As an American, I’ve never seen our country more divided. Perhaps, the immediate post Watergate era might compare. But what I’m seeing now runs even deeper. We’ve reached the point where literally two countries exist within the borders of the United States. No one listens to one another. The middle ground within our country has evaporated. Conquer and destroy has become the political norm.
I find it stunning Steven Bannon will be serving as perhaps the most important aid to Donald Trump in the White House. It doesn’t matter which party you belong to the thought of Bannon formulating policy should be repugnant to you as an American. After taking step after step since the presidencies of JFK and LBJ to make America a more inclusive nation, it appears white America has given the okay to return our country to the 1950’s or perhaps even further back.
There was no mandate to do any of this. Donald Trump lost the popular vote by almost two million votes. The only possible mandate I can decipher is like Bernie Sanders said way back when ‘we’re all tired of hearing about Hillary Clinton’s damn e-mails”. America became weary of the Clintons. The mandate was Hillary Clinton offered nothing inspiring as a presidential canidate. The slogan ‘It’s My Turn’ wasn’t nearly enough.
So as this NBA season moves along I think I might interweave some of the Trump Phenomenon with the Thunder season for the simple reason the NBA is predominately a black professional sports league of three-hundred and fifty of the most gifted athletes in the world and we’re seeing history being made. I find what the coaches and players say very interesting. Unless, I missed it, I’ve yet to read much of NBA Commissioner Adam Silver’s thoughts on all of this even though he enacted a lifetime ban of LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling for racist comments.
Of all the people I’ve listened to discussing the election of Trump, Gregg Popovich’s comments most align with what I feel about all this.