There is a justifiable frustration that has been simmering in the
slow cooker of the conservative psyche for over 20 years. The problem
facing the GOP today is not this frustration and hunger for something
new, rather it is that what Chef Trump is serving is different than what
he claims and is poisonous to our Republic.
The intensity of frustration among the general conservative base is palpable and quite frankly, justified. Beginning with the 1994 landslide Republican revolution, the Republican leadership has made bold promises. From the “Contract with America” through promises first of stopping and then repealing Obama Care Republican campaigns have been rooted in pitching big ideas.
The party establishment has been very successful through the years in articulating to GOP voters its case that Democrats, with the help of what they term the “left-wing liberal media,” are driving the nation in the wrong direction from both a social and fiscal standpoint. Year after year they, with the help of some in the conservative leaning media have pounded their fists on podiums expressing outrage over big government’s wasteful spending, liberal media bias, erosion of values and morals, etc…..
In this regard they have been extremely successful. Where the failure comes is that each time the grassroots organized, filled Saturdays with yard signs blitzes, phone banked, door knocked and fought and scraped victories for those who promised that the time for change had come, nothing changed. The issues were not addressed. Spending continued to rise along with the debt. The deficit continued to spiral and the debt ceiling continued to be raised.
Conservative voters have heard and believed the calls of crisis. For two decades they have heard that “we are at a cross-roads,” that “no election has been so important in our nation’s history,” and that “our nation cannot long stand if it continues on its current course.” They have heard these things, believed them and done all they can to get men and women into power who can change that course. When elected, however, those men and women have paddled just as hard and in the same direction as the democrats and so the cycle has gone round and round and the slow cooker has continued to simmer.
Into this world walks Mr. Trump. With a remarkable sense of the moment and an equally remarkable ability to market himself as person who finally gets it, Mr. Trump has loudly spoken from their hearts – plainly stating that talking about the problems is not fixing the problems and nuancing reasons why something cannot be done is not leadership.
The problem for me – and I believe the problem for the nation should Mr. Trump get elected – is twofold. First, while he is reflecting a shared frustration he is doing so as if he had a funhouse mirror. The image may be a reflection but it is distorted, exaggerated or compressed into false simplicity. He claims that he wants America to be great again and in that single phrase he sums up the heart felt longings of millions of people, but the America he calls on us to imagine is a place we have never been and a place that by any definition is not great.
A great nation does not kill the children of our enemies as he has said he would do. A great nation does not mock her own disabled because she can. A great nation is not built with 140 characters on Twitter and a great nation is not led by a man who stokes the fires of fear and sees her as a prize to win or a trophy to be raised.
Trump’s temperament is not just that of a tell-it-like-it-is anti-politically-correct tough guy. No, his is a temperament that demands victory at any and all costs. When he mocked the journalist with a physical disability he was not, in my opinion, intentionally showing a bias against those with disabilities in general, rather, he was showing a bias against us all. He was showing that he will find in any critic that trait, that fact or that issue he feels is their weak spot and pounced and devour with no regard for proportionality. His strategy is simple – criticize me and I will destroy you. He owns no knife to bring to a knife fight, only a Tommy gun set on fully automatic.
From watching him and observing both his personal attacks and policy ideas, I see a man whose character looks to victory only and feels ethical boundaries and legal restrictions are simply bothersome things to be dealt with by lesser men and attorneys. To me this is not the character of a great leader and certainly not the character of a person worthy of holding the title of President of the United States of America.
In addition to the many well-intended frustrated Republican voters who look to Trump as the one person standing up for them and their America, this core character trait has attracted others with less noble intentions. The attitude Trump displays toward opponents, Muslims, Mexicans, etc.. is an attitude that is permissive of and even encouraging of bias and categorizing people, Americans, by things that make us different rather than by those things we all share. I know this is not the sentiment of most of his supporters but the news is filled with examples of people who have felt empowered to let shine their hatred because they like Trump can now, “say it like it is.” The dangerous part of that phrase is what the meaning of the word “is” is.
Secondly and more concretely, Trump’s foreign policy bluster is dangerous. To say that we are going to ignore international treaties banning torture and that we are going to target the families of our enemies because killing their kids will get their attention is to say I don’t give a damn about the law or the values our Republic is founded on, I care only about being tough. This is not only illegal and immoral but would put our country in far greater danger than we are today. The idea of going into the Middle East and by force “taking the oil” is equally disturbing as is the threat to cripple the Mexican economy with trade wars until they agree to pay for a wall.
More than 100 former military and intelligence community personnel have said his orders in these regards would be illegal and not followed. In response, Trump said during this week’s Fox News debate that he would “do a hell of a lot worse than waterboarding” and confirmed that he would target the families of enemies. On Friday he appeared to backtrack and said he would not give illegal orders.
Either Mr. Trump does not know that killing the children of enemies is illegal or he is confirming that he says whatever he thinks people want to hear but has no intention of following through.
In either case his supporter should beware and if it is the second, one must ask what is the difference then between Trump and 20 years of politicians who have promised you one thing and done the opposite.
My point is, I understand the frustration and agree with much of it. I just don’t believe Trump is the person needed to address it and in Trump I see dangerous character traits and dangerous policy ideas. Add to this his stated desire to erode the press’ protected status and that allows it to report on the government and I see a recipe for a poisonous national meal.
The answer to this dilemma is not however for the GOP establishment’s to roll out blue-blooded-has-been politicians to denounce Trump. All this does is remind an already frustrated and angry base that they have accomplished nothing – that the establishment is all promises with no results. Senator Corker warned today that the establishment should spend its time and energy listening to the voters rather. He is absolutely true.
And so, what is the answer? I do not know.
However events transpire over the coming months, three things can be said today.
First, the broad base of Trump supporters rightly feel let down by those they trusted and they are mad and hungry for something new.
Second, they are being wooed by a man who knows how to sell and serve delicious smelling political dishes.
Third, what he is selling and serving is actually a very dangerous meal and regardless of the consequences we would be wise not to consume.
The intensity of frustration among the general conservative base is palpable and quite frankly, justified. Beginning with the 1994 landslide Republican revolution, the Republican leadership has made bold promises. From the “Contract with America” through promises first of stopping and then repealing Obama Care Republican campaigns have been rooted in pitching big ideas.
The party establishment has been very successful through the years in articulating to GOP voters its case that Democrats, with the help of what they term the “left-wing liberal media,” are driving the nation in the wrong direction from both a social and fiscal standpoint. Year after year they, with the help of some in the conservative leaning media have pounded their fists on podiums expressing outrage over big government’s wasteful spending, liberal media bias, erosion of values and morals, etc…..
In this regard they have been extremely successful. Where the failure comes is that each time the grassroots organized, filled Saturdays with yard signs blitzes, phone banked, door knocked and fought and scraped victories for those who promised that the time for change had come, nothing changed. The issues were not addressed. Spending continued to rise along with the debt. The deficit continued to spiral and the debt ceiling continued to be raised.
Conservative voters have heard and believed the calls of crisis. For two decades they have heard that “we are at a cross-roads,” that “no election has been so important in our nation’s history,” and that “our nation cannot long stand if it continues on its current course.” They have heard these things, believed them and done all they can to get men and women into power who can change that course. When elected, however, those men and women have paddled just as hard and in the same direction as the democrats and so the cycle has gone round and round and the slow cooker has continued to simmer.
Into this world walks Mr. Trump. With a remarkable sense of the moment and an equally remarkable ability to market himself as person who finally gets it, Mr. Trump has loudly spoken from their hearts – plainly stating that talking about the problems is not fixing the problems and nuancing reasons why something cannot be done is not leadership.
The problem for me – and I believe the problem for the nation should Mr. Trump get elected – is twofold. First, while he is reflecting a shared frustration he is doing so as if he had a funhouse mirror. The image may be a reflection but it is distorted, exaggerated or compressed into false simplicity. He claims that he wants America to be great again and in that single phrase he sums up the heart felt longings of millions of people, but the America he calls on us to imagine is a place we have never been and a place that by any definition is not great.
A great nation does not kill the children of our enemies as he has said he would do. A great nation does not mock her own disabled because she can. A great nation is not built with 140 characters on Twitter and a great nation is not led by a man who stokes the fires of fear and sees her as a prize to win or a trophy to be raised.
Trump’s temperament is not just that of a tell-it-like-it-is anti-politically-correct tough guy. No, his is a temperament that demands victory at any and all costs. When he mocked the journalist with a physical disability he was not, in my opinion, intentionally showing a bias against those with disabilities in general, rather, he was showing a bias against us all. He was showing that he will find in any critic that trait, that fact or that issue he feels is their weak spot and pounced and devour with no regard for proportionality. His strategy is simple – criticize me and I will destroy you. He owns no knife to bring to a knife fight, only a Tommy gun set on fully automatic.
From watching him and observing both his personal attacks and policy ideas, I see a man whose character looks to victory only and feels ethical boundaries and legal restrictions are simply bothersome things to be dealt with by lesser men and attorneys. To me this is not the character of a great leader and certainly not the character of a person worthy of holding the title of President of the United States of America.
In addition to the many well-intended frustrated Republican voters who look to Trump as the one person standing up for them and their America, this core character trait has attracted others with less noble intentions. The attitude Trump displays toward opponents, Muslims, Mexicans, etc.. is an attitude that is permissive of and even encouraging of bias and categorizing people, Americans, by things that make us different rather than by those things we all share. I know this is not the sentiment of most of his supporters but the news is filled with examples of people who have felt empowered to let shine their hatred because they like Trump can now, “say it like it is.” The dangerous part of that phrase is what the meaning of the word “is” is.
Secondly and more concretely, Trump’s foreign policy bluster is dangerous. To say that we are going to ignore international treaties banning torture and that we are going to target the families of our enemies because killing their kids will get their attention is to say I don’t give a damn about the law or the values our Republic is founded on, I care only about being tough. This is not only illegal and immoral but would put our country in far greater danger than we are today. The idea of going into the Middle East and by force “taking the oil” is equally disturbing as is the threat to cripple the Mexican economy with trade wars until they agree to pay for a wall.
More than 100 former military and intelligence community personnel have said his orders in these regards would be illegal and not followed. In response, Trump said during this week’s Fox News debate that he would “do a hell of a lot worse than waterboarding” and confirmed that he would target the families of enemies. On Friday he appeared to backtrack and said he would not give illegal orders.
Either Mr. Trump does not know that killing the children of enemies is illegal or he is confirming that he says whatever he thinks people want to hear but has no intention of following through.
In either case his supporter should beware and if it is the second, one must ask what is the difference then between Trump and 20 years of politicians who have promised you one thing and done the opposite.
My point is, I understand the frustration and agree with much of it. I just don’t believe Trump is the person needed to address it and in Trump I see dangerous character traits and dangerous policy ideas. Add to this his stated desire to erode the press’ protected status and that allows it to report on the government and I see a recipe for a poisonous national meal.
The answer to this dilemma is not however for the GOP establishment’s to roll out blue-blooded-has-been politicians to denounce Trump. All this does is remind an already frustrated and angry base that they have accomplished nothing – that the establishment is all promises with no results. Senator Corker warned today that the establishment should spend its time and energy listening to the voters rather. He is absolutely true.
And so, what is the answer? I do not know.
However events transpire over the coming months, three things can be said today.
First, the broad base of Trump supporters rightly feel let down by those they trusted and they are mad and hungry for something new.
Second, they are being wooed by a man who knows how to sell and serve delicious smelling political dishes.
Third, what he is selling and serving is actually a very dangerous meal and regardless of the consequences we would be wise not to consume.
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