WhateverĀ rhetorical concoctionĀ Donald J. Trump is peddling to those who’ve swilled it has been lost on me.
I’m trying to sort through the myriad reasons I detest the Republicans’ presumptive presidential nominee.
I’ve come up with a clear “winner.” It’s that ball cap he wears that bears the message “Make America Great Again.”
You’ve heard the mantra. The United States of America is a loser. Other countries are beating us up on trade. The people who run our government are incompetent. The nation is no longer great. Foreign leaders laugh at us. Our enemies no longer fear us.
Let’s process that for a moment.
Of all the interest groups that Trump has offended with his insults — Hispanics, African-Americans, women, veterans, disabled peopleĀ — can there be a larger group than, say, the entire nation of 300-plus million citizens?
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/05/trump-donald-rolling-thunder-veterans-223701
Just think about this. What the Republicans’ next presidential nominee is saying is that we no longer are a great nation. Haven’t the president’s foes — chiefly Republicans — chided him because he allegedly believes we aren’t an “exceptional nation”? Now their next nominee for president is saying essentially that that — and more. He’s proclaiming that we no longer are a great nation.
My wife, brother-in-law and I attended an air show this weekend at Cannon Air Force Base in Clovis, N.M. I realize a single public address announcer doesn’t speak for a nation, but the young man trumpeting the Air Force Thunderbirds aerial team kept referring to the Air Force as the world’s world greatest military force … and that it is part of a larger establishment that contributes to our national greatness.
At every level I can imagine, I consider the United States to be a great nation. As a patriot and a loyal American, I consider my country to be the greatest nation on Earth.
Trump’s ball cap says precisely the opposite.
Tell me again: Why isn’t every American offended by the message this guy is peddling?
How was Obama’s promise to “fundamentally change” this nation any different?
I don’t recall Obama ever denying our greatness.
Not exactly singing our praises:
āI realize that Americaās critics will be quick to point out that at times we too have failed to live up to our ideals; that America has plenty of problems within our own borders,ā Obama said. āThis is true.ā
“There have been times where America [has] shown arrogance and been dismissive, even derisiveā toward Europe.
“I did not say that some of that loss of authority was inevitable,” Obama said. “I said it was traced to very specific decisions that the previous administration had made that I believed had lowered our standing in the world.”
“In other words, we went off course. And this is not my assessment alone. It was an assessment that was shared by the American people who nominated candidates for President from both major parties who, despite our many differences, called for a new approach.”
“I would like to think that with my election and the early decisions that we’ve made, that you’re starting to see some restoration of America’s standing in the world.”
“Too often, the United States has not pursued and sustained engagement with our neighbors. We have been too easily distracted by other priorities, and have failed to see that our own progress is tied directly to progress throughout the Americas. My Administration is committed to the promise of a new day. ”
“There is also no question that Guantanamo set back the moral authority that is America’s strongest currency in the world.”
Thanks.
These comments from Obama are merely telling the truth of any nation, any community, any family, any relationship: that we don’t’ ALWAYS live up to our ideals (e.g. torture from the last administration), but that we can strive to make ourselves even better! But that’s not saying “We are not a great nation”. But we admit that every now and then we stumble. Anyone that can’t admit that is not being honest.
Obama (and progressives in general) love our nation and believe it to be the greatest nation, and do not view the nation in black and white absolutes, as is often the case with conservatives.
Progressives love America like grown-ups, not like little kids. To a 4-year-old, everything Mommy does is wonderful (or everything daddy does is mean and bad…again, black or white absolutes). But grown-up love means actually understanding what you love, taking the good with the bad and helping your loved one continue to grow. THAT is the message Obama sends out, NOT that “America is bad”, which is actually more like the message Trump sends with his rhetoric.
You know, growing older is such a waste if you can’t draw on experiences and lessons from the past. Here’s some campaign slogans from my lifetime that all claim America is somehow on the wrong path.
1976
* “Heās making us proud again.” -Gerald Ford
1980
* “Are You Better Off Than You Were Four Years Ago?” and “Let’s Make America Great Again” – Ronald Reagan
1984
* “It’s Morning Again in America” ā Ronald Reagan
1988
* “Kinder, Gentler Nation” ā George H. W. Bush
1992
* “For People, for a Change” ā Bill Clinton
* “It’s Time to Change America” ā Bill Clinton
2004
* “A Safer World and a More Hopeful America” ā George W. Bush
* “A Stronger America” ā John Kerry
* “Let America Be America Again” – John Kerry
2008
* “Change We Can Believe In.” Also, “Change We Need” ā Barack Obama
* “Fundamentally Change America” – Barack Obama