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
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