A long way from the arsenal of democracy
A long way from the arsenal of democracy
This may seem small, but I do not think it is. I know it will look old fashioned. It has to do with the sense of a great nation of its own stature on the world stage.
In the days after the apparent murder of Saudi activist and writer Jamal Khashoggi, President Trump was repeatedly pressured into the possible response of the United States if, as seemed likely, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had ordered the murder. Mr. Trump made it clear that his first consideration was what he considered practical: he did not want to cancel the lucrative arms deals with the Saudi government. "I do not like the concept of stopping a $ 110 billion investment in the United States," he said. That number was inflated, but Saudi Arabia is the largest buyer of weapons in the United States.
Mr. Trump told Lesley Stahl of "60 minutes": "I do not want to hurt the jobs, I do not want to lose an order like that." Later in the week, he told reporters that Saudi Arabia is a "big buyer" of military equipment from the United States, and this should be taken into account.
It was alarming. Are we talking like that now? In public? I guess it's supposed to look hard and in the bottom line. But now we declare that the foreign policy of the United States is so transactional?
We used to feel ashamed, or at least ashamed, of being seen as arms merchants for the world. He did not sit with our vision of ourselves. And the American presidents, as representatives of a nation with a moral stature, did not use to declare that our world positions are heavily influenced by arms contracts.
We used to play a little more high mentality. Because we did not want the world to see us as crude and mercenary. And even if our discretion was hypocritical, at least it was the tribute that tribute pays to virtue.
All this made me think of George Bernard Shaw's "Greater Barbara", in which Andrew Undershaft, the loving manufacturer of guns, guns, torpedoes and airships shared the "true faith" of the ammunition manufacturer: "Give weapons to all " Men who offer an honest price for them, without respect for people or principles. "
But he was not exactly the good boy in the drama. America has always thought that she is, and her reality should never deviate too much from her sense of herself. The problem always happens when it does.
There are reasons to make weapons, and not only economic reasons, but also technological and strategic reasons to want the United States, not China or Russia, to do them. But the fact that the defense industry is so big, and that the people who exploit people is one of our main exports, must bring certain discomfort and certain human self-reflection and regular. The profits of the arms industry should not be, and should never be announced, as a primary consideration in our foreign policy decisions. How does it make us see other people better? Or even ourselves?
The context of all this is the election, which is possibly the reason why the president returned to the posts quickly and crudely.
The common wisdom of a year ago was based on history: the president's party loses in a year out, the only question is how much. Then it became "Trump is so divisive and his approval numbers so low on the water, a blue wave looms". Recently it was "Not so fast: Democrats are confused as to their meaning and method, they could blow this thing away."
Then Brett Kavanaugh. After the onslaught he faced, the Republicans became energized, especially in the states of red inclinations, where a harshness of wisdom prevailed: even a guy who does not particularly like can be criticized. And this guy was being pressured. He gave a boost to the Republicans in the Senate races in the United States that may or may not decrease.
Larry Sabato, from the Politics Center at the University of Virginia, sees Democrats close to winning the House of Representatives, but has not yet arrived. They need to win 23 seats. At this time, Mr. Sabato says that they seem to be in middle-high adolescence.
Two and a half weeks are missing, which is enough time for the doors of hell to open. Both parts are focused and on fire. Everyone is reminded of at least one big problem.
For the Democrats, it's a part of ObamaCare that people like, mandatory coverage for pre-existing conditions. An analysis of the Wall Street Journal noted that about 130 million seniors in the US. UU They suffer from an existing medical condition, and included a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation that found that 75% of voters consider it "very important" that the provision that guarantees their coverage is maintained. For Republicans, a long-standing problem may well reassert itself, illegal immigration and what Reuters calls "a caravan of several thousand" currently heading north from Central America.
The Democrats also have the unpopularity that the president works in their favor, and the Republicans warn about the return of a liberal house headed by Nancy Pelosi. The Republicans also have the increase of the spleen of the left, which is scaring the peace and will probably bring a violent reaction.
Both parties are spending record amounts, with Democrats running for the House of Representatives and the Senate raising more than $ 1 billion through September, and Republicans about $ 700 million, according to the Washington Post.
But in the end it's about Mr. Trump, is not it? He is the living context and the constant question: For or against? It has had significant achievements: unemployment went down, the economy went up, the courts, an imperfect tax bill that, however, was approved and was slightly better than it replaced. Nobody seems to mention it, but at this moment the United States is enjoying prosperity and peace, or, if you prefer, growth and not new wars. It is a continuous amazement that with this the president can not get 50% approval, or his party in a better position.
But, of course, it's no mystery. Dark your victories with your madmen. And so, in the weeks leading up to the election, he talks about "Horseface" and compares MBS to Judge Kavanaugh, the victim of unproven allegations. He continues to bother Attorney General Jeff Sessions: "I could fire him when he wants to fire him, but I did not say he was going to do it."
It is bad political practice on an epic scale and can not be avoided because it lacks self-control and is in vain. Think that nobody communicates like him. Nobody does it. Think that nobody makes his way like him. Nobody does it!
In the first 18 months of his administration, those who said he had made a good decision or had not been punished enough, were sometimes accused of "normalizing" Mr. Trump. But normalizing it was not within his power. Only Mr. Trump could normalize Mr. Trump by promulgating normality and self-possession. He could have opted for a certain stature: the presidential stage, with its flags and greetings, almost takes you by the hand to the stature. But he has not.
His supporters, especially the Republican candidates, would love to put his arguments in the foreground, not his drama and rarity. It's remarkable that he did not worry about them enough to do this, to give them that kind of coverage. He is lucky that the traditional media hate him so much, and to show that hatred hardens the loyalty of his supporters.
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