By: Frank Shannon
Last November I wrote about the conflict of visions that created fissures in both political parties – Nationalism and Globalization. Recent events call for a re-visitation of this subject.
America is under constant attack from foreign and domestic enemies. The various crises and protests all attack Americans and our traditional values. Trump is running a nationalist, populist campaign against the Republican establishment and Hillary, both of whom support the Globalist agenda of the past several decades. Time will tell where all of this will lead but if the past months are an indication, these attacks and protests have improved Trump’s standing with the voters.
Recently, he gave a speech in San Jose, just prior to the California primary. His speech was very inspiring to the attendees, invoking a strong patriotic feeling in the crowd. As his supporters left, they were attacked by protesters, some were injured, and blood was drawn. The protesters burned an American flag and were waving Mexican flags. The protesters were yelling F… Trump as his supporters tried to get onto the light rail system to get home.
This played right into the Trump campaign narrative: we need to secure our borders and remove illegal alien thugs. It also fuels the America First sentiments of his campaign.
Also aiding Trump are the minimum wage hike protesters. When these folks protest, it reminds us that declining wages and scarcity of middle class jobs need attention. Again, this plays right into the Trump narrative that we need to stop illegal immigration and that Globalization has pushed high wage workers down the economic ladder. Now we are to believe that entry level work must provide “a living wage.” Trump’s response is that there should be no increase to minimum wages at the national level and this should be left up to the states with widely varied economies and needs.
These protests also serve to strengthen Trump’s hand by reminding us that the middle class has been gutted by bad trade deals and Trump’s real solutions are resonating with voters. Again, this plays right into his campaign theme.
The only way to improve Trump’s situation is to have multinational CEO’s China, Germany, Korea and/or Japan protest Trump’s trade policies.
This reminds us that Trump, replacing multi-lateral agreements with bi-lateral agreements, would balance trade and destroy the gravy train these trading partners have enjoyed for decades and now expect. This would stoke more anger toward Globalism and feed the nationalist fervor sweeping the nation.
On June 12th, we suffered Islamic terrorism in Orlando in a gay bar. This highlights the Obama administration’s feckless response to these attacks. Now a Phoenix based LGBT group has said enough is enough and is endorsing Donald Trump. Social media “lit up” the following day from the LGBT community. Here are a couple of postings:
I’m American. I’m gay. I used to think Donald Trump was full of s…. Today everything changed. My friend was one of the victims in Orlando. I’ve never been more ready for Trump to take office.
I’m shaken. I’m a mess. I’m broken. But I’ve never been more determined for a leader to actually take charge and make a change. How do I get started? How do I help Trump lead us into a safer country?
As the anger grows over these issues, Trump is strengthened. As Trump gains strength, the anger increases, etc. etc.
These protests and attacks stoke traditional American sentiment and play into Trump’s narrative of America First. And, they are antithetical to Hillary’s Globalist View. The bad news for Hillary is the only way for these radicals to stop helping elect Trump is for them to sit down and shut up.
Not likely!!!
Frank Shannon served in the U.S. Army, was an engineering/operations manager for AT&T for 27 years, was the owner of a small Colorado manufacturing business for 23 years, served as Colorado Chair of the Coalition for a Prosperous America and moved to Mesquite in 2013.
That was a great article Frank!
Great article Frank. The only way out of this mess America is in now is to grow some balls. Obama has none, and neither does Hillary. I’m not saying Trump is the perfect candidate, because he isn’t. But he may be the necessary evil America needs right now before it’s too late.
Steve,
Thanks for the kind words. After hearing Trump’s speech today, he may be a much better candidate by November.
Thanks Frank, Today with Great Britain choosing independence and freedom bolsters Trump’s message “make America great”… hope we have as much backbone as the Brits!
The BREX vote is the first step in the dismantling of the Globalist agenda and mirrors the likely outcome for America in November.
Thank you Frank, for writing what we are thinking! We wonder why it took so long for England to move on leaving EU as the handwriting was there for a long time. Go Trump! Chuck and Andi
Hi Frank
The genie is out of the bottle…Obama put a 500% plus tariff on China Steel so we are making more steel in the US but NO MORE JOBS were created since the process is computerized and automated…we have added manufacturing jobs but again they don’t add as many people due to computerization and automation, The larger issue is the depression of white collar salaries except for the upper echelons of business and corporations People have not been compensated for the productivity gains. Republican trickle down is a complete joke. Your hero, Donald Trump had every opportunity to make products in the US but has chosen to produce in the countries with the lowest labor rates. His claim that there were no companies making these products here was just another lie. This Nationalism movement in Europe and the US is dangerous and will lead to war in the future. Where economic and social interests align, war is less likely. Donald is a poor mans Hitler…he is not as good but twice as dangerous. Republicans gave us George Bush who ruined the US, lied to get us to support an unjust and costly war and did not do anything to pay for it and put in tax cuts all of which put us from surplus to staggering debt. Now they want to double down on a candidate with the GREAT and HUGE vocabulary of a 4th grader and the comprehension to match. His policies will almost double our debt, isolate us and make us less safe not more safe. He is a crook and a liar and the only thing he has exposed is the staggering ignorance and bigotry of the American Public who are looking for Daddy to solve all their problems. We do need major changes not the least of which would be cyber security not another Aircraft Carrier. We need complete reform of the patent system which has been totally out of control and will stifle innovation and we need aggressive action against China’s theft of our technologies and manufacturing processes…..We need a complete reform of our Medical System…we have too few doctors and many are terrible and do more harm than good. The smartest, not the richest should become doctors, Insurance is not Health Care we need to cut them out of the equation all together. We need to put action where it counts on illegal immigration, on the people who benefit the most….the EMPLOYERS. They should be fined heavily and those monies they did not pay into SS and Medicare to be reimbursed into our social safety net. They would not be hiring illegals if we fined them so heavily that it did not pay. This is what other countries do. The Donald used them the same way Pulte does, by subbing out in an arms length transaction to contractors who can be gone in a heartbeat. Do you really think privatizing SS is a good idea when we are a country who does not save? Just look at what happened in Brazil? I could go on and on. If they go to a voucher system for Medicare, and repeal the Affordable Care Act do you really think people our age could get insurance at any cost? Medicare is the only thing keeping a lid on the astronomical rise in Medical costs. GP Doctors don’t get enough but Specialists and Hospitals get too much. The kickbacks in this INDUSTRY is staggering and no one has bothered to really report our true problems with our Medical Costs and expose the corruption. Trump is an idiot and a thug who does not pay his bills and makes money by cheating the most vulnerable and then bribing his way out of litigation. Just look at what happened with Trump University in Texas and Florida. He is an opportunist with no character or integrity. The corruption is so ingrained in our politicians it makes me sick but he is not the answer…he is the HUGE problem. Just remember what he said…HE is always right, but a closer look shows he is wrong ALOT. No one is more dangerous than a megalomaniac narcissist who thinks he is always right and won’t even listen to anyone else on anything, who thinks he knows more than our military leaders, who gets his news from the National Enquirer and the Internet, and a just hears things. YIKES! and I though Sara Palin was bad. This may not matter in a casino or golf course especially when the US taxpayer can be tapped to bail him out whenever he feels like…but when you renege on the US Debit, the British Exit from the EU impact on the pound will look like chump change vs what will happen to the dollar and our economy. It will be an unmitigated disaster. Another corrupt justice like Thomas and Scalia on the court will also doom any real reform in the corruption in our politics and our politicians. I for one want a return to separation of church and state…we need to stop giving tax dollars to all religions either directly which was again a BUSH program or indirectly thru tax exemptions. Read Christian Reconstruction and it will open your eyes. Look at the documentary Requiem for the American Dream or Inequality for All on Netflx . America is in trouble if someone like Trump is the Republican Nominee. We have lost our way. The Republicans spent 20 years and 30 million dollars to gerrymander their way into control of the House. Newt Gingrich a possible VP for Trump started the obstructionist Republican movement which put the minority in charge of the House and brought any working government to a standstill. We can’t afford more of this…we are already 6 years behind as it is. You and I know lots of people working the system…Out golfing every day on “disability” so they can take retirement later and get more…Republicans all. The hypocrisy never fails to astound me or disgust me. I’m sure they’ll all be voting for TRUMP.
Rosie,
You mention that mechanization has eliminated jobs it the Steel industry. If mechanization is depressing jobs wouldn’t American products be cheaper than foreign goods and store shelves full of cheap American products? Remember that labor is only 10% of product cost in advanced manufacturing.
If you factor this into your thought process, it should tell you that something else is causing Americans to lose high-paying jobs. In my opinion, it has more to do with how the U.S. taxes (production) and how our foreign competitors tax (consumption). Another huge factor is currency manipulation.