Which America are we?

We’re about to find out

We’re about to find out what we’re really made of.  

Are we the racist dumbass ‘Murica that elected Donald Trump? Or are we the melting pot beacon of hope and freedom that elected Barack Obama?

We know what Trump is betting on, and we’re comforted by the fact that he is usually wrong. But that doesn’t mean he won’t try it. 

On Tuesday morning, with Vice President Kamala Harris having consolidated Democratic support and shattered fundraising records, a clearly rattled Trump campaign started leaking to friendly reporters their plan to “Willie Horton” the vice president. 

If you don’t remember or you’re too young, then you should know that the “Willie Horton” ad President George H.W. Bush’s campaign ran was an ear-splitting racist dog whistle that accused Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis of freeing a Black man who went on to commit more crimes. It was disgusting then. It is disgusting now. 

It’s a good reminder that the Republican Party didn’t start being racist when Trump came down that goddamn escalator. It’s also a good reminder that Trump and his friends are scared, desperate and likely to embrace a racist, sexist smear campaign against an accomplished Black woman. 

But we know who Trump is. We’ve known since he took out a full-page ad calling for the wrongfully accused Central Park Five to be put to death. We’ve known since his racist bullshit “birther” campaign against the nation’s first Black president. And we’ve known since we heard him on tape bragging about assaulting women and getting away with it. 

We know who Trump is, and we already know how he will run against a strong Black woman who laughs at him and calls him out. 

The question is: Who are we?

Are we the nation that took to the streets in an explosion of joy after electing Obama in 2008? Or are we the nation that rewarded a racist, sexist asshole with the presidency because the “But her emails” lady just wasn’t likable enough?

We’re hoping for the former but bracing for the latter. 

“Trump leads this campaign, so we’re ready for him to call her a DEI hire by Biden and we’ll see what we see when that happens,” a Trump campaign official told The Bulwark this week. 

Yes, we will see what happens. And our guess — and our hope — is we will see a country horrified and disgusted by Trump’s grotesque attacks. We all know he won’t be able to help himself. He’s a racist, sexist pig, and he can’t suddenly stop being a racist, sexist pig. The Real Trump always comes out. 

And when it does, it will be on each and every one of us to make clear that we are not ok with Trump being Trump. That we are not ok with racist and sexist attacks. And we are not ok with some unhinged degenerate monster trying to drag us back to our nation’s ugliest eras.

Vice President Harris has taken on men like Trump before. She has even put some of them in prison. She can handle whatever sick crap he throws at her. 

But let’s make sure she knows we have her back. Let’s make sure Trump knows it too. 

This November, we’re going to find out which country we are — the one that elected Obama or the one that elected Trump. 

And we’re gonna work our asses off to make sure hope beats hate and Harris beats Trump. 

Let’s fucking go.