I Should Have Voted for Donald Trump
by Joe Breslin, Sr.
According to the pundits, I should have voted for Donald Trump. I am a 56 year old, white, working class, heterosexual male living in the northeastern United States. My family comes from a blue collar economic background. Most of my friends are contractors in trades such as plumbing, or they may own a few investment properties. They don’t want to see taxes on the money they made through their own hard work go to immigrants or people who don’t work for a living. Many of them own guns and would prefer a government that stays out of their lives. Just like them, I should have got caught up in thinking that Hillary Clinton was a liar who could not be trusted to run this country. Just like them, I should have believed that Donald Trump will do many things to benefit people from my socioeconomic background; that he will secure the borders of our country against its economic and ideological enemies; that he will “Make America Great Again” and elevate our country from its current condition.
But I didn’t vote for Trump. I would not vote for him in a million years. For all the talk about Hillary, I think he and his cronies are the true hypocrites and liars in this drama. Although there may be some temporary economic benefit to people like me, the true objective of the Trump Administration is to continue the imbalance of wealth and opportunity on this planet. I do not feel that our borders are under any more of a threat from refugees or illegal immigrants now than they have been in the past, and there are already adequate safeguards in place. The real threat is an unrestricted pursuit of profit that is aided and abetted by the fear mongering and misinformation used by Trump to sway voters in the election, as well as the unethical practices that he continues to carry out in office.
I should have voted for Trump, but I didn’t. I grew up through the 60’s, when a common ethos of civil rights and protest were the hallmark of the day. I have worked in academia and got a degree as an adult learner from an Ivy League school. My father was a union shop-steward and an ardent supporter of a union’s ability to help shift power to the working man. Because of these factors, I voted liberal.
In the primary, I voted for Bernie, and I was lucky enough to be able to see him at one of his first rallies in Seattle. Initially, I thought some of his ideas, such as free college tuition, were completely insane. He never did clearly define how the proposals he was making would be paid for. However, as time went on and I was able to better understand some of these seemingly radical ideas, I realized that a move towards some of these concepts made perfect sense. There was something about a redistribution of funds, which our government already does to support initiatives such as prison infrastructure, could be better adapted to provide equal opportunity for those who didn’t have it — the poor, the working class, racial minorities. Many people dismissed Bernie and his ideas as crazy and radical, but he actually may be ahead of his time. Progress for all is a reasonable goal, and one that we should strive for.
This state of affairs leaves the Left asking the million-dollar question — Where do we go from here? Should the progressive movement abandon the Democratic Party and try to build a third party that could possibly win power in this country? Alternatively, should the Democratic party aggressively adopt more progressive policies and move away from the status quo that caused them to lose big in the past election?
Although the first option is most optimal, there are major issues with trying to establish a third party in the United States. The Green Party has run in many recent presidential elections, but has not made significant progress. Because of this, I think the second option is most viable — working from within to shift the Democratic Party to its progressive left. Thankfully, this task is being addressed by a growing movement to break through the stone wall of establishment politics and put as many progressive candidates as possible on local, state, and federal ballots in every election over the next four years.
Although I have a pronounced disdain for Trump, he did make many intelligent strategic moves that ultimately resulted in his win. People are inspired by candidates who come to their doorsteps, recognize their issues, and provide simple but effective ideas. The progressive movement needs to incorporate these tactics to gain meaningful power in the American government.
But these tactics alone won’t be enough. For the progressive agenda to further develop in this country, key Democratic members of Congress need to start talking about these radical ideas now. It will be imperative for them to speak against the influence of money in politics and explain the pervasive wealth inequality that exists in this country. In other words, they need to re-establish themselves as the “people’s party”. Bernie did a fantastic job of this, but he did not adequately define the complex intricacies needed to describe how a radical concept such as ‘free college’ could be practically accomplished. He would over-rely on clichés and soundbites, but failed to present arguments with thorough substance. In order to win going forward, a progressive Democrat is going to need to define a distinctive message and story, develop nuanced plans, and show a willingness to collaborate with political colleagues to implement those plans. [All Trump had to do to win was put on a red hat with a catchy slogan].
With this in mind, the ideal progressive candidate for the 2020 presidential election will need to come from the current Democratic party but carry the banner of the progressive movement. The politician(s) that decide to do this will need to know that if they lose, they may be sacrificing their career in Congress for a greater good. That seems to be the issue now — elected officials are so careful about what they say and how they act because they fear that taking a bold stand will cost them reelection.. What we need right now, however, is a risk-taker.
Knowing that the progressive agenda was such a powerful force in the past election, it would be wise for this type of candidate to begin their campaign for president right away by highlighting progressive issues and making it known that they represent a break from the Democratic Party establishment. Although we don’t fully realize it, this is precisely what Trump did with the Republicans by getting his name in the news with sensational acts such as his controversial “birther” tweets. This politician will need to take advantage of the congressional bully pulpit and promote issues such as a basic living wage and education opportunity for all. They will need to make a case to voters that increased opportunities for poor and working class people will result in a better economy than the current jobs-based, corporate controlled economy that results in wealth for the few and crumbs for the rest.
The momentum garnered by developing and presenting a narrative about issues such as basic income and education opportunity can then be leveraged to promote other initiatives, such as an aggressive shift from relying on fossil fuels towards a robust expansion of alternative energy sources. It will be important for any progressive candidate to explain and plan on ways that the economy will transform in ways that will appeal to many of the white, middle-class demographic that voted for Trump. From a progressive perspective, the business of recognizing ways that all people can thrive, and an understanding that that is the key to progress, is crucial. It will be imperative for a progressive candidate to capture the minds of the middle class and to show that Trump and the conservative Congress are operating not in the best interests of the people, but in their own selfish interests. The Trump Administration has offered a return to the economy and society of the mid-20th century. A progressive candidate, however, should instead look to shape a better economy and society for the mid-21st century and beyond. Once there is a movement towards pragmatic and rational proposals about the economy and opportunity, other issues, such as reasonable immigration policies, voting rights, and representation of special interests will follow.
In summary, the ideal progressive candidate will need to start now, bring the progressive agenda to the current Democratic Party, develop a narrative that captures the imagination of the working and middle classes and, at the same time, develop comprehensive plans on how progressive policies can be effectively implemented.
I wonder if the ultimate end-game for the progressive agenda is to work within the existing two party system and move us towards a more centrist position which will bring the concerns of the marginalized majority from both sides of the political spectrum to the forefront of political discourse. This will not be accomplished by starting a new party that amplifies the more divisive issues in this world, but rather in demanding that the established Democratic Party learn to dominate the conversation. This will be accomplished by a candidate that fights for all of the initiatives that progressives care about: clean energy, basic living wage, protecting voter rights, single-payer health care, and education. This will be accomplished by a candidate who works to consistently present these initiatives in a simple, catchy way, yet who also develops the plans to address all of the nuances and effort it will take to mold this paradigm into the new reality.
