by Ray Keating
So, how do we explain the Trump phenomenon?
Well, quite frankly, I’m sick of the seemingly endless
gymnastics being performed to pin blame for Donald Trump on seemingly anyone
but the people actually supporting and voting for Donald Trump.
The list of excuses turns out to be quite lengthy.
Some say it’s President Barack Obama’s fault. After all,
he’s been such a bad, weak, left-wing president – and he most certainly has –
that Obama has driven people to support Trump. Of course, one does not
necessarily follow from the other.
And then there’s the nefarious, mysterious and elusive
“Republican Establishment,” which supposedly has not done enough to take on
Obama. As a result, the excuse goes, frustrated voters have no choice but to
turn to Trump. For good measure, so-called “conservative” talk radio hosts feed
the idea of Trump being anti-Establishment, and their listeners follow,
accordingly. What the “Establishment” actually is really makes
little sense any more, amounting to little more than name calling, while
ignoring Trump’s long affiliation with those long distrusted by conservatives,
such as Hillary Clinton.
Of course, there also are those darn foreigners. According
to Trump, illegal immigrants and free trade with other nations lie at the core
of our economic troubles, and the entire D.C. establishment – this time both
Democrats and Republicans – stands unwilling to do anything about it. But Trump
is ready to round up 11-12 million illegals and kick them out of the country,
build a massive wall on our border with Mexico, and dump free trade agreements
and impose some big time tariffs. Never mind the economic havoc this would
wreak, as well as the human rights violations.
In the end, I don’t even blame Donald Trump for Donald
Trump’s success. After all, any candidate who, for example, has flip-flopped (from
liberal to populist or conservative) on nearly every major issue for pure
political convenience, favors crippling the economy via protectionism and a
massive government-forced migration, supports taking private property in favor
of crony capitalism, takes foreign policy advice from his own “good brain” and
watching television, attacks women (including the wife of anther candidate and
Megyn Kelly) in seemingly countless ways, advocates using the military to kill
innocent people, donated to his most likely Democratic opponent, mocks war
heroes for their brave actions during war, indicates that riots and violence in
support of his campaign are okay, has a long list of bankruptcies and shady
business dealings, and is not too fond of the First Amendment, deserves only
the votes of the flaky few.
Nonetheless, Mr. Trump is well on his way to gaining the
Republican nod. There’s no one to blame for this other than the people who are
actually voting for this ignorant, dangerous individual. Anger, frustration or
whatever other excuses simply do not hold water.
We are each responsible for our actions, and have the
responsibility to be informed voters. Trump voters either fail to understand
such responsibilities, or care nothing about them.
______________
Mr. Keating is an
economist and novelist who writes on a wide range of topics. His Pastor Stephen
Grant novels have received considerable acclaim, including The River: A Pastor
Stephen Grant Novel being a finalist for KFUO radio’s Book of the Year 2014,
and Murderer’s Row: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel winning Book of the Year 2015.
The Pastor Stephen
Grant Novels are available at Amazon…
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