WHO AND WHAT IS PRESIDENT TRUMP?

There are many takes, myriads of thoughts, rationalizations and explanations that are blanketing the country following the Presidential election of Donald J. Trump. Central to his triumphant victory was the race factor and electoral discontent. Trump turned this election into a last ditch stand of whites, mainly white males, against all the “other” including women and even the disabled. Added to this mix was the distrust in politicians and their favoring the one percent haves against the have nots. Unhappily, in the process Trump attacked the very pillars of democracy that allowed his election to the highest office in the world. 

One fact is for certain, objectively Trump’s achievement is remarkable. Virtually single handed he  knocked over the Republican Party elite like nine pins. He then moved onto demolish the highly efficient and professional Democratic Party operation to be elected President. 

TRUMP’S TWO THEMES

Trump, the master of what the market wants read ,against all the trends, that there were still enough white Americans to fight the browning of the country’s population. This approach was really blasphemous following the 2012 Republican autopsy that ruled that the GOP could never again win another national election with only white voters.

There were two major themes to his disjointed but ever changing manifesto: 

1. An attack on the corrupt political establishment, (as epitomized by “crooked” Hillary), who lived of the fat of the land. This criticism was extended to the one per centers that hogged the fruits of the economy and were above the law, (excluding his good self of course).  Ironically parts of his articulated economic policy was in sync with the Democrats and at odds with the Republicans,
2. The second was Make America Great Again. As Jay H. Ell blogged from the word go this really was code for Make America White Again. To this effect he attacked the Muslims, the Latinos, belittled the African Americans and was even accused by the Jewish Anti Defamation League of anti - semitism.

RESPONSE TO ELECTION

The Trump Spin Team

Front and foremost the Donald J, Trump spin team is executing what they did throughout the campaign; namely spinning what he really meant which is of course was not what he had really said. In the campaign this gave him the advantage of appearing “respectable” to those who were looking for an excuse not to vote for Hillary Clinton. More significantly his base still believed his original message thereby giving him the best of both worlds. So Trump, for example, could have the support of the alt- right and David Duke’s Klu Klux Klan while at the same time his team were roundly condemning them. His Mexican wall is now a “metaphorical wall”, his ban on Muslims is now directed to citizens of certain unnamed countries, there is reassurance that he only wants to deport 2 million individuals. etc etc.

The beauty of all this is that Trump, when push comes to shove, can refute his minions explanations and when it doesn’t suit him, he can quote what he really said.

The Republicans

For those Republicans, who are pretending that they are in the party of Teddy Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Reagan and the Bushes and talk of this great victory, from the toady GOP National Chairman, Reince Priebus, the motley crew of political deadbeats, Giuliani, Gingrich and Christie, the embarrassed Paul Ryan Leader of the House and other  Republican congressmen, you are in for a big shock. You are in the Republican Party of Donald Trump. He doesn’t care a hoot what the GOP philosophy is as he didn’t during the campaign. This is really about him.

The Republican intellectuals and those that supported the Grand Old Party are writing obituaries or embellishing those that they had crafted during the campaign. 

What happens at the end of the day to the real Republican Party or whether they will split and a third party emerges is a matter of conjecture at this stage. Currently it is on the path of least resistance. It is in denial having seamlessly morphed into the party of Trump.

Clinton, Obama and Trump

As one might expect “Lock her up”, Hillary and “Birther” Obama have responded in a dignified manner in the tradition of peaceful democratic change of power. Both offered to work with him. Trump in his conciliatory speech wants to be everyone’s President and unite the country. Following his meeting with the current President, Trump revealed that President Obama was a “Good Man “ period  So all that looks like kumbaya - one can dream can’t one?

WHAT IS THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE NEW TRUMP GOP AND WHAT IS HIS AGENDA?

There is no coherent philosophy. The basis of the “Movement” was that the narcissistic Trump wanted to be President. He exploited and utilized his celebrity status and his highly honed salesmanship skills to effect this. He gave the market whatever he thought they wanted. He abandoned whatever passed for his past Democratic Party convictions, reading the electorate like a book. The media, more interested in ratings than the “truth” punted him till kingdom come, ignoring and not following up on lie after lie. He made adjustments as he went along when he picked up that that was what one or other of his many constituencies wanted. 

This is some of what the new Trump GOP will look like.

There will be the labeling of China as a currency manipulator and an increase of tariffs of 45% on Chinese goods. Sounds good but the cost of living will rise dramatically because this is coupled with a 35% tariff on imports from Mexico. And as Donald knows this would push up the price of nearly all merchandise because those are the countries where he makes his products. There will be a massive expenditure on infrastructure, producing well paying jobs. Here he is ad idem with Hillary but like with tariffs hardly in sync with Ryan’s Republican Party. The fact that he is reducing taxes as well will increase the deficit to humungous proportions. Again not in Reince Priebus’s handbook on Party Policy.

In his unique  smorgasbord of foreign policies there is pulling out of the International Climate Change agreement, reneging on the Iranian nuclear deal as well as on trade pacts that should go a long way in making America’s hard earned good name mud. He has no comprehensive Middle East or any other foreign policy and he will wing it because he knows better than anyone else, “believe me”. Wait, like so many world leaders he has promised to move the Israeli US embassy to Jerusalem. Somehow they all back off. 

The “Wouldn’t it be nice if we were friends again with Russia” President will make overtures to Putin to the shock and fear of America’s NATO allies and by so doing disturb the balance of power in the world. His South East Asian policy has precipitated urgent cabinet meetings in both South Korea and Japan. The European nations’ leaders have publicly voiced their fears. He has exhibited a laissez affaire attitude to USA using nuclear weapons. He has encouraged other nations to use the same nuclear option thereby adding a nice touch of flames to his GOP foreign policy.

Waterboarding is back, “even if it doesn’t work”. Bombing of women and children of alleged terrorists is on even if it abrogates International Law

Obamacare is finished together with care for twenty- four million Americans. Medical insurance companies will now be able to refuse patients with pre existing conditions. All this courtesy of the people’s candidate. 

Then of course there is the Deportation Force needed to round up the 11 million illegals. A sickening reminder to Jay H. Ell of apartheid South Africa where the police vans scowed the neighborhood for illegals and banged on doors and dragged them away.

DEMOCRACY AND FASCISM

Democracy’s inherent maxim is that it is based on written and unwritten rules that likeminded citizens follow. This is its strength and weakness. Once again in contemporary history these guide lines have been abused. This corruption of its basic tenets has allowed democracy to become the midwife of an authoritarian bigot. As in the past this has been the path of many totalitarians, like Trump, who have taken their nations by the scruff the neck and turned them upside down. His scant disregard for the democracy that afforded him power was out there for all to see; he repeatedly threatened the freedom of the press withholding press rights to those who disagreed with him, impugned a judge hearing litigation against him on the basis of his Mexican heritage and issued a veiled threat against him once he had become President and he declared that he would refuse to accept the election result if he lost. Then he encouraged beating protestors, firing generals that disagreed with him, warned that he would jail his political opponent, accused the justice department of covering up Hillary and Bill’s crimes, invited the “second amendment people” to respond to the situation if he lost, maintained that the system was rigged and on and on…

In case there are those who are unable to put a label to this behavior it is called fascism.

AT THE END OF THE DAY

* The 1000 pound gorilla in the room is how Trumpism is going to be translated into a legislative agenda when he has no meaningful Republican support in Congress. The one advantage of democracy is that it sets term limits and there is only so much damage you can effect in four years. Another is that it requires Congress support for legislative initiatives. He will have Democratic support for his economic thrusts but for the rest other than his removal of regulations and lowering of taxes, he has an uphill battle with both parties. So one fact is for certain there is a bumpy road ahead.  Trump cannot be accused of being a team player. It has been his way or the high way even on the campaign. He seeks confrontation rather than consensus.

* There is no way that an election based on race won by a candidate that did not have a plurality of votes is going to be accepted without massive protest that is already manifesting. Where that will all lead to time will tell. Of course Donald can behave like all the other politicians that he has castigated and bow to pressure and back off on some of his promises. There is no doubt he will. His clean up crew can then explain that is not what he really did.

* By the way none of Trump’s Supreme Court nominations need be appointed because as Mitch McConnell ruled the people get to choose. Well more people voted for Hillary Clinton then Trump. Also McCain and Cruz et al maintain the Court works very well with eight Judges. The trick is for the Democrats to filibuster for four years. The electorate will blame the Republicans for doing nothing and vote Democrat businessman Marc Cuban President or better still Beyonce in 2020.

* There is another variable; the serious litigation that Trump is involved in. There are, according to the Daily Beast 75 cases pending against him. There is no way out of it. The Supreme Court, in Bill Clinton’s Presidency, ruled that civil litigation can continue against a President and although Trump’s cases involve fraud they are civil. 

* Whichever way you look at it the thought of four years of Trump being the personification of the nation is nauseating. Jay H. Ell can only hope that he is wrong and Trump will surprise us all and really Make America Greater.