But for too many of our citizens, a different reality exists: Mothers and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities; rusted-out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation; an education system, flush with cash, but which leaves our young and beautiful students deprived of knowledge; and the crime and gangs and drugs that have stolen too many lives and robbed our country of so much unrealized potential.
This American carnage stops right here and stops right now.
Looking around my somewhat hardscrabble city, I really don't see the bloodbath that Trump describes. I sure as hell, though, don't see an education system flush with cash (with notable exceptions...), I sure don't think the local teachers' lounges have teak paneling.
Even worse is Trump's self-characterization as the hero who will lift the cowed, beaten down masses out of poverty and despair:
Every decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration, on foreign affairs, will be made to benefit American workers and American families.
We must protect our borders from the ravages of other countries making our products, stealing our companies, and destroying our jobs. Protection will lead to great prosperity and strength.
I will fight for you with every breath in my body – and I will never, ever let you down.
America will start winning again, winning like never before.
We will bring back our jobs. We will bring back our borders. We will bring back our wealth. And we will bring back our dreams.
We will build new roads, and highways, and bridges, and airports, and tunnels, and railways all across our wonderful nation.
We will get our people off of welfare and back to work – rebuilding our country with American hands and American labor.
We will follow two simple rules: Buy American and Hire American.
This is coming from a man who's merchandise is largely made overseas and whose hotels are largely staffed with foreign guest workers. For a real golden
I don't put a lot of confidence in the words of an individual, especially a blowhard like Vulgarmort- I look at their actions. Trump's words, though, are offensive, mendacious, divisive, and larded with dogwhistles about political foes. His speech is a calumny against wide swaths of the American people, and a pack of lies about his plans for them.
I'd take hope over carnage any day, even if the carnage is, for the time being, fake.
Trump keeps describing New York City in the 80's when there was stuff like the Bernhard Goetz shooting and graffiti on all the subway cars. Could the problem be that he never gets out of that ormolu fantasy of his in Trump Tower and observes what the rest of us call reality? Is that why only 16% of the residents of that Manhattan reality voted for him?
ReplyDeletePerhaps lies work when there's no expectations. That all changed yesterday. Now it's all on him, his cabinet of know-nothings and a congress with nominal majorities but with very different agendas. Now he's no longer just talking - everything he says and does will produce real-world consequences. He'll have to pass legislation, and get his bills and EOs to pass muster with the courts. Meanwhile, he has alienated and infuriated the press, which will devote resources to showing him they are not to be trifled with. And people, from world leaders to community leaders are offended, angered and fearful of his policies, and are out to push back.
ReplyDeleteTrump is going to find that he has a very hard, frustrating job with significantly less power than he's wielded his entire life. Much of his term will be characterized by failure, constantly highlighted by his promises of winning.
Can he truly 'win' a trade war with China? How will he win the next Intifada? What will he tell business leaders who can't find workers because they have all been deported or left out of fear? How will he negotiate a bilateral trade deal with the UK when the EU can (and will) prevent it? What will he do when 'friendly' nations refuse to share intelligence with the US because his NatSec team is so friendly with Russia?
Meh. He'll do some awful things, but keep plenty of popcorn around because the schadenfreude is going to come fast and furious...
Trump keeps describing New York City in the 80's when there was stuff like the Bernhard Goetz shooting and graffiti on all the subway cars. Could the problem be that he never gets out of that ormolu fantasy of his in Trump Tower and observes what the rest of us call reality?
ReplyDeleteThat's the weird part, I remember spending time in the city as a kid in those days and never being scared, and much of that time was spent in *GASP* the Bronx. I imagine Trump traveled by limo most of the time, so his entire knowledge of the day-to-day life in the city came from the tabloids.
Meanwhile, he has alienated and infuriated the press, which will devote resources to showing him they are not to be trifled with.
I sure hope so, the press really needs to step up its game, and should do so out of self-preservation. I agree that the schadenfreude is going to be incredible. Here is a guy who, all of a sudden, is in a position that dad's money and connections can't get him out of, he's way out of his comfort zone. If he has to face any grilling from Congress, he will explode on the stand. It's weird, this mingled horror and glee... I bet there's a German compound word to express the concept.