Summary: Tens of millions of Americans have heard, read, or watched those on the Left misrepresent what Trump said in his inaugural speech. Here are the opening paragraphs. They are pure populism, with populism’s usual overlap with the progressives’ agenda. The one percent cannot let you see that overlap, which might lead to recreation of the New Deal alliance — the only possible threat to their power.
Read the opening of Donald Trump’s inaugural speech. This is pure populism. This might be, as Paul Krugman said (which I also believe) “Trump plays a populist on TV”. But the Left’s commentators and journalists misrepresented what he said. For an obvious reason: they cannot admit that much of what Trump said is true — and worse, that they agree with him. (See another analysis below, by an anthropologist). Trump could become a great president if he follows through on his inaugural speech.
“For too long, a small group in our nation’s Capital has reaped the rewards of government while the people have borne the cost. Washington flourished -– but the people did not share in its wealth. Politicians prospered -– but the jobs left, and the factories closed. The establishment protected itself, but not the citizens of our country.
“Their victories have not been your victories; their triumphs have not been your triumphs; and while they celebrated in our nation’s Capital, there was little to celebrate for struggling families all across our land.
“That all changes -– starting right here, and right now, because this moment is your moment: it belongs to you. It belongs to everyone gathered here today and everyone watching all across America. This is your day. This is your celebration. And this, the United States of America, is your country.
“What truly matters is not which party controls our government, but whether our government is controlled by the people. January 20th 2017, will be remembered as the day the people became the rulers of this nation again. The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer. Everyone is listening to you now.
“…At the center of this movement is a crucial conviction: that a nation exists to serve its citizens. Americans want great schools for their children, safe neighborhoods for their families, and good jobs for themselves. These are the just and reasonable demands of a righteous public.
“But for too many of our citizens, a different reality exists: Mothers and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities; rusted-out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation; an education system, flush with cash, but which leaves our young and beautiful students deprived of knowledge; and the crime and gangs and drugs that have stolen too many lives and robbed our country of so much unrealized potential.
“This American carnage stops right here and stops right now {see below}. We are one nation – and their pain is our pain. Their dreams are our dreams; and their success will be our success. We share one heart, one home, and one glorious destiny. The oath of office I take today is an oath of allegiance to all Americans.
“For many decades, we’ve enriched foreign industry at the expense of American industry; subsidized the armies of other countries while allowing for the very sad depletion of our military. We’ve defended other nation’s borders while refusing to defend our own. And spent trillions of dollars overseas while America’s infrastructure has fallen into disrepair and decay.
“We’ve made other countries rich while the wealth, strength, and confidence of our country has disappeared over the horizon. {This is, of course, quite bogus.}
“One by one, the factories shuttered and left our shores, with not even a thought about the millions upon millions of American workers left behind. The wealth of our middle class has been ripped from their homes and then redistributed across the entire world.
“But that is the past. And now we are looking only to the future. We assembled here today are issuing a new decree to be heard in every city, in every foreign capital, and in every hall of power. From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land. From this moment on, it’s going to be America First. Every decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration, on foreign affairs, will be made to benefit American workers and American families. …”
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“Donald Trump vs. Cultural Imperialism“
By Maximilian C. Forte (Prof Anthropology, Concordia U in Montreal)
at Zero Anthropology, 23 January 2017. Reposted with his generous permission.
“We will seek friendship and goodwill with the nations of the world — but we do so with the understanding that it is the right of all nations to put their own interests first. We do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone…”
— Donald Trump’s Inaugural Address, 20 January 2017.
“Yet this disavowal of cultural imperialism, in what may well be a first for a presidential inaugural address, is met with rejection and protest by certain quarters, including it seems most US anthropologists. Trump is up against a legacy that taught Americans that their prime directive was to go around the world, take people under their arm, and teach them how to suck eggs.
“…Everyone should instead be “on the same page,” in the terms of liberal universalism which, ironically, has been the ideological basis of the global fascism upheld by the outgoing elites: the fascism that demanded the uniformity and conformity of all who were subjected to the dictates from the all-knowing centre that pretended to know what was best for you. If this is the start of the collapse of that “New World Order” that George H.W. Bush invoked, then there should be much to celebrate.”
Conclusions
Trump’s speech contains the language needed to begin the overthrow of the 1%’s rule in America. Yet neither Right nor Left appears to listen, more interested in their partisan fight for power — which neither can win. Rather than blind support for Trump (based on hope), or total opposition to Trump (based on hate), we could take his words (the opening section shown above) as a statement to which a majority of us can agree. Great coalitions — such as the New Deal — have started with less. Hold Trump to his words. Fight him if he betrays them.
It would be the start of a new day in America. Only a broad alliance can defeat the 1%. They are the winners from the squabbling of our factions.
A note about “carnage” in America
Leftist hacks pretending to be “fact checkers” jumped on Trump’s statement about the “carnarge” in America (e.g., in the WaPo). Their rebuttal was to something he did not say: that the rate of violent crime is falling. Trump said that the rate is too high, which is obviously correct. For example, our homicide rate (the easiest to compare internationally) is far above that of our peers (other developed nations). See this easily sorted Wikipedia list.
For More Information
If you liked this post, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. See all posts about Donald Trump and the new populism, and especially these…
- What the press won’t tell you about Trump and populism — See Walter Russell Mead’s famous essay about Jackson.
- Why the Left is missing the rising populist movement.
- The Right struggles to understand Trump and populism.
- Liberals look at Trump and populism, but see only their prejudices.
- Racism is the dark side of populism. Will it divide and defeat us?
- Populism arises amidst workers abandoned by the Left, seeking allies.
- An anthropologist reminds us why Trump rose & how populism will survive his crash.
- Populism is reshaping the West. Here’s what we can expect to get.
Two books about populism.
