I Finally Understand Why Some Of My Friends Want Trump

Marc, I think I finally get where the Trump fans are coming from. Consider this.

What is the purpose of a President? It’s a lot of things. It represents a great and dangerous power that exists whether there is a President or not. 
The Supreme Court ruled a contested election in favor of George Bush over Al Gore before they could have had any time to figure out who really won. Why? They absolutely had to. They had to maintain order. They had to keep the power the President represents, controlled at any cost.

The difference in our points of view are many, but perhaps less than it appears. I want a bright future for America and for humanity. I don’t get that upset by who is running the show politically. It is usually a question of do people have jobs, food and can they take care of their children. Will the next generation be able to do the same. That is usually how we judge politicians. Right now though, things have not been going so well with the economy and social order. People are upset and rightly so. We want politicians that will create good policies that lead to prosperity. The political establishment argues over these policies, but traditionally they do not argue over the power the President controls. That must be contained to all our peril.

Now here is where my view probably differs from many people’s — how corrupt is the political establishment. I think because of how much I have read about history and politics, I see America as amazingly free of corruption, but that is comparatively so. I think others look at it and see intolerable corruption. I assure you it is less than almost any nation in any time in history. What always limits the corruption (that can destroy a country) is that some one (the political rulers) always have a monopoly on corruption (like they have a monopoly on deadly force) … and arrest everyone else that is corrupt. They have to keep the competition down. That is just the way it has always been and it works if the leaders limit the corruption to what will not harm the country. So a political leader has two jobs now, make productive policies and limit the corruption to where it doesn’t hurt the country. It is less about not being corrupt, than limiting it. Like I say, America is relatively very good at that.

So I think your point of view is that the political establishment is so corrupt is should be swept away by some outsider like Trump or Sanders. Well, even more important than good policy or limited corruption, is order and keeping that Power controlled. If that Power is uncontrolled, very quickly the other power comes into play. The ultimate power is the power to kill. It’s what every other society has relied upon. It happens in this society, so the President’s job, even more than controlling corruption, etc. is to keep that Power controlled. It is the President, all the representatives and other politicians are the organizations that control and direct that Power. It’s a fearsome thing.
Now, take HRC or Paul Ryan, establishment politicians. They are part of a machine that controls that Power, corruption as well and they try to make policies. Now take Bernie Sanders. If he was President, he isn’t likely to be able to really wield that power any more than Arnold Schwarzenegger could in California. He is not part of the system. Still, he wouldn’t do any more damage than Jimmy Carter, who couldn’t control it either.

Now I’ll say here, like her policies or not, HRC will keep the corruption limited. I think her policies will be good for people. I think Paul Ryan, as an example of the Republican establishment would have policies not as good for the middle class. In both cases though, they would control the Power of the Presidency… which really is the Power of America, the most powerful nation to ever exist and we have done a lot of damage with that Power… Through it all though, order has been preserved and the Power controlled.

Now Trump. No matter what else you say about Trump, it is unlikely he can wield that Power, except in one way. The Republicans will back him less than the Democrats will back Bernie. The man is so chaotic that he may fail to maintain order or control corruption. There is a real danger that someone else will get control of the Power like Bush let Cheney to some degree. What happens if he can’t get his way and he has that Power? There is a way he can wield it. All he has to do is discard the civilized norms a little bit more than he has and that Power is wielded by killing. That is what Hitler and Stalin and Mao did. Just turn the Power inward and unleash it. Another alternative that is no better is if he fails to control the Power and it starts being used by other politicians at other levels or by corporations. That is what terrifies people, even if they don’t put it in those words.