“Every nation has the government it deserves.”
So wrote philosopher, lawyer, and diplomat Joseph de Maistre in August of 1811. He presumably knew a lot about the subject, as at the time he was serving as the King of Piedmont-Sardinia’s envoy to Russian Czar Alexander I.
“Every nation has the government it deserves.”
So wrote philosopher, lawyer, and diplomat Joseph de Maistre in August of 1811. He presumably knew a lot about the subject, as at the time he was serving as the King of Piedmont-Sardinia’s envoy to Russian Czar Alexander I.
One can imagine de Maistre observing the present American political scene and having nothing to add. How did we, the people, manage to earn the government we have? That is a question future social scientists must debate. For the moment, though, it might be instructive to look at how we elect our leaders.
Strangely enough, we are totally accepting of the notion that candidates with the most money are the most desirable. Though the ability to raise funds is not inherently tied to their capacity to address the needs and problems of the electorate, you and I have agreed to the concept that being able to pay for better campaign advertising and organization equals leadership. And that is kind of goofy.
We pause to note that this situation has given us the perplexing political rise of Donald Trump. And that begs the question, what are we as a citizenry looking for that allowed his candidacy at all, let alone his startling showing in the polls?
Political analysts point out Mr. Trump speaks for a small but vocal slice of the population pie. His supporters show Tea Party leanings and tend to be somewhat conservative socially and fiscally. They seem to adore The Donald’s willingness to shoot off his mouth on almost any topic. Trump’s bloviating on immigration or economic policy completely ignores the complexities of those issues, but his followers certainly love his endless supply of smarmy soundbites.
Confirming some of our stereotypes about the very rich, he thinks a great deal of himself, and loves to characterize those who disagree with him as “losers.” His brashness thrills some voters, but being rude and dismissive will turn the majority off (you listening, Governor Christie?). The smart money says his general tone deafness to the American middle will doom him to also-ran status almost as soon as the spectacle of Republican debate season begins.
Still, one wonders why his far-fetched White House ambitions gain traction with anyone. Then again, many of us wonder why people follow the man at all, even on the gossip pages or his awful television show, The Apprentice.
Perhaps this tells us more than we want to know about who we are as a culture.
Fact is, if we're hanging on Donald Trump's regular and repeated slurs and mischaracterizations, it allows us to ignore important issues regarding the environment, economic justice, law enforcement, and so on.
The comb-over king has no chance of being president, thank goodness. However, when we take him seriously we allow the other candidates to get off easy, to not do the hard work of offering thoughtful solutions to the problems we face as a nation.
I suppose that means we are getting exactly what we deserve.
Pat Grimes, a former South Bay resident, writes from Ypsilanti, Mich. He can be reached at pgwriter@inbox.com
