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The Siege of Gondor as an image of American politics
The Siege of Gondor in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings is presented in Peter Jackson’s film adaptation as a heroic battle between good and evil, and in that medium, it is inspiring. However, in the source material, the author had the opportunity to build a fuller world in which the prior failures of the southern Númenorian kingdom and its weary leadership as the War of the Ring looms explain how Mordor was able to rise again as a power.
The analogy to contemporary American politics is likely clear to my readers, but to make sure, the Republican Party, with their allegiance to ignorance and greed under the leadership of demagogues, is an embodiment of Mordor. The Democratic Party, having given up their commitment to the New Deal and the Great Society, have become weak stewards, caring more about their image and the privileges of their donors than about the people. And they have chosen an arrogant leader who is too tired from decades of acquiescence to things as they are to promise anything but a return to the status quo ante of the Trump administration.
It is worthwhile to ask if the Democrats want to win. As the Republicans found out in the first two years following the 2016 election, power is more convenient as a goal than a realization. The majority party gets to choose what legislation will be considered and passed…
