Reaction to Capitol riot sours outlook for return to White House
He walked out on the stage and the crowd was cheering, the music was blasting “I’m proud to be an American,” and former President Donald Trump did look proud, very proud. This was despite a lost election he says he won, a Capitol riot he says he did not start and a furious but failed impeachment attempt to keep him from ever seeking the presidency again.
The song ended with the words “I love this land, God bless the USA,” and 74-yearold Trump, looking as energetic as ever, later made clear he loved his country now disdained by so many rewriting its noble history and not caring about the flag. Those attending the Conservative Political Action Conference chanted, “We love you. We love you. We love you.”
They were representing literally millions who, according to polls, do think Trump should maintain his Republican leadership and White House aspirations he said he just might act on. In contrast to other millions who think the opposite, they no doubt see charisma in the man, like what he did as president, what he advocates and salute a larger vision.
The vision is important because it does speak to something real. I get it, for instance, that he detests “cancel culture” that looks to ruin the lives of those whose words are casually defined as offensive. He said he fears the lapse of cherished principles that used to guide us, and the left right now is superb at this venture.
He is afraid of radicalized politics that embrace socialistic ambitions when capitalism has erased material misery all over the planet. To him, America is “an exceptional nation blessed by God,” but is abandoned when public schools, for example, do not teach patriotism. He said he believes in free thought, thinks the Constitution means what it says and that the rule of law must be maintained.
We should all recognize the crushing sin of slavery, Jim Crow and racism, but that hardly means that accompanying greatness has failed to fight back. Trump talked about “a historic struggle for America’s future” when “our very identity as Americans is at stake.” There is a lot to that at a time of increasing encroachments on free speech, talk of packing the Supreme Court, regulatory overkill and shrugging at race riots as nothing much, just $1 billion worth of property damage and a relatively few dead people.
Mangling facts while still making solid points, Trump got specific about fumbles by President Joe Biden, such as reawakening an immigration crisis and fighting climate change ineffectively by moves that will cost jobs and strip away energy resources at huge economic and national security costs. In the COVID-19 emergency, Biden has pummeled students by failing to pressure states sufficiently to open safe schools, Trump said before listing his own accomplishments as president, pretty impressive.
He then addressed the future, with, for instance, the idea of making the Republican Party into a unified party of love, bringing together people of varied races and creeds. That sounds splendid but is not in tune with his striking out at fellow Republicans who have failed to kneel before him. His self-centered disposition is contrary to the goal. What especially came to mind was the riot in the Capitol. Yes, the impeachment proceedings were more show than substance, but here is a president who sat for hours in the White House calmly watching the mayhem on TV while doing nothing to stop it, a dereliction of duty.
Even given a long list of inanities, I have defended Trump frequently, have seen the progressives as often worse than he was and was myself disturbed by media bias.
There are a number of Republicans who would be acceptable presidential candidates. He is not one of them.