Lesser Evils

I don't want to think
nearly half of all voters
are gullible fools,

But the only viable
alternative is far worse.

If they don't believe
he cares about them
and the promises he's made,

then casting their vote his way
meant they're okay with his bombast.

His not-so-subtle
winks, appeals, and nods
to white supremacist groups

and disdain for those who stand
against him didn't faze them.

His open mocking
of people he finds
flawed or weak or less than him;

his secrecy and attempts
to deflect criticism;

his belittling
of women, war vets,
and families of war dead:

None of these made them decide
he might be unfit to serve.

His flaunting of rules
that only apply
to everyone else, not him,

and his ties to dictators
didn't make them bat an eye.

His years promoting
birtherism, then
weak attempt at distancing;

his complete assault on facts
and his revisionist lies:

None of this swayed them.
None of it gave pause.
None evoked indignation.

None of it disqualified
him from receiving their vote.

So if they didn't
fall for his con job,
they must be fine with it all.

And that would make them assholes,
which I find far worse than fools.

For my own mental
health and sanity,
I choose to assume the best:

That gullible fools -- not brutes --
helped elect a demagogue.