On Sat, 03 Dec 2016 19:12:14 -0500, Patrick <
pbark...@woh.rr.com>
wrote:
The following is just an Opinion article and the libs will instantly
disregard it even though it is from a Democrat but it makes sense.
Which is another reason the libs will simply disregard it.:
I'm a Democrat and I'm ashamed at how tone deaf we've become
By Bryan Dean Wright
During a shouting matching Thursday night between top aides of Donald
Trump and Hillary Clinton, the President-elect’s campaign manager
Kellyanne Conway summed up a key reason for why my Democratic Party
lost – and will likely continue to lose. “There’s a difference for
voters between what offends you and what affects you.”
To understand what she meant, look to the recent developments in
Indiana. Millions of voters in the Rust Belt are in awe as 1,100 of
their fellow blue-collar workers at Carrier narrowly missed being laid
off. Instead of training Mexican replacements, these Hoosiers are
celebrating an American paycheck.
In normal times, my fellow Democrats would have celebrated this modest
victory in the fight against globalization. They might have even
applauded the president-elect for helping make it happen.
But these are not normal times.
Media reaction captures how tone deaf we have become. My party is
advancing stories of outrage over the generous tax incentives that
Carrier received – some $7.0 million at present.
We’re hearing disbelief that companies can now blackmail Trump into
getting their own sweetheart tax deals. Even trade critics like Bernie
Sanders are complaining that Trump didn’t save enough jobs from being
shipped overseas.
While there’s merit to these concerns, Ms. Conway knows that however
offended some people may be, there are far more who are affected by
the outcome.
From now until Christmas, we will see narratives of hard working
Americans emotionally recalling how much they feared joblessness and
bankruptcy once Carrier shut off the lights. They will tell us of the
Christmas that almost was, complete with heartbroken children with no
presents under the tree.
But now? There will be presents aplenty. And they will have
President-elect Trump to thank for it.
Facts aside, how does this look to average Americans in North
Carolina, Michigan, and Wisconsin? For better or worse, the headline
is clear: Trump is a president who picks up the phone and saves jobs.
Democrats are whiners. It doesn’t matter whether that’s fair.
Trump 1, Democrats 0.
My party continues to make this same mistake with Trump over and over.
During the election, Secretary Hillary Clinton levied a million
arguments for why Trump wasn’t fit for the presidency. He was accused
of hating women, gays, Latinos, Jews, Muslims, and overweight beauty
queens. He had a bad temperament. He was a Russian spy. He bankrupted
contractors. He hadn’t paid taxes since the 1980s. His skin was orange
and his hair fake.
Since the election, we’ve stuck to the same script. His chief
strategist is a white supremacist. His cabinet picks are Islamophobic.
His business interests are in conflict with Washington protocol.
But guess what? Most voters didn’t – and still don’t – care. In the
Rust Belt and rural communities, they have bigger problems to tackle.
Idle factories, saw mills, and coal mines. Families falling apart from
opioid addiction. Incomes that have less buying power than 40 years
ago. Kids living at home because they are swamped with student debt.
They’re running out of hope.
Enter Donald Trump and his willingness to shame an American
corporation into submission. First with Ford in Kentucky. Now Carrier
in Indiana.
Love him or hate him, voters see a man who delivers.
All of which begs the question: how will Democrats be relevant in this
new era of a hands-on president? After all, the country needs a
faithful opposition. We are not China with their one Communist Party.
Thankfully, the path to relevancy is surprisingly straightforward.
First, we must swallow our pride and acknowledge that Trump is
America’s president. It doesn’t matter if we don’t like the man. The
American people have chosen.
We gain nothing by supporting Jill Stein and Hillary Clinton as they
engage in fruitless recounts. No more excuses. We lost and it’s time
to move on. The 2018 elections will wait for no one.
Next, let’s celebrate if Trump succeeds. When over 1,000 men and women
in Indiana keep their paycheck, let’s be joyful and figure out how to
do it again. Wishing for his failure – or minimizing his successes –
is petty and undignified. Voters see right through it.
Third, let’s find common cause with Trump where it’s in concert with
our values. Start with renegotiating NAFTA and our participation in
the WTO. Collaborate on rebuilding America’s roads, bridges, and rail
lines. Update our water systems to avoid lead poisoning in our
children. And let’s build high-speed Internet service for our rural
communities.
Of course, there are important differences between the parties where
compromise will be tough. The social safety net – Medicare, Medicaid,
and Social Security – is a fiscal mess. Republicans want fewer
benefits, Democrats higher taxes. We’re all going to have to give a
little. Nobody will get everything they want.
Make no mistake, there are areas where we simply cannot compromise. We
believe in a woman’s right to control her body. We believe that gay
and lesbian Americans deserve equality. But even here we can at least
be civil as we disagree. Voters and the courts will decide who is
right.
All told, Democrats have a choice: we can make the next four years
productive for the American people, or we can choose obstruction.
But let’s remember that the friends and family of those Carrier
workers are watching. And so, too, are the American people. If we
handle ourselves poorly, neither history – nor elections – will judge
us kindly.