Author and radio host Ben Brunson provides this analysis of President Trump.
Donald Trump is a unique politician. I believe that description is likely non-controversial and I guess that most, be they on the left or right, would immediately think of his personality in applying the term “unique”. Indeed, be it his straight-forward shoot from the hip approach or his fits of bombastic hyperbole, unique is certainly apropos.
However, my use of the adjective in this case refers to the reaction he engenders. Just like Ronald Reagan, he drives the left into spasms defined by equal parts loathing and fear. This reaction from those who seek the easy path of non-confrontation and appeasement has always been forced by those willing to confront difficult realities. Churchill loudly warned of the evils of Hitler during the 30s and was despised and denigrated mercilessly by the left in England. Thatcher was despised and ridiculed for her willingness to confront and roll-back the rot to England caused by decades of Socialist ideology. Reagan confronted the evils of the Soviet Union and, likewise, was hated by the left and burned in effigy throughout Europe. History has elevated all three, and largely forgotten their detractors, precisely for their clarity of vision and strength of character.
Today, whether it is the willingness to confront a nuclear armed North Korea, a nuclear aspiring Iran or the decades of trade inequities that he inherited, Trump drives the identical reaction from the left.
But none of that makes him unique. Churchill, Thatcher and Reagan had die-hard support from the right, support that was critical – in each case – to their ultimate success and historical vindication. Trump is unique precisely because there are so many on the right, especially among those who constitute the traditional power brokers of the Republican Party, who despise the man every bit as much any progressive liberal in Hollywood. George Will is one. Others are John McCain, the extended Bush family and a large number of Republican congresspeople and thinkers.
How can this be so? After all, Trump presides over a country that has Republicans in control of the White House, the Senate, the House, the Supreme Court and 2/3 of the state’s governors. That is pretty damn impressive in a country in which, just a decade ago, everyone (and I mean everyone on both the left and the right) was certain that the Republican Party was on its death bed demographically.
This is where, for the analysis to be done justice, a digression is demanded. For the last 54 years since the start of the Great Society under Lyndon Johnson, and especially the last 38 years since Reagan took office, the power possessed in Washington DC by the federal government has grown exponentially. This power, manifested in ever growing budgets and the spread – like a metastasizing tumor – of laws and regulations that now touch every aspect of American life, has resulted in the type of wealth concentration only seen historically in the capitals of ancient empires.
A half century ago, the capital was a place people went to serve their nation. While there were always perks to be had, such service by young, bright people (think of the talented up and comers of the Kennedy administration) invariably meant putting lucrative private sector careers on hold. Today, life in Washington DC is a career path – and a potentially very lucrative one at that. Not only is federal pay now substantially higher than the private sector (both in salary and, especially, in health and pension benefits), but our capital has a massive and growing golden pathway. Pay your dues as a congressperson or staffer for a handful of years and the bounties of the lobbying establishment await you. This establishment is an equal opportunity employer. Young or old, black or white, Republican or Democrat, all are welcome. All you need is the right connections and the willingness to knock on doors – the money is lying around and with a little moxie, you too can get your share. In the 1980s, if you had the right stuff, you went to New York to try your hand on Wall Street. Today, you pack your bags for Washington DC.
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If you take your scruples more seriously, don’t worry, Washington DC can accommodate you as well. The city is full of organizations which need intelligent and experienced minds to fill their expanding ranks. Nonetheless, the same dragon is being fed. Influence legislators and gain favorable legislation in return. The money flows because the returns are there. The fact of this situation – let’s call it a swamp – is that both Republicans and Democrats have a common and converging interest in its growth and resultant wealth redistribution.
Enter Donald Trump, the erstwhile swamp buster. It is the swamp creatures themselves, from both parties, who have now a common enemy, a common point of animus. His name is Trump and he is the first real threat to occupy the Oval Office since the Great Society was kicked off. And this fact makes Trump unique.
Can Donald Trump roll back the swamp alone? Probably not, at least in any meaningful or lasting way. But he can do exactly what he has done: shine an unwelcome light on the swamp and its inhabitants, all of whom much prefer when the country’s attentions are focused on anything other than the current economics driving our capital. That “anything” can range from very serious matters like the nuclear arsenal of a Korean dictator to the inane, like the commentary of Stormy Daniels, to the invented, like a collusion narrative devoid of facts.
Donald Trump possesses many traits that leave us all uncomfortable. The need to puff himself up with inflated reality is at the top of the list. But he also has traits that hint at a great legacy. These traits include clarity of vision and the willingness to speak hard truth. Combined with the ability to forge personal bonds, the type of bonds that big deals are built upon, these latter traits will hopefully prevail for the benefit of all Americans.
In the meantime, the creatures of the swamp will fight back with all the venom they possess.
Ben Brunson is the author of Esther’s Sling and the Falstaff Enigma. He co-hosts the Inside the News radio program.
Photo: White House