My two previous posts pointed out that speakers at the recently-concluded Republican National Convention said untrue things one after the other. Fact-checkers mainly complain when politicians speak falsely, and yet fact-checkers never seem to nudge public opinion. The Pulitzer-Prize winning website PolitiFact.com has so far examined 834 of Donald Trump’s statements, rating only 4% to be True, while 9% were Mostly True, 13% Half True, 20% Mostly False, 35% False (the largest category), and 15% Pants on Fire. That’s appalling.
Earlier Post: Do Republican National Convention Speakers Care About Fact Checkers?
Nevertheless, to the amazement of political pundits, Democratic voters, and many of my colleagues who study political communication, Donald Trump remains popular, and stands a reasonable chance of winning the upcoming presidential election. To understand that, we need to look at the vision that Trump presents, a vision that persuades many voters. Trump’s vision is not about facts or policy analysis. No, indeed, Trump’s vision, dark as it is, gives the United States a stark choice. He laid that vision out early in the lengthy speech:
“And this election will decide whether we will defend the American way of life or whether we will allow a radical movement to completely dismantle and destroy it. That won’t happen. At the Democrat National Convention, Joe Biden and his party repeatedly assailed America as a land of racial, economic and social injustice. So tonight, I ask you a simple question, how can the Democratic Party ask to lead our country when it spent so much time tearing down our country?”What is going on here?
First, the Threat of Destruction
That was a hostile paragraph. Trump said, “the Democrat National Convention,” when “Democratic National Convention” would be correct. Republicans, both on social media and in speeches, often say “Democrat Party” instead of “Democratic Party.” They presumably want to stress the “rat” sound at the end. Social media people often spell it “DemocRAT” just to make sure you get the point. Trump’s supporters would not overlook the dog whistle “Democrat National Convention.”
But why would Trump think the Democrats are dangerous? By definition, conservatives want to keep things the same. Trump warned that, not only do Democrats want to change the nation, but they want to “dismantle and destroy it.”
Earlier Post: Donald Trump Said That MAGA Loves Black People, But Did He Mean It?
Trump’s vision went beyond race, however. He warned apocalyptically that Democrats intended to take people’s guns, abolish the police, and spread violence through our cities. None of that passes fact-checking, but that is not Trump’s point.
Second, the Fear of Criticism
It’s not that conservatives fear being criticized; instead conservative philosophy requires people to think about criticism in a different way than liberals. By definition, liberals find parts of society that can be improved and urge changes. Conservatives don’t want to change. If they wanted to change, they would be liberals.
Still, in the wake of several police shootings of African-Americans, Democrats are calling for increased racial justice. When they say this, however, they either say or imply that we don’t have racial justice now. That is a criticism, and if the criticism is true, all decent people should want to change. Conservatives think of themselves as decent, so what’s the problem?
That leads us to the second half of Trump’s paragraph: “At the Democrat National Convention, Joe Biden and his party repeatedly assailed America as a land of racial, economic and social injustice.” Faced with evidence of problems, the Democrats have called for the nation to do better. Trump, however, takes a different view. Democrats have – inexcusably, he thinks – criticized the United States.
In Trump’s vision, Democrats are unqualified to lead for the simple reason that they criticize the United States. So, that is why Trump’s paragraph ended this way: “how can the Democratic Party ask to lead our country when it spent so much time tearing down our country?” In Trump’s vision, no one who criticizes the United States is qualified to lead the United States. Loyalty, commitment, and devotion must be absolute and unquestioning. This creates a perfect conservative circle: liberals cannot fix our problems – cannot be allowed to fix our problems – because they say we have problems.
Trump, however, criticized the United States when he talked about “American carnage” in his 2016 Inaugural Address. Is that different?
Trump’s vision went beyond race, however. He warned apocalyptically that Democrats intended to take people’s guns, abolish the police, and spread violence through our cities. None of that passes fact-checking, but that is not Trump’s point.
Second, the Fear of Criticism
It’s not that conservatives fear being criticized; instead conservative philosophy requires people to think about criticism in a different way than liberals. By definition, liberals find parts of society that can be improved and urge changes. Conservatives don’t want to change. If they wanted to change, they would be liberals.
Still, in the wake of several police shootings of African-Americans, Democrats are calling for increased racial justice. When they say this, however, they either say or imply that we don’t have racial justice now. That is a criticism, and if the criticism is true, all decent people should want to change. Conservatives think of themselves as decent, so what’s the problem?
That leads us to the second half of Trump’s paragraph: “At the Democrat National Convention, Joe Biden and his party repeatedly assailed America as a land of racial, economic and social injustice.” Faced with evidence of problems, the Democrats have called for the nation to do better. Trump, however, takes a different view. Democrats have – inexcusably, he thinks – criticized the United States.
In Trump’s vision, Democrats are unqualified to lead for the simple reason that they criticize the United States. So, that is why Trump’s paragraph ended this way: “how can the Democratic Party ask to lead our country when it spent so much time tearing down our country?” In Trump’s vision, no one who criticizes the United States is qualified to lead the United States. Loyalty, commitment, and devotion must be absolute and unquestioning. This creates a perfect conservative circle: liberals cannot fix our problems – cannot be allowed to fix our problems – because they say we have problems.
Trump, however, criticized the United States when he talked about “American carnage” in his 2016 Inaugural Address. Is that different?
Earlier Post: Donald Trump’s Inaugural Address: American Carnage
Conclusion
Millions of Americans fear change, value stability, and mistrust minorities. Change is never easy and we can never predict its results. Better, Trump implied, is never to admit that injustices exist.
If my roof leaks, I have two choices: I can spend thousands of dollars to fix it, or I can rage against anyone who criticizes my roof. How dare they condemn my house! Spending thousands of dollars is unpleasant, and, if I ignore the leak, maybe it will go away by itself. Or not.
Many years ago, my wife took a job at a small, isolated Virginia town. As we walked around together after work, a child rode up to us on a bicycle and asked, “Are you all moving in new?” We said no. He said “good” and bicycled away. Change disturbs some people.
Seriously, there are several questions. Have the nation’s problems become so bad that we need to change? Do protesters of the right and left wings offer rightful complaints? What compromises should we make, and where should we stand firm?
By the way, I have long believed that tradition has much to offer us. Click on “William D. Harpine’s Publications” above and you can read some of my pro-tradition research. It is, however, a terrible risk when we cling to traditions that no longer work, or that have unjust effects. It would, I think, be better if President Trump did not offer such a stark choice. We do not really face a choice between “American carnage” on the one hand, and the unchanged status quo on the other. Surely there is middle ground where everyone would be better off. Are President Trump and his supporters willing to seek that middle ground? Time will tell, but it does not look promising.
At the same time, however, no one should underestimate the powerful vision that President Trump gave us in his Acceptance Speech. The press has decried Trump’s dark vision, but they overlook how important it is that he has a vision. They ignore how compelling his vision is to many Americans.
As before, thanks to rev.com for preparing a verbatim transcript of Trump’s speech as he delivered it.
Image: Donald Trump, White House photo
No comments:
Post a Comment