Trump and the holidays in fewer than 300 words

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Donald J. Trump will become President of the United States in four weeks. Christmas and Hanukkah begin in two days, an unusual year—in so many ways—when the two holidays fall on the same day. Some friends on the right say give Trump a chance. Others, many others, say be vigilant and make sure to oppose moves by the new administration that are bound to be authoritarian and corrupt.

A woman we knew liked to remind us, according to Christian scripture, Jesus was a homeless Jewish baby when he was born in Bethlehem. Some dispute that characterization saying Jesus, Mary and Joseph were away from home but not truly homeless. Hanukkah includes stories within stories but ultimately celebrates religious freedom. Freedom has a price, however, also part of the Hanukkah story. Christmas promotes peace on earth and celebrates a pathway to redemption by a loving God. For Christians, the King of Kings is also a humble man.

As President-elect Trump gets closer to the Oval Office, my hope and prayer for this holiday season is that love and sacrifice, the willingness to give of self for the freedoms we enjoy, and a recognition that those without a bed to sleep on may be the true queens and kings, don’t get lost in the bluster that consumes much of what we see and hear during these troubled times.

I fear the lessons of the season may be lost on the president-elect. His words and actions have indicated a different philosophy of governing and life. Those who embrace the messages of the season, for religious or other reasons, need to also live those values. Love and sacrifice will keep America great. No one person alone can make that happen.

Thanksgiving day election reflection

 

Happy Thanksgiving everybody.
 
With the benefit of two weeks since the election, and in the interest of wrapping things up, here are some thoughts on what happened and where we go from here.

Let’s get real folks. Trump won. Whatever you think of the Electoral College, that’s the system we have. But let’s also remember that Clinton will probably have a margin of two million more votes than Trump. That would mean she will have received more votes for president than anyone in history not named Obama. Just sayin’.

As for how the respective sides are lining up in the aftermath of the election, let’s get real about that too. When Obama won eight years ago he inherited a s*** storm. Now, I don’t normally use language like that in writing or conversation but sometimes one has to make a point strongly. The economy was tanking. It was the worst economic catastrophe since the Great Depression. Trump is taking office during a much better economy, extremely low unemployment (and please don’t make the argument that we cannot trust the figures. They use the same methodology as when Obama took office, apples to apples!). The stock market—and that includes many retirement accounts—is in record high territory. The economic problem that Trump ran on was slow growth and the need for creating good jobs. We’ll see how that goes in the years ahead. Unlike Republicans, whose stated goal was to make Obama a one-term president, I am hearing Democrats, Senator Cory Booker yesterday on NPR, say they want to work with Mr. Trump and grow the economy.

As for the argument that Trump’s election was a repudiation of Obama’s eight years, here are a few facts. President Obama currently enjoys a reasonably high approval rating, much higher than Trump’s even with his post election bump. To his credit, the president-elect is now saying good things about Obama. He should. So why did the Democrats lose? Well, for one thing, and this is important, since Truman’s election in 1948, only once has either party held the White House longer than two terms. That was from 1980-1992 when George H.W. Bush succeeded Ronald Reagan. As we know, that President Bush only held the office for one term. So change in the White house after two terms, though not inevitable, is the norm. People wanted a change and the choices were dramatic. Donald Trump is different. The people spoke.

This election was ugly. Between the false facts thrown around without shame, to the coarseness of the dialogue, we can, should, must, do better. As for the news media, that’s a discussion for another time.

Mr. Trump has an opportunity to lead. His words are mutable to put it politely. But, as the cliché goes, actions speak louder than words. So let us remain vigilant. We shall soon see what kind of a leader Donald J. Trump really is.

Trump, Queens, and the art of crap detection

 

Donald Trump and I have something in common. We both grew up in Queens. As a proud child of the borough, I offer a bit of background for those less familiar with that part of New York City.

Queens is where working people live, civil servants, office workers, cops and firefighters, construction workers, small business owners, and to this day, upwardly mobile ethnics. The late New York Governor Mario Cuomo—like Donald and me, a Queens “boy”-- once remarked, and I’m paraphrasing, in Queens, arguing is a way of life. There is a certain in your face honesty that is particular to the region. There is also another communication characteristic that will be useful to understand in the days ahead. To put it directly, I can imagine Donald hanging around the schoolyard in 1961 regaling the other kids with stories and keeping their attention. After he left, one of the kids  might say to the others, “Donald has a great line of bullshit.” Understand, that would have been meant as a compliment as much as a criticism.

Neil Postman (1931-2003) was a brilliant scholar of communication. He was also from Queens. In his career as an NYU professor, Dr. Postman offered insight into mass media, culture, and yes, bullshit. In his classic discourse, Bullshit and the Art of Crap Detection, Postman explains, “sensitivity to the phony uses of language requires, to some extent, knowledge of how to ask questions, how to validate answers, and certainly, how to assess meanings.” By the way, the essay (abbreviated version), linked above, is a worthwhile read and not too long.

A few months ago, Bill Maher and his guest Rob Reiner were discussing how having grown up in the New York area, they were able to recognize much of what Trump was saying as BS. They speculated that people from other regions of the country might not be as familiar with the particular style and  brand of BS Mr. Trump spews.

So, let’s see how this all plays out. Will the president-elect build a wall along the length of the Mexican border and get Mexico to pay for it? Will tariffs on foreign goods bring good jobs back to the USA? Will he even be able to impose the tariffs he’s promised? Will he deport all those he said he would send back? Will he really push for congressional term limits? The list could go on but you get the point. Real or BS? Guess we’ll soon find out. 

That's my opinion. What's yours?

(Addendum--11/16/16)

With the benefit of observing the president-elect for a full week in his new role, here are additional observations.

Because Mr. Trump is prone to BS we should be ever more vigilant. As Postman points out, bigotry is a particularly malignant form of BS. And although when he's president much of the BS may never become reality, but too much will with a same party Congress. Words themselves have power. We are seeing each day that coarse language and hateful rhetoric have dire consequences, empowering bigots and motivating intimidation. We must not acccept this as the new normal. Stand up; speak out; remain true to the best in us, not the worst.

Which American makes you proud? Opinion poem

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Fallen hero’s father, eloquent, brown,

Speaking slowly to the nation,

While opposing a clown,

But this clown’s not funny,

He’s a danger to all,

His calling card’s money,

Though he’s rather small,

His height’s not in question,

He towers above,

It’s about learning a lesson,

Stop hating try love,

Captain Khan gave his life,

So his soldiers could live,

Bravery amidst strife,

What more can one give,

Then the candidate tells,

Of his own sacrifices,

Creating buildings he sells,

And getting good prices,

A reporter then asks,

Is that sacrificial?

No shame, he just basks,

Harsh tweets his epistle.

Political poem for after the conventions

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 To thinking republicans of good will:

A contrast so sharp it’s hard to tell,

Is the Republican party now an empty shell?

Reagan said, “tear down the wall,”

Trump’s vision: make it tall,

Yes, indeed, a different fence,

But one’s for freedom, the other tense,

Many friends of the G-O-P,

Seem lost and searching, though most can see,

The man named Trump is not really theirs,

He’s for himself, selling broken wares,

A political fight based on ideas,

Now replaced with empty dares,

So please consider and do it fast,

That voting choices of the past,

Have become today a stark decision,

Hopeful light or dark derision,

Hillary, too, has her flaws,

But she’s steady smart, and broke no laws,

The FBI and Congress investigated,

No indictment anticipated,

So let’s move on and make a pledge,

Vote your conscience, stay off the ledge,

The man who tweets, markets well,

But what he’s selling can go to hell.

Election blog in six verses

A pivot point in history,

Confronts us all today,

To most it’s not a mystery,

But for others, hard to say,

Making news, the Donald man,

With words meant to arouse,

Fear filled folks, a dangerous plan,

Playing to the crowds,

Hillary, oh Hillary,

Now see what has been wrought,

They pillory and pillory,

They say that you’ve been bought,

Though neither one a perfect choice,

Still not hard to choose,

Hard work and smarts, giving love a voice,

Although she still might lose,

That is why we must unite,

Send a message loud and clear,

With Trump it’s not a future bright,

It’s false promise built on fear,

The time to vote is months away,

Though not soon enough,

For choosing wrong, we all will pay,

The choice is not that tough.

Reunion reflections

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Now the years are rolling by me
They are rocking easily
I am older than I once was
And younger than I’ll be
But that’s not unusual
No, it isn’t strange
After changes upon changes
We are more or less the same
After changes we are
More or less the same

Former students who attended Forest Hills High School, in Queens, New York, held a reunion this past weekend. It was a multi-year gathering, covering most of the 1960s and the early 70s. I graduated in 1969 and joined a few hundred of us who shared the experience of attending one of New York City’s best public high schools during exciting but turbulent times. The words above were written by FHHS alum Paul Simon. He graduated in the late 1950s. Simon wrote those words as an additional verse to “The Boxer” after the original recording was released. It’s an anthem about struggling to survive. Those words are a nice summary of my take-away from an evening of reminiscences, mostly sweet.

The "cool" kids still seemed to be cool enough adults; the smart ones still smart; some of the jocks were still in shape; the quieter class members were still laconic; and many of the pretty girls and handsome guys still looked good. After almost 50 years in my case, just being there and sharing several meaningful moments was worth the journey back in time.

I don’t have pictures to share because I was so busy talking to people I missed the photo booth. So here are a few memorable moments from my first and only reunion.

1.     A fellow track team member, a year ahead of me, remembered that I ran the quarter mile and was on a good mile relay team. He and I are still both in shape after all these years and shared clear, positive stories about our track coach.

2.     One of my classmates going back to junior high days is now a teacher at FHHS. She and I shared some memories and talked about how things have changed. I enjoyed hearing about the school from her unique perspective.

3.     A minor mishap—that seemed quite serious at the time—from chemistry class was discussed with my classmate who was splashed in the face with a hot liquid as I heated a test tube. He is fine. But we both remembered it well.

4.     Shared hugs and smiles with many Facebook friends I didn’t know well in high school but have become closer with online.

There is another line from a Paul Simon song that I often think of and take personally, the opening words of Kodachrome. “When I think back on all the crap I learned in high school, it’s a wonder I can think at all.” As much as I admire the music and words of Simon, I am afraid that’s one line with which I disagree. Like many others, I was eager to move on from high school and leave the area where I grew up. But after all these years, looking back on all I learned in high school—not just in the classrooms—it was a pretty good time where we were encouraged to think critically with intellectual curiosity that survives. Thank you to all who were part of those days. Many are gone, but their memories survive. For those of us still at it, rock on.

A Girl from Brooklyn -- A Boy from Queens

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One of the endearing story lines after the recent death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has been his close friendship with his colleague, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. In a philosophically divided court, Scalia and Ginsburg represented the most conservative and the most liberal wings of that split. That they were close friends in spite of their political differences should give hope to us all.

Each of their soaring intellects was nurtured in the outer boroughs of New York City. Scalia grew up in Elmhurst, Queens, and Ginsburg is from Flatbush, Brooklyn. They were close in age. Ginsburg is almost exactly three years older than Scalia. And both went on to graduate with high honors from top law schools, Harvard for Scalia, Columbia for Ginsburg who started at Harvard but transferred when her husband took a job in New York.

Apparently, they laughed at many of the same jokes, enjoyed good eating, and their families celebrated New Years’ Eves together. So if two of the brightest legal minds in our country, that disagree on almost every substantive matter, can nurture a great friendship over decades, shouldn’t our political leaders do better?

Perhaps their similar upbringing, the Italian Catholic kid from Queens and the Jewish girl from Brooklyn, gave them a head start at friendship. But in terms of political philosophy, they went in opposite directions. Still, when they joined the high court, they found common ground and mutual respect in spite of their vast political differences. We could use much more of that.

In my mind, that’s how we make America great again.