American Greatness

There is a lot of discussion in the American culture these days asking the question, “Why did Donald Trump win election to the White House?” Many answers have been presented, but the one that appeals to me the most is one described in a new book by the same name as this blog post, by Buskirk and Leibsohn. This book is not just about the 2016 election—it is about the tenor of thinking of the American people.

It seems obvious that the liberal press, editorialists, and pollsters have completely missed the ideas of the American electorate; and, thus, they missed the significance of the DJT election. I believe we all need to understand the outcome of this election in order to understand our country and think together about our values and exactly where we want to go.

In the first place, Americans need to know that the print and TV media are not on the same page as the ordinary American voter—neither are the pollsters who try to tell us what we are really thinking. Those speakers were dead wrong with their predictions about the 2016 election; and I think they are likely wrong about a lot of other things.

The main person who understood the American mind in that election seemed to be DJT! He realized that Americans were sick and tired of hearing how they should be thinking in the way of “politically correct” speech and expression. He realized that the ordinary American was concerned in large part with the safety of our nation and the fact that his household buying power is being eroded by forces out of his control. Issues of immigration and the sending of American production overseas were on the minds of the people in 2016—they still are.

The highbrow political philosophy of the “people who should be in the know” in academia, the courts, and the universities was not applicable to the concerns of ordinary Americans. What concerned the people in 2016 was the problem of protecting the natural rights of the citizens and securing their persons and property. National security was, and is, still a real concern. Americans do not like the ideas of open borders, trade giveaways, and nation building abroad.

Listening to DJT talk, Americans heard a man who talked off the cuff to them, much as they might hear at their own breakfast tables—rough, unscripted, brash, and spontaneous. They were not so much interested in his actual words and their thoughtlessness and logical conclusions. He seemed like he was one of them.

I believe that ordinary Americans are also concerned with the immorality and vulgarity of Donald Trump. However…they saw the moral depravity on the other side of the aisle as equally obnoxious. So…they could not distinguish between the two parties on moral bases. On balance, they voted for DJT because they saw him closer to their values and needs than they did to Hillary Clinton. (Bill Clinton once said, “My morals match the morals of the American people.” I am afraid he was right. But…I, so very much, wish we could someday find a President with good morals, tact, and manners and who could, at the same time, connect with everyday Americans the way DJT does.)

mmm