Our President has a litany of attributes known to his detractors. Malignant narcissist is a label posted on his orange forehead by no less than leading Republican conservatives who are desperate to see the back of him. The labels include, ignoramus, pathological liar, misogynist, serial business failure, con-man, and entertainer with a gift for pithy, media-grabbing phrases. Above all, he is a celebrity, in a celebrity-oriented society. His long stint on television, more than anything, paved his golden path to the Presidency.
What does that tell us about the 63 million Americans who voted for him? They have been deprived of sequential civic education and lack the bilateral civil contract that might have tied them to the benefits and burdens of citizenship. Most of them don’t respect government, feel left behind, are suspicious of education and expertise, attitudes that are validated by the right -wing media. They feel threatened by the manifestations of a pluralistic society. Much of their alienation is warranted. A palpable element of their nihilistic disenchantment is the reality that they were in fact left behind by an expanding technology-driven, market-oriented, economy. Housing, education, health care, retirement security; the foundations of a middle- class life, are beyond their reach. Even so, it is astonishing that this cohort could believe that Trump would address their issues, given his profile. It is equally incomprehensible that after three years tens of millions still support him. It is some consolation that our flawed democracy also gave us eight years of Barak Obama; in all respects the antithesis of our current President. And it is probable that the next president will be a healer rather than a divider, with a core of decency, empathy, and experience. Even so, if we are to avoid a future electoral train wreck, we will need to 1) reduce the causes of alienation and 2) educate the next generation to respect the role of government and to accept the responsibilities of citizenship. Hopefully the next government can take the first meaningful steps to achieve these goals. The first step would be a generic civics curriculum tied to federal funding of education. A corollary, achievable in the near term, would be the restoration of campaign financing limitations. Other achievable goals would be, the termination of the anachronistic electoral college, and the mitigation of gerrymandering. It should also be possible to make the day we elect a President a national holiday. The problem of restoring a modicum of security for this alienated and marginalized group is daunting. Simply passing out money as a palliative is not sustainable and does not address the harmonics of the issues. Subsidizing economic development in rust belt communities would help. It is more likely that the solution, if any, will lie in a generation that has both different expectations and different responses to economic distress. Sheldon Greene is a novelist, an executive in a wind energy development company, and a lawyer with a background in high impact, public interest law.
share this Post:
0 thoughts on “Choosing a President/Upping the Game”
Hey there! I just want to offer you a huge thumbs up for your excellent info you have here on this post. Ill be coming back to your blog for more soon.
You might enjoy my novels, available on Amazon. Also check out other blogs on Substack Crit. Sheldon Greene
Everything is very open with a precise explanation of the challenges. It was truly informative. Your website is extremely helpful. Many thanks for sharing!
You might enjoy my novels, available on Amazon. Also check out other blogs on Substack Crit. Sheldon Greene
I needed to thank you for this fantastic read!! I absolutely enjoyed every bit of it. I have you saved as a favorite to check out new stuff you postÖ
You ought to take part in a contest for one of the greatest blogs on the web. Im going to highly recommend this site!
Itís hard to come by knowledgeable people for this subject, but you sound like you know what youíre talking about! Thanks
You might enjoy my novels, available on Amazon. Also check out other blogs on Substack Crit. Sheldon Greene
Very good article. I absolutely love this site. Thanks!
You might enjoy my novels, available on Amazon. Also check out other blogs on Substack Crit. Sheldon Greene
Fantastic blog post.Really thank you! Want more.
Thanks. Check out my mag Substack Crit and my novels, Amazon. Sheldon Greene