”

• There was Donald Trump, who sometimes looked like he was dozing off, asking his Senate-confirmed, but nervous-looking cabinet, “Is anybody unhappy with Elon? If you are, we’ll throw him out of here.” His obedient leadership team understood what he meant.

• There was Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., responsible for the nation’s public health, who made light of the measles outbreak and death of a child in Texas, the first death from the disease since 2015. “It's not unusual. We have measles outbreaks every year," the anti-vaxxer said with an air of indifference in response to a reporter’s question.

• There was another reporter who asked Trump, “Is it your view of your authority that you have the power to call up any one or all of the people seated at this table and issue orders that they’re bound to follow?” And there was the gangster president who answered, “Oh, yeah, they’ll follow the orders, yes, they will.”

• And there was Trump’s Truth Social post, uploaded hours before the meeting to ensure these “leaders” knew their place: “ALL CABINET MEMBERS ARE EXTREMELY HAPPY WITH ELON. The Media will see that at the Cabinet Meeting this morning!!!”

Yes, these will be four long years. But let’s not doubt our capacity to confront the attacks and band together to help protect the most vulnerable among us, encourage the pro-democracy advocates, recognize when the moment comes to participate in national actions, and prove that the majority can overcome this oppressive regime.

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