After last night's primary in Indiana, and Ted Cruz's departure from the race, I felt I couldn't delay an electoral analysis any longer. Donald Trump is going to be the Republican candidate for president. He may very well become the president. This is an extraordinary moment in American politics, and frankly, a terrifying one. Trump's candidacy began with hateful, bigoted language, and has been propelled by fear and xenophobia since then. How has this happened? More importantly, what can we learn from this, and how can we move forward?
As always, happy Wednesday and happy reading.
This Day in History
1970 - Four students are killed and 11 wounded when Ohio National Guardsmen fire into a crowd of protesting students at Kent State University. The students were protesting President Nixon's decision to send US troops into Cambodia to attack North Vietnamese forces there. It is a sad and stark reminder of what happens when our civic institutions are not strong, and discourse and discussion are set aside. Even when we find ourselves incredibly polarized, it is imperative that we find ways to talk through our issues.
A Long Time Coming
It seems as though Donald Trump has come out of nowhere, defying all odds and expectations to secure the Republican nomination for president. Perhaps Trump himself is a sudden shock to the political system, but the conditions that have fostered his success have been festering for a long time. Socio-economically, the same factors that have made Bernie Sanders' message appealing have also bred the resentment into which Trump taps: life outcomes are worsening for middle and low-income white Americans (from NYTimes). And unlike in previous periods of economic downturn, white America's control of cultural and political institutions is weakening in the face of demographic change (from Slate). Trump may seem like a bat out of hell, but we've been paving his highway for a while now.
Degeneration of Democracy
Even when American politics has been polarized in the past, it's hard to imagine that the public discourse has ever been this childish or churlish. As far as I know the reference to genitalia size during one of the GOP debates was the first time the topic has ever been discussed during electoral politics. Hopefully it will be the last. What isn't new, but is equally disturbing and far more harmful, is the racial and xenophobic paranoia and vitriol that has served as the fuel for Trump's campaign. Historically, many different types of "others" have been cast as existential threats to America, and yet all of those groups have assimilated into our American to their benefit and ours, or have failed to erode the strengthen of American civic fabric and our values.
In fact, I'd argue that the vitriolic responses to immigration and "otherness" are far more detrimental to our national well-being than the supposed threat of the other. Historically, both parties (and their forebears) have been guilty of this type of behavior, but the obstinate and unending negativity the GOP has shown President Obama the last eight years has certainly contributed to the current political success of a man whose greatest gift is his ability to insult anyone (from NYTimes).
An Abdication of Governance
The entire point of separation of powers is to create a government in which no individual or branch becomes so powerful that armed rebellion was justified. In their prudence, and after just having fought a war, the Founding Fathers determined that not only would dividing the authority among branches of government diminish the power of all, but that it would foster discussion and disagreement, ultimately leading to better outcomes by harnessing the decision-making abilities of many minds rather than simply one.
This system of government they endowed us with does not lend itself to puritanical views and government on the extremes. Though there is room for radicals, governing happens when ideas are debated, exchanged, and melded to produce more desirable outcomes, that is to say closer to the center of the ideological spectrum rather than at its furthest edges. Yet it has been precisely this extreme ideology that has prevailed in the GOP during the Obama Presidency, and it has - literally - brought government to a standstill (from ThinkProgress).
To move forward, Americans needs to elect leaders who are willing and able to govern and lead which necessarily involves the humility of acknowledging and considering alternative points of view.
A Boxer Named Doster
One bone, two bone
My bone, chew bone
I'm no Dr. Seuss, but that was my best rhyming attempt to introduce Doster the Boxer! Hailing from Alabama, where he lives with his human Jenny, Doster spends his days playing with his bone, practicing his smile, and reading the latest updates on SEC football by Edward Aschoff on ESPN.com. Here, Doster can be seen setting up his webcam, undoubtedly to film a youtube video about his favorite team, the Alabama Crimson Tide. Big thanks to Jenny for sharing Doster with us!
Will's Weekly Trivia!
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IF you choose to answer the question, respond to staton.will@gmail.com with your answer. Please note that by competing you are giving me permission to publish your first name in the trivia leader board each week.
TRIVIA!
Last Week: 1. How many men have walked on the moon?
2. Who was the SECOND man to walk on the moon?
3. Complete the quote: One small step for man...
4. The dark spots on the surface of the moon are known as the lunar maria. What does the term mean, and why are they called this?
One point for each of the first three correct answers, and THREE points for the correct final answer, which requires a more thorough response.
Answer: 1. A total of 12 men walked on the moon, two each from Apollo 11-17, with the exception of Apollo 13 which never reached the moon.
2. Buzz Aldrin was the second man to walk on the moon.
3. One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.
4. The dark craters on the moon, the lunar maria, are named for the Latin word for sea, as the ancient Romans mistook the dark craters for bodies of water.
This Week: 1. Donald Trump is now the "presumptive Republican nominee," how many Republican candidates began the race? ONE POINT
2. How many Democratic candidates began the race (how many were in the first debate)? ONE POINT
3. Hillary Clinton would be the first female president in America. Who was Britain's first female prime minister? What was her nickname? ONE POINT APIECE
4. Bernie Sanders would be the first Jewish president in America. Who was Britain's first Jewish prime minister? TWO POINTS
LEADER BOARD The race for first is tightening! Check your spot on the leader board HERE on Willful Intent.
