Americans are awed, agape, and remarkably anxious, while the world looks on, bewildered
By Jeff Koopersmith, Editor Emeritus
Wednesday, 23 January 2019
Nearly every evening while digesting the day’s news I find less and less to write about as I listen to the “names” in television and radio news and notice them hesitating far more than usual. This is something foreign to American media culture. We are a nation of opinion; talkative, gossipy, sometimes lascivious, yet rarely silent save for Texans who may not be able to maintain their strong and silent type much longer inasmuch as urbanites from the Northeast and California are flocking there to escape extreme high property and sales taxes accompanied by a gut feeling that no matter which house they buy now, it will be worth far less in the sooner future.
That is what this is! Something new, a national foreboding which has rarely, if ever, hit us like the certainty of war without any conviction of that at all. Politics and policy have not been a major ensemble in America’s closet of fun things to do except deep into federal election years when we are all drowning in ludicrous
If you took a good look at the image at the top of this page, which was on our televisions in 2017 you will see we were alerted, pro or con, that things were about to change and in big ways that no American alive until 2016 would have thought possible. What I thought it was is something called “creating s semantic differential” between candidates, parties, and doctrines which tend to identify and sort in or out for particular races. For instance, President Trump had to create a “huge” difference between himself and the other dozen potential winners of the GOP nomination for president. No one can argue today that he did not do this.
However, while he certainly showed he would be a strong candidate for the growing ultra-neocon voters, he had to be somewhat careful not to turn moderates and some conservative Democrats against him. His people knew that Hillary Clinton was in some trouble with moderate and business type Democrats and especially with men, but with women as well. In the end, it was the strange and even weird concept called the Electoral College, which despite Clinton gaining more votes, was the final arbiter – especially in close races. Secretary Clinton received three million more individual votes than President Trump, but that was not enough to ensure her win – just a small majority was not enough. The Electoral College, which is a group of people unelected that are to reflect the total voters in their arena and make the decision. Also, the “College” is thought to be a method by which an unusually horrible choice could be dismounted.
In reflection, that was not the case.
Still, as a writer and someone involved deeply involved in big politics, not only in California but nationally and even internationally, I like most, thought Mr. Trump was amusing at best but that the experts and people he would surround himself with would keep him on my father’s straight and narrow. That was never the case.
Instead, we saw a gaggle of almost unknown staffers and military in White House positions that might never have been predicted. Trump made quite a few very high “reward job” for the likes of Steve Bannon, the Trump strategist, and today supposedly
“the infrastructure, globally, for the global populist movement.” Stephen Miller who was one of Senator Jeff Session’s top aides and speechwriter. and now seems to order President Trump exactly when and what to do about most of the severe decisions the President has made since taking office. – Miller is also a nation-state populism devotee which he may have picked up from Mr. Bannnon and got his first “alt-right” ideas from none other than Wayner La Pierre – the chief of the National Rifle Association. Also, Trump – wisely at that time – brought in a few generals who have not lasted, one who one newer appointee, John Bolton, didn’t like, one that left but was edged out, and another leaving the generals of note missing in action. Mr. Miller is Jewish and first worked together with Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner the husband of Ivanka Trump. It is also very important to know that Miller is only 33 years old and began his ultra-conservative public life as a teenager in Che Guevera’s City of Santa Monica, California which I too called home twice while living in California. What made Miller move to the right twenty odd years ago? Was it Israel. Was it his unpopularity at Santa Monica High School – or did his parents live on the right side when living there was “uncool”? No one knows whether Stephen Miller is married, living with someone, or too busy to deal with that part of life while in the midst of a revolution in White House policy. One might hope he marries a liberal to take the edge off.
Most Americans know that the Trump White is a high-speed revolving door, and it is rumored that very few that have left his staff did so without a push from the Oval Office. There have also been several high level Secretaries involved in supposed corruption or over-spending for personal comforts.
Okay. So now that I have bored you as much as you might be yawning at the constant repetition of similar stories about the White House and the President. However, I felt I needed to refresh some memories to write reasonably about my
Are we not in awe, agape and anxious? You bet we are; as one can see in any poll worthy of studying. Yet there is nothing, truly, that alone could bring this psych fatigue on. CNN tells us it is because THE WALL is unamerican. Then so is starting wars in places we should not be – but the level of complaint against this Wall seems limited compared to our involvements in poorly contemplated wars in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Definitely, the war raging between the Socially conscious Voters and the neo-fascist right over President Trumps Wall – which is not needed, but was promised, to all white supremacists and wannabee Alt-Right voters which is supposedly Trump’s base. However, self-made morons like Ann Coulter would have you and President Donald Trump believe she and other Klanlike personalities could take all these votes away from him. But to give to who?
Many essays have been written that Trump wants to run again in 2020, and I must believe it although his age will be 75 and his mind might be feeble by that time. That said, Bannon who still lurks behind the drapes at the White House and Mr. Miller believes he can win again – and so far, the announced Democrat candidates do not appear, as yet, to be the type of politicians that could beat him today. I am not saying I do not like the Democrat lineup because I do, but I also attempt to stay moderate in my views even though sometimes it is very tough not to become an activist.
So. Let me tell you what I think Donald Trump might do to ensure a win in 2020. I think he should either forget his Wall, or simply take the $ 6 Billion from somewhere other than Puerto Rican American citizens and simply build it because White people don’t like empty promises. He should remember that pink, olive,and black Americans also don’t like empty promises.
I also believe that the House of Representatives should offer the full $6 Billion with no strings because the DACA situation allows Trump’s advisors to make the case for his shutting down the federal government more agreeable than might be envisoned by Democrats.
The House Democrats have the power to bring up DACA and full citizenship plans at any time, but it seems that this stalemate is surely making everyone so nervous that the last count I did showed a majority of voters on all sides want this Wall debate over with. That also makes more sense for the Democrats as they may not believe me.
If they give Trump the $6 Billion without strings he will have that Wall as a symbol of silliness if not incompetence follow him throughout life and mar his legacy forever.
If he pulls a fast one on the House after that – well, we should also start building underground safe-houses.
More people than you might imagine