A Few Trump Supporters Are Jumping Ship
It’s only natural to wonder how it’s possible that Trump’s approval rating isn’t dipping into the 20s, but is still holding in the low 30s. Some speculate that the answer lies in what got him elected in the first place, i.e., a willful disregard for the truth among his supporters, and thus a dogged unwillingness to abandon their beliefs, regardless of how facts may present themselves over time.
That’s why the photo here is noteworthy, i.e., it’s incredibly rare; certainly no one expects that he’s going to be joined by an army of people who feel the same.
This guy’s position, i.e., that he’s willing to admit that he made a mistake, is not only rare; it’s praiseworthy in the extreme. I’d like to go shake that fellow’s hand.
Craig,
“a dogged unwillingness to abandon their beliefs, regardless of how facts may present themselves over time ”
Oh ho, that accusation could be equally applied to the President’s opponents !
Mutato nomine de te fabula narratur (Horace) [“change but the name, and the story is told of yourself” ]
It’s true, in our passion and conviction of the righteousness of our cause or beliefs we all claim those who disagree with us or dissent from our opinions, stupid, hate-filled, truculent,ignorant, even “deplorable”.
” We often cause completely gratuitous offense, secure in the knowledge we are enlightened and righteous while those who disagree deserve contempt and must be silenced. We often feel our beliefs and pronouncements are beyond the necessity of analysis so naturally we are disinclined to debate or answer awkward questions, instead we retreat into either ignoring dissent or repeating our doctrine louder” . [Machiavelli](my translation)
On that note, may I wish you, your family, and all readers a Prosperous and Interesting New Year in 2018.
Great quote from Horace!
It’s funny; I frequently ask myself if I’m being just as hardheaded re: my assessment of Trump, but I don’t think so. I actually thought there was a fair chance that, when he won, he would make an announcement to the effect that he did what he had to to win, but now that he’s in the White House, he’s going to be a president for all Americans, rich and poor, support the cherished American values of compassion and fairness, and lead this great nation forward as a bastion of international goodwill and environmental stewardship. Of course, I got that wrong, but I’ll tell you this: if me makes that statement and backs it up with action, he’ll receive my complete support. I know I’m not the only one who feels that way.
Thanks for the good wishes; same back to you.
Craig,
Thank you for your reply.
Sadly, I think we are living at a time when your criteria for Presidential qualities and qualifications is outdated.
Like you I yearn for an earlier era when all things seemed possible and a practical charismatic idealist like Robert Kennedy could lead not only the USA and the Western World, but the whole planet to the golden dreams of a bright and shinning future.
IMHO, the bullet fired by Sirhan Sirhan on June 5, 1968 killed not only Robert F. Kennedy, but the dreams and aspirations of the era. Suddenly, that one senseless act of violence seemed to change the world as the ‘Sumner of Love ‘ passed into a long winter of discontent and decay.
Over the following decades, the world (especially the media) became less respectful, more critical, negative, cynical, vindictive and obsessed with triva.
The media began a long descent into increasingly sensationalist salacious journalism, where ” public interest” became replaced by ” what’s interesting to the public “.
With the ignominious conclusion of the war in Vietnam, the West stated a long descent into decay and a loss of confidence. Although memorable reformers like Reagan and Thatcher tried to to reverse the process, at the best their necessary reforms were imposed on a reluctant populous and only accepted as necessary rather than inspirational.
“Cometh the hour, Cometh the man” ! Maybe the often appalling President Trump is the true representative of what we have become. Despite the torrent of outrage and indignation and over-hype President Trump has been surprisingly effective at fulfilling his election promises and dealing with international issues.
You may not like the direction his policies are taking the US, or his abrupt acceptance of the reality that the US is no longer in a position of “world leader”, but he has proved surprisingly effective, even his methods are unorthodox.
I think what disconcerts many of his opponents is his disregard for political or presidential prestige. President Trump is unburdened by ideology, idealism, or party loyalty. He defies all efforts to categorize him within the conventional political spectrum. As an ‘outsider’ it’s only natural he’s drawn the fury and outrage of pundits who simply can’t accept that everything they knew about politics has changed.
Traditional media pundits and the professional political class have become deeply paranoid (with good reason)at the rise of Trump. He represent the chaos of the new world of social media, rise of American rivals and turbulent, unpredictable change.
President Trump didn’t instigate these massive changes, he is simply a symptom of a new world reality and is trying to ride the tiger.
As I say, I yearn for an older, simpler time, but whether we like it or not, it won’t return we must learn to accept things as they are and do our best in the present.
2018 will be an eventful year.
I think many people who try to analyze the media (and many who merely pontificate about its failures) fail themselves to account for the effects of massive consolidation across the industry. This consolidation has rendered a landscape in the US where about 90% of what our citizenry see, hear, and read, emerges from a mere handful of giant conglomerates. Self-censorship and hard editorial decisions emerge from a tight cluster of entities with decidedly less than civic-minded motivations.