My neighbor Swamp Rabbit was drinking beer and praising a popular blogger who said the Democratic Party leaders, not Trump voters, are to blame for our election disaster. The party shouldn’t have waited so long to ditch the doddering Joe Biden, shouldn’t have nominated Kamala Harris, shouldn’t have said the economy was improving, on and on.

“Wrong,” I said. The Democratic Party is run by complacent fools and Harris was arguably a weak candidate, but she was running against Donald Trump, a convicted felon who tried to block certification of the 2020 election and is now vowing to eliminate our country’s “enemy from within,” whatever that means. Voters knew what the stakes were but a majority of them, eyes wide open, elected the same insurrectionist bigot who squeaked out a presidential victory in 2016.

“I’m bummed out too, but there ain’t no point belly-achin’,” Swamp Rabbit said. “Trump took a page out of Hitler’s book and made the most of his one big talent — spreading fear and hate. He convinced the peeps to believe his lies.”

I picked up one of my mangy neighbor’s empty beer cans and threw it at him. “Wrong again. Trump didn’t have to convince them. It’s like I said last week.”

Last week I said that Trump’s peeps know he’s a pathological liar. They know he wanted to “terminate” the Constitution in order to overthrow the 2020 election results. They know he’s on good terms with certain dictators, including Vladimir Putin, who crushed democracy in Russia and is trying to destroy Ukraine and the NATO alliance.

They know he said that drinking bleach might help cure Covid, that wind turbines cause cancer, that climate change is a hoax, that Haitian immigrants are eating our cats and dogs, that it’s OK to grab women “by the pussy” and beat up anyone who disagrees with the MAGA creed, that —

“OK, I get it, but he’s giving his peeps what they want, don’t you think?” Swamp Rabbit said. “He says he’ll deport millions of Mexicans, cut taxes and bring down the price of eggs.”

“He’s giving them empty promises and a preview of life in an autocracy. He’s not giving me what I want, or any of the people I respect and care about.”

Swamp Rabbit popped open another beer and sat back in the rocking chair I trash-picked for him last month. “Lighten up, or you’ll blow a gasket. Remember what Kamala said — We all have so much more in common than what separates us.”

“Sorry, but I’ve got nothing in common with the people who voted for that evil clown, and neither do you. I plan to avoid them as much as possible and hang out with civilized people who know enough history to appreciate how hard it is to get rid of fascists once they’re in power. I guess I’ll make like Candide and cultivate my garden.”

Swamp Rabbit got a kick out of that one. “I can see your garden from here, Odd Man. So far the only thing you’re cultivatin’ is weeds.”