By Sam Frescoe
http://samfrescoeproject.blogspot.com/
#Trump, #President, #Clinton, #Election, #Nationalist, #Populist, #Authoritarian
Hallelujah! The election is over! Donald Trump is going to
be the next president of the United States. – The Clinton machine was derailed,
the mainstream media has a black eye, and the political establishment is about
to wet their pants.
From the American Discourse
·
The billionaire businessman who never before
held elected office shocked America and the world. – Politico [1]
·
Donald Trump…claimed an establishment-stunning
victory that exposes the depth of voter dissatisfaction – and signals immense
changes ahead for American policy at home and abroad. – Fox News [2]
Still, even though the election cycle worked as expected, I
remain skeptical about the wisdom demonstrated by the American electorate
during the process as a whole. On the one hand, I am pleased that Clinton was
defeated. On the other hand, Trump is the President-elect.
Think about this for a moment.
Americans were presented with Governors, Legislators, socialists, warriors,
doctors, philanthropists, and criminals; and, the final decision was for a not-so-squeaky-clean
fat-cat-billionaire with a TV mouth.
It seems that Trump provided political space for common
Americans to express “voter dissatisfaction” in a way that was meaningful to
Washington DC (at least in the short-term). It just so happens that Trump is a
popular celebrity icon with a catchy signature line…you’re fired! Still,
however you may come to accept it, the “game” of the election cycle is over,
and the nation has made its bed. Now it’s time to lie in it.
What can we reasonably expect from a Trump administration?
Setting aside his complete lack of service in an elected office, and the
significant limitation of “no directly relevant” prior performance, it does
seem clear that Trump subscribes to a “way” of thinking. This suggests he has a
framework by which to assess situations, measure options, and establish vision.
It’s also clear that his behavior is changing. This suggests he has “modes” of
thinking and filters his thoughts accordingly. But, just how “presidential” is
Trump’s preferred behavior?
So, what did we get?
I my view, President-elect Trump is a nationalist-populist
that prefers an authoritarian doctrine tempered by American culture.
Nationalist-Populist Framework – It
seems reasonable that Trump will champion an America First philosophy. For
international matters, I would expect him to protect American interests before
considering other diplomatic concerns, and even go so far as to disband
longstanding prior arrangements (a bad deal for America is no deal at all). For
domestic matters, I would expect Trump to continue to frame the “establishment”
as an aggressor and root cause for strife in American inner cities and the
economy in general. However, at some point, as the nation’s Chief Executive,
Trump will represent the “establishment.” When this happens, I would expect him
to adapt his thinking to leverage the desire of middle and working class
Americans to have their rights secured, wisdom respected, and virtues upheld.
American Culture Filter – Trump
loves the American limelight. He can’t get enough of it; and, in this area,
Trump is a grand-master and superb craftsman. I believe he views those that
drive American culture, especially the mainstream media, as broken tools
(relics of a sort) and nothing more. It seems clear that social media and live
speeches are his platforms of choice, and that he is equally comfortable in
scripted and impromptu settings. Trump knows how to talk to the basic nature of
the American mindset.
Authoritarian Preference – I wish I
could get my mind more settled in this area.
·
In my view, it is critically important that any
President fully subordinate themselves to the Constitution of the United
States; particularly its arrangements, duties, and intent. – The big question
in my mind is as follows: will Trump respect the prescribed constraints of the
Office of President of the United States?
·
Clearly, as President, Trump is in charge of the
Executive branch; and, clearly Trump knows this as a fact. He will have full
access to the bully pulpit, and be supported by a history of using executive
actions (versus executive orders) to navigate the bureaucracy of the federal
government. – Given the “Trump will fix _____” rhetoric, will a Trump
administration respect the role of the Congress?
Wrapping Up
Trump is a Presidential wildcard similar to Obama. Both
represent strong departures from the status quo. Both began their runs for
President with very little, if any, executive branch experience. Both are
charismatic and more popular than free stuff. Both built their brands on the
shoulders of the “I’m pissed” voter block. While I don’t have a problem with
these similarities, I do have significant concern about the next. Both, Trump
and Obama, were empowered to “fix it.”
The
first requisite of a good citizen in this republic of ours is that he shall be
able and willing to pull his own weight. – Theodore Roosevelt
Will the calls of “we’ll fix it together” become “I’ll fix
it for you”? – Time will tell.
Thank you. – Sam Frescoe
Your View
Your thoughts and perspectives are important. I invite you
to tell me what you believe with the comment section below or at samfrescoe@gmail.com. Please check out The Sam
Frescoe Project on Facebook.
Building My Premise
President-elect Trump is a nationalist-populist that prefers
an authoritarian doctrine tempered by American culture.
Nationalist – Nationalism is a
political ideology oriented towards achieving and maintaining American
sovereignty over its territories. This nationalist seems are further oriented
towards the development and maintenance of a common American identity based on
shared characteristics including culture, language, religion, and political
goals.[3]
It’s clear that Trump promotes the value of a national consciousness that exalts
the United States of America above all other nations. [4]
Populist – Populism is a political
doctrine that stems from a viewpoint of struggle between the populace and a
ruling faction.[5]
This populist brands himself as a “people’s champion” by being associated with,
yet clearly operating independently and above, a major political party. He
seems to rally voters by speaking to the rights, wisdom, or virtues of the
common people. [6]
Authoritative Doctrine – This is
the fuzzy portion of my premise. In my view, Trump does display authoritative
leanings; however, I am not sure the breadth and depth of those leanings, nor
am I sure of just how far Trump will go when he is directly challenged. I am
left with playing all sides of the faceted dice.
·
Trump does present himself as an authority. He
is commanding, self-confident, and likes to be well respected and return
respect in-turn.[7] However,
there are some persons that claim Trump is dictatorial and can be arrogantly
overbearing toward others.[8]
·
Trump seems to prefer an authoritative
personality. He tends to divide opponents into two distinct classes - the weak
and the strong. He professes that he was born to achieve high places. Trump
likes to rally willpower to overcome weakness or difficulty. Finally, he seems
to prefer addressing the most pressing social problems by somehow removing
immoral, crooked, and feeble-minded people. [9]
·
Trump does have an authoritative leadership
history. It seems clear that he is comfortable dictating policies, procedures,
goals and direction to subordinates toward a common vision. Additionally, he is
known for abruptly punishing and/or rewarding subordinates trying to impress
him.[10]
A common trait of authoritative leaders is a tendency to leave the means of
getting things done up to each individual.[11]
·
Trump likes to argue from the position of
authority. This is a common type of argument which can be fallacious, such as
when an authority is cited on a topic outside their area of expertise or when
the authority cited is not a true expert.[12]
·
Authoritarianism is a form of government
characterized by strong central power and limited political freedoms. Qualities
of this doctrine typically include: 1) limited political pluralism; 2) a basis
for legitimacy based on emotion, especially as necessary to combat "easily
recognizable societal problems" such as underdevelopment or insurgency; 3)
minimal social mobilization; 4) informally defined executive power. [13]
Tempered – An adjective suggesting
that something was made less intense by the influence of something good.[14]
American Culture – The manifestations
of American intellectual achievement. The exceptional meaning and behavior of
being an American. [15]
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