Voters are angry, justifiably so. They
gave control of both house and senate to the Republicans on the
promise that those elected would do things like stop executive
amnesty, funding of Planned Parenthood, stop Obamacare, etc. The
Republicans then turned around and acted like Obama sycophants. Their
campaign promises were as trustworthy as a Hillary Clinton claim.
They betrayed the voters who now want revenge.
Unfortunately, that anger is not a good
guide for voters. In their desire to strike back, many of those
voters are harming the very causes they support. Let's face it,
Donald Trump is unlikely to do any of the things voters supported in
2014. Even his main issue, the promise to build a wall along the
border, is in serious doubt. Allegedly, in an off-the-record
interview with the New York Times,
he said he doesn't really believe what he is saying about stopping
illegal entry. The fact that he refuses to have the tape of that
interview released leads me to believe that the claim is true, he has
no intention of building a wall or otherwise restricting illegal
entry to this country.
If we
make the mistake of electing Trump, I doubt we will see much of
anything different than if we elect Hillary Clinton. Reacting in
anger can cause us to jump from the proverbial frying pan into the
fire.
Related
to the issue of illegal aliens are the job losses and underemployment
many families face. That is partly, but not totally, due to illegal
aliens taking jobs otherwise available to citizens. Again, reacting
in unthinking anger is national suicide. That is reminiscent of the
way Hitler took power in Germany. As I wrote in my book, Freedom
or Serfdom?:
“How
could Hitler get enough voter support to become chancellor? The
answer is that the Germans were desperate, and desperate people may
grasp at any straw. The Treaty of Versailles imposed onerous
reparations on the country. That and other problems devastated the
economy. Formerly prosperous families found themselves with little or
nothing. As Hayek puts it, “It should never be forgotten that the
one decisive factor in the rise of totalitarianism on the Continent,
which is yet absent in England and America, is the
existence of a large recently dispossessed middle class.”[1]
“As
I write this, the American middle class is under siege. Should much
of that middle class fall on hard times, that could open the way for
a demagogue to take power .”
When I wrote that, I had no idea that
Trump, who I consider to be very much a demagogue, would seriously
contend for the presidency. I did suspect that another demagogue,
Hillary Clinton, would be the democratic candidate but it had not
occurred to me that voters in November might face the choice between
two such demagogic candidates. I do not want to claim the mantle of
prophet, but I'm afraid we might face exactly that. I may vomit in
the election booth.
Let us hope that voters will wake up
and not let their anger do the voting, rational thinking is much
better.
No comments:
Post a Comment