Many Americans Willingly Accept Alternate Reality
Re: this article: “Trump and Republicans settle on fear — and falsehoods — as a midterm strategy,” a friend writes:
Phew, I’m taking a brief respite from barricading my doors against all these rioters in California. I haven’t heard the sounds of guns blazing and windows being smashed yet, but I’m sure it’s headed my way. Oh wait. In the past 24 hours, Trump has sowed fear about rioting in California sanctuary cities and ISIS members heading to the U.S. border on caravans from Honduras. He’s also promised a 10% middle class tax cut in 2 weeks when Congress isn’t even in session. He doesn’t even pretend any more that there’s a factual basis in any of this. He’s almost gleeful that we know he’s just making all this stuff up out of thin air, knowing that 45% of the country will lap up his alternate reality. He defies us to do something about it.
45%. Isn’t that remarkable? Could anyone have predicted that almost half of Americans would be absolutely thrilled to be led by a man who makes up vicious lies everywhere he goes?
How long would other world leaders last, say Macron in France or Merkel in Germany, if virtually everything they said were demonstrably false? Answer: they would immediately be deemed insane and removed from power.
I like the closing sentence above: He defies us to do something about it. Perhaps we will, on November 6th.
Craig,
President Trump’s campaign speeches are not meant as carefully constructed academic dissertations, any claims are a mixture of hype, opinion, and emotive rhetoric.
This is hardly new for political campaign speeches ! What was more ludicrous was watching former President Obama addressing the party faithful about the need for calm, sensible immigration policies. The former President seemed oblivious to the fact he had eight years with the power to acheive immigration reform, but abjectly failed.
His answer as to why it was his law that allowed child separation, he hypocritically replied “that maybe true, but I wouldn’t have enforced it in such a cruel way”.
As for the “Dreamers”, he couldn’t explain why he hadn’t asked Congress to resolve the issue by legislation instead of endless temporary Presidential extensions, he grew irritated and again replied, ” I acted on what I was advised was best”.
Nor could former President Obama explain exactly how his suggestion to “negotiate” with the ‘Caravan’ headed toward the US border would actually work, expect to criticize the current President who is actually taking effective action.
When the President speculated the Caravan could provide cover for gang members or middle eastern fanatics or criminals among the multitude, he didn’t claim he had personal knowledge of the identity of these undesirables, any more than the Washington Post, CNN or NYT has any knowledge that such individuals don’t exist.
Such speeches always express broad stroke opinions, not detailed, specific analysis.
However, one thing is for real, The assault on the US border is happening and urgent. The American people must decide. Does the US government control US borders and set migration policy, or does the US open it’s borders to all comers for good or ill ?
Unfortunately, there is no ‘middle ground’ ! It’s like being only ” a little bit pregnant”, a female is either pregnant or not, there is no pausing or compromise possible.
President Obama proved to be a nice man who didn’t want to offend his multitude supporters, Washington insiders, spin doctors or advisors, as a result he became weak and ineffective. Saying all the right things is all very well, but an illusion of platitudes doesn’t solve problems
President Trump is at least taking action. It may not be nice, or politically correct, but it will be decisive and control the problem effectively.
There are times any decision is better than no decision, and this is one of those times.