Trump’s Election Victory

Trump’s Election Victory

My well-meaning, if mis-guided liberal/progressive friends & family have my sympathy at what I’m sure they feel is a loss that impinges on their very cultural being. Trump must seem like the antithesis of many closely and dearly held, liberal beliefs and tenets.  Somewhat like conservatives felt with the election of Barrack Obama, but worse, because Trump attacked the very core of the political establishment, singlehandedly, and won using his own intelligence and personality, and inimitable ways, and not using, to any extent, a political party machine.  He is not Liberal or Conservative. He is Pro-America, and anti-establishment.  Liberals hate him.  Conservatives hate him.  Americans love him.  God bless America!

I predicted when I saw him walking down that escalator in mid 2015, that he would win the Republican nomination, and then go on to win the presidency.  Not because I particularly like the man, but because I knew that he did not undertake anything in life without a strong chance of winning, After 30 years of “neon Trump” during my main career in NYC, I liked his business acumen and daring, but disliked his braggadocio and elaborate life style.

It was also evident to me that there existed a strong anti-establishment sentiment in the western world that was railing against the elitism, socialism, secularism and erosion of morals and ethics that had become inherent in Europe and the U.S.. Trump obviously saw the same in our country exemplified by the Obama and potential Hillary Clinton administrations. He attacked these with a fervor, using techniques never before seen in our politics. Who can forget the name calling, ridicule and other antics of the nomination campaign? It kept him in the news, though, and on everyone’s mind. That was the reason for his antics.

Brexit in June of 2016 should have been a wake up call to the political establishment of this country.  England’s population is smaller than ours, but there are similarities and analogues there.  Brexit symbolized this opposition of a the majority of a nation against these same establishment elitists represented by the EU and the “united Europe” movement,  The blokes in Liverpool and Birmingham and Manchester said “up yours!”, London.  Some took it as an example of what Trump was talking about in this country.  Many more should have.

Many people felt that this country needed a reset from the doctrines of Obama, the Clintons and the ruling liberals of the last eight years.  We sure got that reset with Trump’s victory November 8^th.  Too bad Ol’ Blue Eyes is gone. If anyone ever deserved the songs “I Did It My Way”, or “New York, New York”, Donald Trump certainly does.  He won his own way, against all opposition, against all odds, against all efforts to cast him as a bigot and a misogynist, and in spite of continued “mal mots” that flowed from him during the whole campaign, or better said, during the movement. 

How could this New York billionaire and TV personality win in the rust belt with poor and disenfranchised blue collar workers?  Or with educated white collar career types?  Or among blacks and latinos and women in sufficient numbers to make a difference?   Because he resonated with the regular, honest Americans in this country, across the board, that the establishment in Washington and in the media are liars, and care more for themselves than in the people they profess to hold in such high regard. This is what Trump capitalized on, and what the people voted on – the blatant dishonesty and hypocrisy of the so called elite. The vote was not anti-Democrat or anti-Republican.  It was anti-corruption and anti-duplicity and anti-cynicism coached in glowing progressive rhetoric. To be Trump-like, the vote was anti-bullshit.

Now we have anti-Trump street demonstrations claiming that Hillary won the popular vote.  She did, by some 200,000 votes, but only because she had a plurality of 2,500,000 votes in late reporting California.  The math speaks for itself.  Trump easily won the popular vote if one sets aside the People’s Republic of California.  Hopefully the protests will be brief and peaceful.  We all certainly have the right to peaceable protests.

Hopefully also, the transition to a Trump administration in January, 2017 will be smooth and follow our democratic principles, as expressed by Trump in his acceptance speech, by Hillary’s graceful concession speech and by President Obama’s comments congratulating Trump.

Ray Gruszecki

November 8, 2016