Saturday, May 7, 2016

Both political parties favor globalism, free trade, and loosened borders. Millions of Americans don't want these things. Voters have been ill served by the parties. Trump is a voice for the voiceless whether you like him or not-Vanity Fair, T.A. Frank

.
"A decent political system takes both desires into account."...

5/6/16, "Why You Shouldn’t (Totally) Freak Out About a Trump Presidency," Vanity Fair, T.A. Frank
......
(parag. 4): "Voters have been ill-served by the two parties, because the areas of Washington consensus did not reflect a popular consensus. Both parties favor globalism, free trade, and loosened borders, but millions of Americans favor nationalism, isolationism, and nativism. The latter terms are customarily used as ones of abuse, but the simple fact is that some people want to connect more with the outer world, while others want to keep their environments more stable and enclosed. 

A decent political system takes both desires into account and looks for compromise, not winner-takes-all. People on the left often speak of leaders who can be a voice for the voiceless. Trump, whether you like him or not, is that. His manner of delivery may not be defensible, but he’s the first to channel something that had to come out eventually. He sets the stage for others to set up political choices more in tune with the splits of Americans, which won’t resolve our differences but will make some of them less bitter.

If Trump wins, he might threaten to deport 11 million people, but he will not do it. No one will. But if Trump gets a border fence built, I predict it would not bother most people. There is already a wall south of San Diego. Do you wish to see it torn down, or do you not much care either way? My guess is you do not much care either way. If a wall causes most of the illegal migration across the southern border to be stopped, then much of the bitterness surrounding the issue will fade away. Amnesty will become easier, not harder. 

Many of the worst erosions of our liberties and checks and balances have occurred in a slow and creeping manner, thanks to a court decision here, an executive action there, or a law with unintended consequences. Republicans failed miserably to keep the power grabs of the George W. Bush White House in check, but Democrats have hardly been models of self-policing when it comes to the Barack Obama White House, either. With Trump, all sides would be so vigilant and frightened that the threats to the rule of law might be less, not more, with his presidency. To put it another way, Trump might be less of a threat to democracy than, say, Marco Rubio. I can’t promise this, but it’s not an outlandish possibility.

Trump will win only if he can prove himself capable of impulse control and the demands of the presidency. If he continues to go mad with his pronouncements, if he makes a hash of his debates, if he fails to act as a statesmen would, he will lose decisively. He could rely upon the issue of immigration as a flotation device in the primaries. He can’t do that in the general election. Yes, Americans are fed up with many things, and they are readier for risk than normal. But they are not suicidal. If you trust in their judgment, we will be O.K. I think you should, and I think we will."




...............................

No comments: