"Even More Post-Election Thoughts"

 

Sydney M. Williams

www.swtotd.blogspot.com

 

Thought of the Day

“Even More Post-Election Thoughts”

November 14, 2020

 

“We have, in fact, two kinds of morality, side by side: One which we preach,

but do not practice, and another which we practice, but seldom preach.”

                                                                                                                                Bertrand Russell (1872-1970)

                                                                                                                                Skeptical Essays, 1928

 

It may seem odd that I, a conservative, would quote Bertrand Russell in the rubric that heads this essay. But I find the sentiment expressed fitting for the world in which we live where hypocrisy and double standards are the standard. In my opinion, a hypocrite is one who professes virtues he does not possess, in the hope his words will camouflage his actions. It is a condition common to the halls of political power. 

 

I was mocked for my prediction in my last essay – perhaps deservedly – that Trump would be as gracious in defeat as he was competitive in battle. It is still too early to know. Mr. Trump has not yet conceded, and Congress has yet to certify the election. But (and on this I am more certain) what he and his followers will not do is become the sore losers who created the “resistance” four years ago. Mr. Biden will not be subject, from the media, academia and our cultural elite, to the never-ending barrage of personal attacks Mr. Trump endured. Nor will the intelligence agencies and their flunkies in Congress try to upend his Presidency, as they attempted to do with Mr. Trump throughout his four years. 

 

It is not easy to cast Donald Trump as the principal character in a morality tale, a “heroic but stubborn and self-fixated Antigone,” as Victor Davis Hanson, writing in National Review, described him. However, there is about Mr. Trump the possible makings of an heroic, but tragic, figure. He exposed much of Washington’s ruling class to be corrupt and self-serving, and he showed the media to be the partisan attack dogs they are. He brought to light the role universities have played in censoring conservative speech. He unmasked the hypocrisy of politicians for their refusal to accept school choice for poor and minority students, and he watched the Left’s double standards regarding masks in riot-torn streets. He ignored Chuck Schumer’s advice in 2017 about taking on the intelligence community. For this, he received no acclamation.

 

He accomplished some things both sides wanted, but which the Left hesitated to support, like reducing the number of illegal immigrants, and moving the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, in accordance with a resolution passed by Congress in 1995.  He walked away from the Iran nuclear deal, which would have set Iran on a path to nuclear weapons, and he authored the Abraham Accords between Israel and, the United Arab Emirates. He confronted China, with their theft of our technology. He forced the UN to face charges of human rights’ violations. He brought American troops home from endless wars in the Middle East. He made the U.S. energy independent. For this, he received no accolades.

 

He did a few things that Democrats might not have done, but which have helped all Americans. His tax bill and deregulation efforts juiced an economy that had slowed. The tax bill, widely reviled by the Left, reduced the deduction for SALT (state and local taxes) deductions, thereby negatively affecting high-earners in high-taxed states, like New York, California, New Jersey, Connecticut, Hawaii, Oregon, Minnesota and Vermont, an income-equalizing factor, hypocritically ignored by Progressives. He created Operation Warp Speed to develop therapeutics and a vaccine for COVID-19, compressing what is normally a 72-month process (for a vaccine) into an 11 to 13-month time frame. Would Democrats have done the same? His pre-COVID-19 economy increased employment and wages among minorities and, in doing so, lowered the wealth and income gaps that have plagued the country for three decades. Despite these accomplishments, he was not granted a second term.

 

Divisiveness increased during the Trump years. His comments about Indiana-born Judge Gonzalo Curiel in May 2016 were inexcusable. During his first campaign for President, he called for a ban on Muslims entering the United States. He has a habit of speaking without considering the weight of his words. He should have condemned outright far-right hate groups. But the spirit of un-cooperation did not begin with Mr. Trump. Mr. Obama, as America’s first black President, had a choice. He could have been a unifier; instead, he chose to raise the temperature of racial tensions. And, Democrats have never condemned far-Left hate groups, like Antifa.

 

…………………………………………………..

 

Nevertheless, and apart from Trump, what was fascinating in this election was how well Republicans did. At least two state legislative bodies switched from Democrat to Republican. Republicans added to their governorships. Greg Gianforte, a Montana Republican, was elected, defeating Mike Cooney. He will replace incumbent governor, Democrat Steve Bullock. In the House, Republicans picked up seats and elected at least twelve freshmen women: Nancy Mace (SC), Yvette Herrell (NM), Lauren Boebert (CO), Kat Cammack (FL), Maria Elvira Salazar (FL), Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA), Mary Miller (IL), Lisa McClain (MI), Michelle Fischbach (MN), Stephanie Bice (OK), Diana Harshbarger (TN) and Victoria Spartz (IN). What this suggests is that while Mr. Trump’s personality rankled some, his policies, and conservativism in general, fared well.  

 

While re-counts should continue and legal arguments will be heard, at least until votes are certified, the numbers suggest Mr. Biden won the election, although not by much. (As of this writing, there are still seven House seats that have not been called.) The election highlighted concerns with early voting, on-line registration, universal mail-in voting, vote harvesting and a lack of voter ID requirements. The election suggests a divided country. It is one in which, with most states being strongly blue or red, many candidates face a David versus Goliath competition. With mainstream media, late-night television hosts and social media aligned against them, Republicans did well, suggesting a repudiation of the culture Progressives have been pushing, in universities and on social media.

 

It is possible that a recount in Georgia might swing that state into the Trump column, but it is difficult to conceive of enough votes being changed in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan or Nevada for Mr. Trump to win re-election. However, and despite allegations to the contrary from those like the self-righteous Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT), there is always fraud in elections. Democrats, especially, are good at scouring cemeteries for votes, and harvesting ones when they need the count. While not enough votes will be found to make a difference in this election’s outcome, it is hypocritical for Biden’s team to suggest everyone should accept as inevitable the result declared by the media. Keep in mind, Hillary Clinton’s advice to Joe Biden: if results show you lost, do not concede, under any conditions.

 

As a final observation, as one who believes less government is better than more and that more individual responsibility and freedom are better than less. I am wary of those who promise “a chicken for every pot,” as did an ad for Herbert Hoover in 1928, or tuition-free public colleges and universities, as did Bernie Sanders in 2020. The United States is not perfect, but as a nation of 330 million who represent every ethnicity, religion and race in the world, there is no other country in which the vast majority would want to live. We have our differences, but we are lucky to be here.