Make America Great Again?
On Wednesday morning, the 9th of November 2016, many Americans and citizens of the United States awaken with sadness, heartache, joy, exhilaration, and some with anger. And I’m sure that there were some wondering WTF?!. and asking themselves, how did we get to such a decrepit political situation, again? We were literally stuck with no good choice to be the leader of the most powerful nation on the planet. Some members of the society were so upset over the democratic election of the Mr. Donald J. Trump that they marched in the nation’s streets and lashed out to almost anything of a visual reminder of the victor to express their dissatisfaction and frustration. I found it interesting that Media sought not to describe this extreme expression of dissatisfaction as “racist” due to the fact that Mr. Trump is Caucasian, or discriminatory against the wealthy, due to Mr. Trump’s immense wealth, or age discrimination, due to the fact the Trump will be the oldest man to be elected president at 70 years old, or any other excuse for violent acts and disorder to attach to a protected class as it did strenuously struggled to apply to any criticism or expression of dissatisfaction over the election or policies of Mr. Barack Obama; as though any and all discontent expressed was simply due to the fact that he was Black.
As I look at it, I see very little difference from post-election day 2016 and that of 2008 or 2012. I’m sure that were many of the voters wondering, could we had done better with the choices that were laid in front of us? A good argument can be made that in the 2008 and 2012 elections the voters were left between rather to have their left arm or right leg sawed off at the joints. Whereas on Tuesday November 8th 2016 left voters with the choice of either have the left or right eye ball removed with a rusty tong; both candidate’s had unfavourabilities hovering near 60%. Amazing!
I think that mid-1700’s French lawyer, diplomat, writer, and philosopher, Joseph de Maistre, may have said it best, “In a democracy people get the leaders they deserve.” You notice that he did not say that we get the leaders that we want, but the leaders that we deserve. I’d be willing to bet you a dollar to a donut that most U.S voters would say that they want the U.S president to be a person of high moral conviction, of good character, and honest. But, actions speak volumes. If you take an honest assessment of the two individuals that were the electable choices to be president, it would be quite obvious that that’s not what the voters ultimately voted for. Quite the opposite. So too the same can be said as for the two prior presidential election outcomes.
The Citizens of the United States in ’08 and 2012 elected a man to be president without enquiring of him anything more than they would someone who was applying to manicure their yard. We cared not his political philosophy. We cared not of his personal affiliations that helped mold and influence his world view, men such as Frank Marshall Davis, Saul Alinsky, Rev. Jeremiah Wright and Bill Ayers. All of whom were either Communist/Marxist, Socialist, and or Anarchist. We showed scant, if any, interest in how did the effects of both of his dads being from socialist/communist Muslim countries, one being from Indonesia and his biological father being from Kenya, and his mother having extreme socialist political leanings, had on his world perception. Nor did we seem to be too inquisitive how he could be part of the Trinity United Church of Christ for some 20 plus years, be married in it, and have a person such Rev. Jeremiah Wright, who preached a radical form of black liberation, and then tell us that he had no idea of the type of preaching that was espoused by Rev. Wright. Mr. O was presented to the voters as blank canvas, for which we could mentally create into who we wanted him to be, as he spoke with velvet silk tongue about “Hope & Change”. How he would make all of our economic pains go away; that Santa [the government] would take from the bad an evil rich and give all of their ill-gotten wealth to us, the “less fortunate”; and that Santa would deliver us a Utopian paradise, just because. Too many of us chose not to question with boldness the man who promised to “Fundamentally transform America”, just what was he transforming America from, and into what? And the complicit Media ensured that we the people stayed distracted and squabbling amongst over selves so those such questions remain unasked.
With so much of the population so conditionally adverse to learning history, and therefore lack the ability to learn from it, it should come as no surprise that another virtual unknown is elected to the highest political office of the land, once again. This time he wears the Republican brand, billionaire businessman Mr. Donald J. Trump. Riding an emotional tsunami of a nation’s silent majority’s anger and discontent who has felt betrayed by the political “Establishment” and disillusioned with the future prospects of the nation – economically, nationally, and socially, with admittedly having never held any public office and showing no passion for historical political functioning nor posture. He sailed his way to being elected president of the United States on bluster, showmanship, machoism, and an emotionally charged mantra, “I’m Going to Make America Great Again”. And let’s not forget to mention he was up against the most ethically and morally flawed Democrat opponent who literally had a personality, that if she was honey, would draw 2 bees; and 1 would be lost. But even the most intellectually passive person might ask, What is his vision of America’s greatness? and How will that be manifested?
Once again, the voters of the United States some to be grossly disinterested in the philosophical constitution of the man who they have chosen to be president. The nation voters seem curiosity vacant regarding the political constitution of a man who has never held political office. For the man who is to be the face of the Republican Party, Mr. Trump has stated positions that are more than intellectually counter-intuitive, if not repugnant, to the ideology of Republicanism, such as; he favors Planned Parenthood, favors gender “equality” in the workforce, advocates eminent domain, he is for forcing businesses to adopt family paid leave policies, has stated the need for “universal healthcare”, and what to me is the most irreprehensible statement that he made was that “he has never sought the need to repent or ask the Creator for forgiveness. Should even the least inquisitive amongst us not pause and ask, what is it that guides this man who will be president’s decision making and governs his notion of right and wrong? Should someone be asking what does the fact that he is on his third marriage and that he has many times placed a greater value on potential golf course over that of 92 y/o Scottish woman’s fundamental right to be left alone say about his moral compass? Should we be at all concern of his strong fascist and corporatist leanings? What does the fact that he treats the Constitution with ill reverence says about whom he may choose to enforce it? Is he the best amongst us whom we could have chosen? Do we care to even ask such bold questions anymore? And if the voters continue to take their choices so triviality, what does that say about the future of our great country?
A good argument can be made that it hasn’t been since the election of Reagan that the nation has had a president who the people, with little conscience reservation, felt proud when he spoke in our name, felt confident in his character, had confident that he was guided by Divine moral conviction, and felt little need question his judgement. There is a reason that Reagan’s name still demands honor and respect, and so many Republicans blasphemously speaks his name for their illicit political benefit. When have you heard any Democrat president spoken nearly with such reverence? Carter? Clinton? Will Obama be? Yes, you can say Kennedy. But the nation was vastly different then – morally, socially, economically, and politically. The distance from America then and America now is comparable to that of Earth and Pluto.
The importance of choosing a God-fearing man of good moral character to govern and the consequences that would come if the American people failed in that undertaking may have been foretold no more prophetically them Founding Father Noah Webster, when he said, “When you become entitled to exercise the right of voting for public officers, let it be impressed on your mind that God commands you to choose for rulers, “just men who will rule in the fear of God.” The preservation of government depends on the faithful discharge of this duty; if the citizens neglect their duty and place unprincipled men in office, the government will soon be corrupted; laws will be made, not for the public good so much as for selfish or local purposes; corrupt or incompetent men will be appointed to execute the laws; the public revenues will be squandered on unworthy men; and the rights of the citizens will be violated or disregarded. If a republican government fails to secure public prosperity and happiness, it must be because the citizens neglect the divine commands, and elect bad men to make and administer the laws.” and “When a citizen gives his suffrage (vote) to a man of known immorality he abuses his trust; he sacrifices not only his own interest, but that of his neighbor, he betrays the interest of his country.”
This nation will not fail or succeed by the moral compass or quality of character of the leaders placed to govern, but by that of the people who chooses them to govern.
