An American Rock and an Even More American Hard Place
The 2016 US Presidential Election will be the fascination of historians for years to come. Right now, the current front-runners in the polls are a gaudy real estate magnate on the one hand and a septuagenarian socialist on the other. Maybe this is a step in the right direction; maybe the political establishment needs this sort of a wake-up call. But that flower grows on scorched earth. The Republican Party’s voters have overwhelmingly backed Trump. It’s worth discovering why.
Critics occupy themselves with the question like “where did Donald Trump come from?” The United States has never seen a candidate with no visible platform, spewing invective and acrimony, and without a single relevant credential to his name. Trump is, for all intents and purposes, a political nobody. An empty vessel, perfect for the New American.
It is no secret that the American brand has been declining in recent years. Americans used to be a global paragon of humanity – the world used to strive to be like us. As a result of our posturing across the 90s and through 9/11, our image changed. We are now defined by the loud-mouthed, obese, undereducated Bible-thumpers. These people took the venerated traits of patriotism, duty, and pride and turned them into ugly bantlings. The perception of the American abroad is the butt of jokes. It was painfully obvious that, with a population, their representative government will follow, too. Statesmen like FDR and Reagan are only as common as the population wants them to be.
The political narrative in the country is grim. This group of New Americans supported the Bush Administration’s reckless knee-jerk responses to national security threats, piling on their unrestrained xenophobia. These were the same people who believed, and probably still do believe, that Obama is a Muslim apostate installed into the nation’s highest office. He just needs to be activated, you know. Whereas Obama’s election was once hoped to be indicative of a national push to be more attentive, open-minded and nuanced, the New Americans have been resistant to any kind of dialogue or education. Their responses generally focus on “Muslim”, “Socialist”, “Caesar”, “Tyrant.”
The logical continuation is someone like Trump – a perfect reflection of the New American. Feckless, he has abandoned facts, loves to shift blame on anyone but him and his constituents, and disavows all practices of basic manners or politeness. The New American doesn’t like facts, doesn’t like balance, and doesn’t like reason. Trump’s babble is the candidate that speaks to them. His prominence is a reaffirmation that the New American is a legitimate new phenomenon that needs to be heeded. It is not Obama or Clinton or Bush that created Trump – it was ourselves. Trump is the face of a crushing part of America, whether you like it or not.
While popular movements supporting odious figures are not strangers to American politics, this one is particularly disturbing. Unlike others, this one was never predicated on an individual. As the Vox study shows, the trends have been endemic to the United States for at least a decade. This is not a Trump force, this is an American force. If mathematical project and continuity is to be accepted as legitimate, then it is probable that we will see further increase of New Americans.
Even if they are to be defeated now, America has a dark, gloomy road ahead. The Trump image and brand may fade away, but the Trump followers will only see their defeat as a reason to punch back harder. For them, every “no” is another “Commie-lovin’ way of killing America.” The next election will see another Trump, only with more massive support and greater funds from businessmen and donors who have fallen under the curse. We had better brace ourselves, because Trump is only the tip of the iceberg.
Some people might advocate for the election of Trump as an antidote to what may befall us as a result of the next Trumps. That is simply unacceptable.
Domestically, a Trump White House will see ever increasing resistance to their policies. A Trump Presidency will see the questionable executive orders bring along insubordinate judges and protesting officials. A Trump Presidency predicts the sort of constitutional crisis that will put the American people at a crossroads: either back on the path of reason, dialogue, and cooperation, or on a path toward the end of the republic. While it may be unfathomable that Congress will line up to Trump, Trump will very likely nominate upwards of three Supreme Court Justices. Optimists may argue that he will never have the support of the checks and balances, but this seems to be the case as long as Kennedy or Ginsburg do not resign. After this, what happens to the impervious separation of powers that was wrought with Trumps in mind is anyone’s guess.
Trump is very much like a cough that America ought to get checked out. Annoying and painful on its own, it is indicative of other, greater problems. It is extraordinarily important to keep in mind that these New Americans do not only taint our image, they soil our plans for prolonged prosperity and unity after such a tumultuous, hate-ridden period of American history. How to contain this force while it expands into a more despicable form, I do not know. But the first step to defeating your opponent is to know that it exists and to monitor its every move. It’s us or America on this one.
Like any reasonable person, I would not like to see a Trump presidency, but I fully understand that our country has been set on a fast-track to a philistine anti-enlightenment. A change in motion for twenty years, it will take a rough, brash interjection to stop this process. This step is as of yet unknown and uncharted, which is concerning. The ultimate test for American stability is on the horizon, harking back to the pre-Civil War ages. Will we have to reinvent ourselves and create newfound understandings between the stretches of America? Most likely. Will this be difficult? Certainly. Is it better than the alternative? Oh, you bet.
