The Establishment

Definition of establishment

1. 1 :  something established: as a :  a settled arrangement; especially :  a code of laws b :  
2. 2 :  an established order of society: as a often capitalized :  a group of social, economic, and political leaders who form a ruling class (as of a nation) b often capitalized :  a controlling group <the literary establishment>
3. 3 a :  the act of establishing b :  the state of being established
   
   
   I'm sick of being called "the establishment".
   
   
   Let me give you a primer of my life right now: I have no money. My husband was forced to take early retirement from his job four and a half years ago, and we are living on my salary plus the remnants of my retirement plan, which was supposed to cushion us in our old age. We have eight more months to go before he can start receiving his (age 62, meaning "reduced") Social Security benefits. We pray that our car won't die before then. When one of my children has a birthday, I have to mentally calculate how much I am able to spend on a gift card to tuck inside their Hallmark greeting. I am not "in love" with my job, but I know I need to cling to it for another four years, and my mental faculties are struggling to keep up with those forty-year-olds I work with; not to mention the twenty-year-olds.
   
   
   So, it stings when someone calls me "the establishment". 
   
   
   I am not a political leader. Nor am I (obviously) an economic leader or one of the "ruling class". I'm just a conservative. Yep, one of those die-hards. I stood in line at the elementary school when I was eight point seven-eighths months pregnant with my first child, so I could mark my ballot for Gerald Ford. Gerald Ford! I wasn't exactly enamored with the guy, but even then I understood that a crappy old Ford was better than a duplicitous peanut farmer. So don't look down on me when you have no bona fides -- when you never even voted in a presidential election before; before some smarmy used car salesman got your juices flowing and you have decided, for once, to hoist yourself off the couch and saunter down to your local polling place (after you looked it up online because you'd, duh, never been there before).
   
   
   Stop insulting me.
   
   
   Jonah Goldberg, on Special Report the other night, commented that there is plenty of blame to go around for the rise of Trump -- too much blame to delineate. But I'll do it:
   
   
   Media.
   
   
   My distaste for Fox has risen like bitter vile in my throat. I get that Fox News is our only option, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. I would love to watch a program created solely for people who "think". That would be refreshing! Instead, I am subjected to the following folks who, despite their penthouse lifestyles, are simply dumb-asses who bathe in the glow of He Of Gilded Wealth and who will sell their conservative souls for a chance to be smited by his golden scepter:
   
   
   • Sean Hannity
   • Greta Van Susteren
   • Eric Bolling
   • Unnamed Fill-In Females With Short Skirts and Anesthetized Brains
   
   
   But they're not the only ones. Here are some people I used to respect:
   
   
   • Rush Limabaugh
   • Laura Ingraham
   • Ann Coulter 
   • Breitbart News
   
   
   What happened? You sold out your principles for what? Because you're pissed? Like I'm not? 
   
   
   The percentage of Republicans who view electability as their most important criteria is seventeen per cent. Seventeen! Look, dumb-asses: if your guy doesn't win, you can bitch and moan all you want and it doesn't amount to a steaming pile of BS. Maybe you can feel all sanctimonious in voting for some guy who has not one clue how the world works, but hey! He did host The Apprentice! And what we see on network TV has gotta be real! And you can bow before the Criminal In Chief, Hillary Clinton. 
   
   
   Wake up.
   
   
   Good lord, people. 
   
   
   Have some freakin' sense.