Trump has his eye on the contemporary Left’s extremism, but this is not so much the statist Left that the libertarians oppose, nor the values-and-autonomy Left resisted by the religious Right, but the anti-American Left. This Left plunged its knife into our politics in the 1960s and has been twisting it ever since.I think part of Trump’s apparent lack of a strategic plan is due to the fact that he does not realize that there is such a thing as the anti-American left. He understands that bad decisions have been made on immigration and trade but that this was due to negligence, not pure malevolence and destructive, revolutionary purpose. It is hard for decent people to understand that they are up against pure evil. But that is what we face. What the left has in store for the world is nothing less than the destruction of Western civilization.[1]The Old Left had opposed American capitalism, the Progressives had condemned American plutocracy, but not until the ’50s and ’60s did a significant faction of the Left begin to blame the American masses, not the elite, for the country’s sins. The people became the problem. They were racist, materialist, imperialist, sexist, and sexually inhibited, according to the original catalogue of sins; later the phobias were discovered—homophobia, Islamophobia, transphobia, and so forth. Together these comprise pretty much the irredeemable sins Hillary had in mind when she condemned Trump’s voters as deplorable.
Notes
[1] "Thinking about Trump." By Charles R. Kesler, Claremont Review of Books, 5/7/18 (emphasis added).
2 comments:
"I think part of Trump’s apparent lack of a strategic plan is due to the fact that he does not realize that there is such a thing as the anti-American left. He understands that bad decisions have been made on immigration and trade but that this was due to negligence, not pure malevolence and destructive, revolutionary purpose. It is hard for decent people to understand that they are up against pure evil."
Colonel . . .
I more than suspect Mr. Trump very much understands your last sentence quoted above! But he has had to slow-walk most everything he does, because of the open malevolence (as you wrote) of the left since day one.
Things are beginning to happen quickly. Most are not prepared for what they are about to learn, and how it all ends up is anyone's guess. Given the number of successes he has had thus far does indicate a strategy - it is just none of us can be quite sure how these matters will all play out.
J. Baxter
Houston
I hope you're right. Someone pointed out that Melania's hospital stay had been in the works for weeks and there were no leaks about it. They went on to argue that Trump is playing a long game, similarly hidden, and that he and Sessions are quietly putting the screws to the Peter Strzoks and Lisa Pages of this nation. Wonderful if true and I'll withhold judgement.
However, I have to wonder. The Twitter thing with him is odd when you come down to it. I can see that it would be an effective tool to bypass the MSM but he uses it for frivolous messages tinged with a certain artless way of expressing himself. Couldn't he have media and legal savvy persons help him craft a tweet strategy instead of giving the raw Donaldo? Getting into a tweet battle with Rosie McDonnell is not a sign that Trump is a careful or reflective man. Really? Rosie?
He has to know by now that nothing is coming out of Congress on immigration but I see not the least indication that he is seeking counsel on what he can do as CIC about sealing the border. The Posse Comitatus Act deals with use of troops to help enforce the criminal law. It doesn't limit presidential power at the border where his constitutional powers to repel invasion are plenary. Instead, we are treated to stupid perseveration about Dreamers and "the poor dears." This country has a foreigner problem and Trump is not leading on this but playing into the hands of the very leftists I describe. Why aren't sanctuary city mayors under indictment as we speak?
He's not said "boo" about AntiFa street thuggery or even taken enough of a leadership role to suggest to all states that they criminalize appearing in public wearing masks. If wearing a mask in public outside of Halloween and Mardi Gras isn't a sure sign of criminal intent I don't know what is.
Nor has he suggested a coordinated state and federal campaign to shut down these most evil of evil leftists even given present laws. What are those bleeping "fusion centers" for? Nor has he taken any kind of a position on the attack on free speech. Maybe he tweeted "not good" at some point and I missed it. :-)
It's bad enough he lied about his intention to curtail or end foreign military adventures but then he has compounded his lie by sending missile strikes on Syria when no rational person could have said that the evidence is clear that Assad's troops were responsible for the supposed chemical weapon attacks. That's the essence of going off half cocked. Cunning leader not so much.
He's also clueless about the Constitution as he still thinks that the words "health care" can be found in Article I, Sect. 8. It is to weep.
It's true as you say that he's been under relentless attack by the left but just because someone is under attack does not mean that his only strategy has to be a stealthy readying of a prosecutorial response. Not your specific point, of course. He has tools of his own he can use proactively to go on the offensive and he also has the bully pulpit which he is manifestly incapable of using except with his vague MAGA stuff. Why is he limited to such a sotto voce strategy?
He's doing well with trade and economic issues because I think he has insight there but his political insights are few IMHO. He caved horribly on the spending disaster in the last appropriation monstrosity and, again, lost an opportunity to make the case to the people that it's time to go to the mat on a lot of things.
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