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.