This would be true if the purpose of political speechwriting is to present a message so obscure that it can be adopted by competing philosophies. This isn’t a song lyric we’re talking about where one interpretation is a Sunday morning walk in the park while another is a metaphorical description of an addict’s struggle with drugs. The purpose of song lyrics is to touch human beings and so it is genius to present language which can inspire a range of feelings within a broad range of listeners.
One of the purposes of political speech making is surely to persuade those yet to be persuaded of the merits of the speaker’s values and policies, the benefits and distribution of their impacts. It is not persuasion if competing forces think what was said was what they believe. It is confusion. The point is not to soothe their souls, to communicate in code so that each can hear what they want to hear and feel what they choose to feel.
This is ‘somewhere over the rainbow’ politics. What does it all mean? That if we can dream it we can be it? Or that it is a bitterly disempowering message to the working class of rural America? A little girl from Kansas will always be a little girl from Kansas except when she trips out on crystal meth. History will preserve in our memory the many brilliant political speeches and their presenters. Trump will not be one of them.
Just an aside. I know Trump is no great historian but since he’s being all schmoozy with the Poles here’s a couple of dates. 1/9/1939. Germany invades Poland. 11/12/1941. USA declares war on Germany ( the day after Germany declared war on the USA and of course after Pearl Harbour). Even if Trump has I doubt the Polish living in Poland will have forgotten how long it took and why the US became involved.
