Dear Democrats,
Having moved to France a couple of years ago, I have had the
benefit of following the recent Presidential election at arm’s length – no
television news, no mailings, no robocalls. Just internet sites like Flipboard
that allowed me to pick and choose between such sources as NPR, Fox, Al
Jazeera, The Guardian, AP, CNN, and such. I’m invested, though. I voted.
Here’s what I think, free of charge and worth every penny.
Progressives are now on the march. Trump is not their
President. Well, I beg to differ. Trump is indeed their President, and mine
too, just as Obama was the President of the Trump voters who so despised him.
It is our job now to hold Trump’s feet to the fire with the same intensity that
has led to Obama being criticized relentlessly from both ends of the political
spectrum.
Never in my political life spanning over 60 years have I
witnessed a torrent of obvious lies spoken by Presidential candidates and
accepted by their devotees equivalent to the lies spoken almost daily by all
four of the major party candidates. I include the Bobbsey Twins because there
were those, as few as they were, who actually voted Green or Libertarian as
though either of those clueless twerps represented an alternative. I don’t know
if those votes affected the outcome of the election. As we all now understand,
polls only have value to the elegantly coifed men and women who read the news
or opine about the horse race without any connection to electoral reality. But
the idea that voting for either Stein or Johnson was acceptable, either as a
protest or because they deserved serious consideration for the Presidency, is
ludicrous. I have in the past, when confronted with unacceptable choices,
written in Sandy Koufax, a man of unquestioned character, unquestioned talent,
and an aversion to the limelight. Can anyone say the same for Stein or Johnson?
Progressives in the Democratic Party are now complaining
that Bernie was the better candidate and would have won the Presidency had not
the DNC favored Hillary. To that argument, one never to be resolved, I would
offer three points.
First, suppose that you are a lifelong member of a club. You
work hard, invest time and money. Then one day, a man who for decades had every
opportunity to join the club, but who refused to do so, suddenly enrolls for
the sole purpose of becoming the leader of the club. His opposition for
leadership is a long-time, committed member. How could anyone expect the
membership of that club not to have an obvious preference between the two? It’s
simply childish to suppose otherwise. We are talking politics here. And
politics ain’t beanbag.
Secondly, having spent the entire primary season trashing
Hillary and the DNC mercilessly, Progressives have argued that Hillary was a
flawed candidate. Their vitriol lasted throughout the primaries and general
election campaign. Could their constant, vicious attacks have had a bearing on
the manner in which Hillary was viewed by those observing the carnage from the
outside? I would certainly think so. For those on the fence, the rancor
demonstrated by people purporting to be members of her own party even after the
primaries were over had to have been a consideration.
Finally, marching is bullshite. Petitioning is bullshite.
Only voting in an election counts. Man up. And if that phrase is too sexist for
you, tough patooties. Man up.
Moving forward, we need to be asking several questions, with
one voice, loudly and with conviction.
Has a wall been built along our southern border? Has Mexico
paid for it? Have 11,000,000 illegals been deported? Has Trump deported even as
many people as Obama has? How many Muslims are on the new national registry?
(These aren’t my priorities at all but they were campaign centerpieces.)
On November 8, 2008, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index
closed at 930.99. On November 8, 2016, it closed at 2,139.56, worth 130% more. That’s
Obama’s record. How do the markets compare under a Trump administration?
In January, 2009, when Obama took office, the unemployment
rate was 7.8%. In October, 2016, (most recent available numbers) the rate is
4.9%, a decrease of about 60%. That’s Obama’s record. How does unemployment
compare under a Trump administration? (It’s true that the workforce
participation rate declined from 65.7% to 62.8% during the same period. We’ll
track that too.)
Of interest to an expat like me is the strength of the
dollar, the exchange rate against the euro. On January 1, 2009, it cost $1.40 to
buy a euro. On election day, I could buy a euro for $1.09, meaning that the
dollar is 30% stronger against the euro since Obama took office. That’s Obama’s
record. Let’s see if Trump’s dollar fares as well.
There are other indicators that we could use – decline in
the deficit, inflation near zero, exports up. But let’s focus on just a few,
easily determined, generally accepted statistics.
Let’s hold Trump and the Republicans in Congress accountable.
If we have lost because the electorate has been pulled to the right, let’s
start pulling back from the left. Let’s demonstrate why the better educated
electorate votes Democratic. Let’s learn.
Affectionately,
Ira
"Of course," said Trump. "Forget Hawaii. Anyone who wants a vacation in the sun can go to Mar-a-Lago. It's a terrific resort. Really terrific. I mean, I'm OK with Polynesians. I like Polynesians. Some Polynesians are great people. And those grass skirts, it makes it real easy to grab..."
