The New DINGO – Democrats In Grimness
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By Avraham Azrieli *
* Avraham Azrieli is the author of ten published books, most recently “Deborah Rising” (HarperCollins 2016) a novel portraying the dramatic rise of the first woman to lead a nation in human history. www.AzrieliBooks.com
In
the wake of Donald Trump’s 2016 victory, Democrats are completely out of power,
having lost the White House, both houses of Congress, and soon, the Supreme
Court, as well. Left to roam the political wilderness like the proverbial
Australian Dingo, demoralized Democratic leaders offer a trio of grim messages:
First, they continue to condemn the relentless vicious attacks Mr. Trump had rained
on his adversaries during his campaign as he attached derogatory nicknames to
his opponents in the GOP primaries and vowed to put Hillary Clinton in jail.
Second, they continue to enumerate all of Mr. Trump’s outlandish campaign
promises, which ranged from unconstitutional to impractical and outright ugly.
Third, they continue to build on Mrs. Clinton’s infamous “deplorables” comment
by stigmatizing Trump voters as racists, sexists, or simply stupid—how could
they fail to see Trump’s depraved heart, cunning mind, and self-enriching
intentions?
Democrats’
thrice-grim message is understandable in light of the nauseating nastiness of
Trump’s campaign, but it is shortsighted, misguided, and insulting to millions
of voters. It is especially galling in view of the Democrats’ prior message of
hope and change, which won the White House and both houses of Congress in 2008.
Disappointed Democrats should begin by conceding the reality of an American
credo: success begets redemption. By winning the presidency, Mr. Trump has
redeemed his methods. It might be painful to digest, because his path to
victory was paved with sickening rudeness, rotten lies, and ethical cesspools
huge enough to swallow his Boeing 757. (See my previous article: “The New RINO
– Republican in Nastiness Only,” May 6, 2016). However, in our system of
presidential elections, the winner takes all. Game’s over. Let’s move on.
This
redemption-by-success is not about morality, but about hindsight. Adopting a merciless,
take-no-prisoners, win-at-any-cost strategy might be appalling along the way,
but if it produces fame and riches, all criticism turns to praise—which is fitting,
as Mr. Trump is first and foremost a fiercely competitive New York businessman.
And while grim condemnations and righteous bemoaning abound, did Trump really have
a choice?
Announcing
his campaign last year, Trump’s odds of success were estimated at zero.
Countless experts gleefully diagnosed his presidential ambition as a joke, a
publicity stunt, or even a Trojan horse—a liberal plot to sabotage the GOP
primaries. He was the underdog, the outsider,
the wannabe who’d never be. Facing dismissive ridicule, Trump chose the only path
open to him: shock and awe. At the outset, his proposed big wall, Muslim ban,
and China trade war shocked and awed complacent political mavens and eager pundits,
throwing every talking head into frenzy that blanketed the airways. His
personal insults and nighttime tweets generated heated criticism and derision,
raising a media storm that was soon upgraded to a hurricane and never calmed
down. Through ebbs and flows, Trump stuck to his simple campaign theme—Make
America Great Again—and he never gave up on those red hats, incessant attacks,
and fiery speeches about a rigged system of corrupt politicians and their
corporate paymasters. And then he shocked and awed a great deal more and never
gave an inch, continuously and relentlessly, until he won the GOP primaries and—Surprise! Surprise!—the general
elections.
In
his stunning trajectory from a political neophyte to President-elect, Trump has
performed the ultimate reality show. Democrats’ post-election grimness, on the
other hand, perpetuates the very weakness that cost them the elections, blaming
Clinton’s loss on others—the Russians hacked, the FBI director zigzagged, the
Republican state legislators suppressed minority voters, poor white folks mistook
Trump’s glitz for real gold, etc. Shell-shocked by Trump’s unexpected victory, Democrats
persist in the blind denial of a grim reality of having lost the core voters of
the party—working class Americans. There are many minor causes for Clinton’s
loss, her dismal rate of likability chief among them, closely followed by the
foolish focus on identity politics, which divided but failed to conquer. A
Democratic candidate in today’s America should have won by a landslide, but Trump
won because working class Americans—the justifiably angry and no-longer silent
majority—handed the presidency to the candidate who spoke about the issues that
really mattered to them.
A
lone voice of caution before the elections, Rep. Debbie Dingell of Michigan
warned that the Democratic party was losing the Rust Belt states: “The ordinary
working man or woman in this country isn’t asking for a lot. They want to make
a decent living. They want to be able to provide for their family, buy a home
in a safe neighborhood, put food on the table, go the doctor when they need to,
afford their medicines and educate their children. What many don’t understand
is how these things are in danger of becoming unattainable for too many
Americans.” How’s that for a clear message that calls for hope and change instead
of grim condemnations? It’s time Democrats understand the real cause of Trump’s
victory: for millions of families, the sympathies for minorities and for social
justice causes—virtuous as they may be—are secondary to the fundamental dignity
of a decent job that provides one’s family with a decent life.
But
what about the danger of climate change? To many Americans, this is a huge concern,
truly apocalyptic. In fact, regular flooding already poses a major challenge in
coastal areas—notably in Florida, which ironically cost Hillary Clinton the
elections. Even those who question whether or not climate change is caused by human
activity don’t like chimneys spewing cancerous particles into their air or drillers
injecting sickening chemicals into their well water. But the proclamations that
Trump voters are ignorant of science or are suckers for oil companies’
manipulations miss the point completely. Trump’s message wasn’t in favor of
pollution or the oil companies. His central message, wholeheartedly embraced by
millions of voters, was that America sacrificed its economic interests and surrendered
its industrial heartland by enacting draconian environmental regulations while signing
trade deals with foreign countries, which are allowed to continue to pollute
and use veritable slave labor to make cheap goods. This one-two punch has driven
vast numbers of manufacturing jobs out of the United States and cost millions
of workers their chance at the American dream. To borrow George Carlin's words:
“The American dream is called that because you can only believe it if you’re
dreaming.”
The
acceptance of what really caused Trump’s victory is only the first step.
Elections postmortem aside, what about the widespread fears of the coming Trump
presidency? Will he bring to the White House the same raging temperament that
characterized his campaign, or will he lead with the talent, skills, and deliberate
caution that his success as a businessman, a TV personality, and a father must
have required?
The
Jewish Talmud says that, after the passing of the biblical prophets, prophecy
was given to fools. Those who predict doom and gloom under Trump should
remember the dire predictions and genuine panic that permeated Republicans upon
the election of Barack Obama—a man of foreign origins, multi-cultural
globalism, and complete lack of executive experience. We all know that those
grim predictions failed to materialize. By most measures, the country is in
much better shape now than when Mr. Obama took office, while Republicans take
credit for their effective opposition to his more controversial initiatives.
Similarly, a Trump presidency—tamed by a robust Democratic opposition—may very
well prove to be a healthy mix of successes, setbacks, and unsavory scandals, not
much different from past presidencies.
In
summary, Democrats would do well to forgo grimness in favor of hope and change,
adopting an agenda founded on fidelity to the real economic challenges
afflicting working class Americans, and spice it up with a generous dose of creativity,
fairness, and optimism. Global prosperity, cleaner environment, and tolerance of
diversity are worthy causes, but they are secondary to the actual wellbeing of
the very people our elected officials are sworn to serve and protect. To quote
another Talmudic canon: “The poor of your own town come first.” Rather than attack
Trump personally, which would only reinforce his outsider status and populist
pretense, Democrats should unite to oppose his administration’s wrongheaded policies,
and offer better ones. By refocusing on FDR’s “Four Freedoms” (expression,
worship, prosperity, and security) and reigniting Johnson’s Great Society,
Democrats will regain the moral, social, and political high ground that was
lost in 2016. Then, DINGO may stand for: Democrats In Greatness Only. It worked
for Mr. Trump, didn’t it?
* Avraham Azrieli is the author of ten published books, most recently “Deborah Rising” (HarperCollins 2016) a novel portraying the dramatic rise of the first woman to lead a nation in human history. www.AzrieliBooks.com
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