Thank You For Your Servitude

I didn't think I was gonna read more books about the 45th President and his term because even the few I already have felt like enough, and there's more coup related revelations coming out everyday these days. But the title and the cover instantly drew me in when I first saw it in a bookstore and I was glad to get an audiobook from my library.

This turned out to be interesting because its not focused entirely on 45 but on the Republicans around him who knew what a disaster he was but still sucked up to him because being in power is their main goal, and who cares what havoc he creates in the meantime as long as it helps them win. While there's nothing truly revelatory in the book itself because we've seen this shit show play in front of our eyes, it felt worse to see it all consolidated in one place.

The way proximity to power will make politicians give up any of their principles and just cling to anyone who will let them win is not a new concept to me - I grew up in India and we've had our very fair share of huge corruption scandals but also numerous politicians who jump parties before and after elections based on what will profit them most. So I find this kind of behavior in politicians mostly par for the course. But the USA which touts itself as the best in the world was always better in my head, and it wasn't until I came to live here that I realized that lust for power is the same everywhere, probably even more in a country like America because of the money involved and the kind of influence anything that happens here can have on the rest of the world. And maybe it was more behind closed doors before, but the 45th President's term and everyone who enabled him brought it all out into the open.

I mostly just felt horrified reading this book. But what kept me going was the author's very good sarcasm and snark, and you could really feel how horrified he himself when he was having some of those conversations with the republicans. Despite all this sycophancy, we somehow averted catastrophe in 2020 but who knows what's next. The same gop politicians who became yes men to the president in those years have now gone full maga and qanon, and until the next presidential election actually happens, and everyone's votes are truly counted properly without interferences from right wing legislatures and courts, we have to keep our eyes open. Or who knows, maybe we can all just give up based on whatever the judgement will be in Moore v. Harper.