Rob Meyne
- March 2, 2020
- 4 min read
Never in memory has our country been dominated by political cohorts that seem to know less about each other, as these piece from the Guardian and Town Hall edify. Yet understanding the person sitting on the other side of the table is fundamental to making progress.
If you’re seeking to get a job, buy a house, or negotiate a union contract, it’s essential to understand what the other side wants. You can’t solve problems, come to agreements, or conclude deals that both parties endorse unless you understand what you both care about. It’s that simple.
Hillary’s famous “what does it matter” moment was intended to get the world to quit looking at her mismanagement and fecklessness, and that of Obama. People always want you to move on when not moving on is likely to expose their competence.
The “why’s” matter greatly. How can we prevent something like Benghazi from happening again if we don’t know how it happened? How can you keep from losing the middle school soccer championship, a car race, or a round of trivial pursuit if you don’t know strengths and weaknesses?
By the same reasoning, how can Democrats reach out to Trump voters, or Trump reach out to Dem voters, if they don’t accurately understand what drove them to vote the way they did in the first place?
Much of the media looks at 2016 as an aberration. They invite Americans to shake off a bad drunk and come around to a more sober view of politics. In Washington Monthly it’s argued, essentially, that the whole world now understands how horrible Trump is and we cannot let this happen again.
Well, no. A writer who views the 2016 election results as a disaster must assume they hold the moral, ethical, and issues high ground. The 2016 election was, in fact, a huge victory for people who love this country, don’t view government as the answer to all our problems, and put America’s interests at the top of the list.
Many on the left seem to know very little about people who support the President. They conduct survey research that delves into the data, and presumably most of the answers lie somewhere therein. But either the message doesn’t get through, or they never stumble on it. Even the most sophisticated voter analysis, district research, and complex analytics can’t lead a candidate that believes in their own superiority to reach out to voters in a way that’s authentic. Donald Trump offers authenticity in spades. And his opponents wouldn’t know if it bit them on the ass. (I once worked with a candidate for Congress who said he had to try harder to be authentic!) Whatever you may think of Donald Trump, you never have to guess where he stands.
Obama was slick and polished, but even his supporters didn’t always think he was authentic.
Democratic leaders and their media sycophants are so certain that their own opinions are correct – so convinced they are not only right but morally superior – they seem incapable of learning. If Trump is re-elected this November, their inability to engage in honest self-reflection – to learn – will be a factor for which we’ll be grateful.
To the average, run of the mill, walking around Trump voter, there are a few things we expect as a minimum from our elected officials. First, they should love this country and act like they do. They should care about everyone, everywhere, but put America first. They should enforce the law, follow constitutional government, and require others to do so.
Those are the most important basics. I would add that they should value human life and freedom more than material riches. And they should have more faith in our ability to lead our lives than in government’s ability to do it for us. If you have someone who clears all of those hurdles, man, sign me up.
Most of the candidates on the left find it very difficult to even clear that first hurdle. I recently read through three entire speeches from Biden, Warren, and Sanders. It was worse than watching the View. Suffice to say they can’t quit saying bad things about our country. Question: If you were looking for a spouse, would you be interested in someone who only said bad things about you? Neither would I.
Yet their vision of America is of a joyless dystopia. Where you and I see joy, love, and opportunity, they see suffering, depression, and hate. According to a Gallup study last week, 90% of Americans are satisfied with their lives. Nathless, the Left sees the world through fecal-stained lenses. Ninety per-cent. You can’t get ninety per-cent of people to agree whether the sun is out. Yet the Democrats run as if we are in the midst of a depression and world war simultaneously. Pair that negative view of the world with tax-funded payoffs and you’ve got today’s Democratic Party. Democrats are practicing overt bribery in their run for the presidency. If you vote for them, they’ll cancel your student loan, give you a government job, and pay for your health care. Rainbow unicorns and magic ferries will make your problems go away. And it won’t cost you a dime.
Maybe that argument will work. Hopefully not. And their theme will not appeal to the people who elected Trump in the first place.
Can you think of one thing that a majority of Dems talk about daily that will cause a Trump voter in Michigan or Wisconsin or Pennsylvania to switch back to vote Democratic in 2020?
The majority of people who support Trump are not racists or misogynists; they are not rich or just dedicated to serving them; they’re not hateful; and they do not want people to be denied health care, thrown out of their homes, or shot at the border. They also don’t think America is the problem.
Next time you see a Democratic debate, try this game: Every time they say something bad about the country, take a drink of your favorite alcoholic beverage. You’ll lose consciousness before the first commercial break. Alternatively, if you take a drink every time a Dem candidate says something positive about America, chances are you’ll still be able to drive yourself home without fear of encountering a DUI checkpoint.
More to come. For now, hold onto this: is it too much to ask that our president be a person who deeply loves their country, thinks we are a blessing to the rest of the world, and believes it so strongly that you hear it from them every day? If that’s where the bar is set, not a single Democratic candidate can clear it.
