USA TODAY International Edition
Trump’s dark demagoguery debases Reagan’s legacy
Few people remember it now, but at the 1980 Republican convention in Detroit, Ronald Reagan also declared that it was time to “make America great again.”
Reagan’s great America, however, was starkly different from Donald Trump’s. Reagan spoke in Detroit of “men and women of all races, nationalities and faiths bringing home to their families a decent paycheck.” For those without skills, he promised job training. And for those without opportunities, he promised economic stimulus. His convention was full of optimism — and specific plans to cut taxes, deregulate energy and enhance the military.
In contrast, the Trump convention this week in Cleveland was relentlessly negative. According to a draft of his acceptance speech released early Thursday evening, Trump depicted a nation in full- blown crisis and vowed that only his firm leadership could “liberate our citizens from the crime and terrorism and lawlessness that threatens their communities.”
This capped a convention that was sharply partisan, rocked by internal division, largely devoid of policy, and seemingly incapable of getting excited by much other than putting Hillary Clinton in jail without due process.
Trump’s dark- and- stormy acceptance speech continued the themes of a primary campaign in which he declared that “America is going to hell,” that “stupid people” are in charge, and that the “lousy” economy features a vastly understated unemployment rate.
Call us sentimental, but Reagan’s optimistic vision presented ( and still presents) a more attractive and viable way forward for the GOP.
On policy, Trump’s divergence from Reaganism could not be more pronounced. Reagan was a free trader; Trump is a protectionist. Reagan preached U. S. leadership in global affairs; Trump suggested this week that the U. S. might not defend NATO countries that don’t pull their weight. Reagan was an immigration champion who believed in an America “open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here.” Trump wants to build walls.
But perhaps most distressing is Trump’s rejection of Reagan’s “Morning in America” tone and outlook. Despite the nominee’s doomsaying, America has never stopped being a great nation.
Yes, the USA has significant problems, ranging from a sluggish economy to gun violence to terrorist threats.
Even so, it remains the world’s hub of innovation. It has pushed down crime rates, reduced teen pregnancies and expanded health coverage. Its military remains unrivaled. Its global approval rating stands at 69%. Its economy, while far from ideal, is running circles around those of other developed nations.
A candidate like Trump preaching pessimism can have an impact. To some degree, polls finding the nation on the wrong track are driven by conditions in some parts of the economy. But a good bit of the foul mood is the result of what Americans see and hear from in politics: a dysfunctional Congress, a caustic national political debate, and people like Trump telling them that everything is bad, bad, bad.
Republicans claim to revere Reagan, yet their 2016 nominee fails to honor his ideals.