It is not such a surprise that Americans have elevated Donald Trump to the headship of their country. It was improbable at first, because of his raucous personality, and the fact he had never held public office or a high military command (the almost invariable qualifications for a nominee).
He financed his own campaign, avoiding the endless demeaning roundel of fundraisers, (and doing quite well selling silly hats and T-shirts). It was also apparently unpromising because he was attacking the entire entrenched leadership of both parties, the Clintons, Obamas, and Bushes, OBushtons, as I called them here last week, and because he was opposed by and deliberately incited the escalated hostility of the national media, and the officious polling organizations.
The whole Trump campaign was audacious because it relied altogether on a broad swath of all socioeconomic groups — it was not a coalition based on pitching to the particular desires of voting blocs. As Trump said on election night, and as his wife had stated in several speeches recently, it was a movement, a mighty national rejection of the prim, robotic flimflam that disguised a corrupt failing system and feckless leadership behind the façade of “bridge-building, inclusiveness,” and self-abasement in the world.
Two premises undergirded the whole enterprise: that the party elders and their apparatus in both parties were castles made of sand and sawdust, and that a majority of Americans were so concerned about the first period of outright decline in American history and when the economic well-being of the middle and working classes had deteriorated outside the downdraft of normal cycles, that they would vote for a purposeful strategy put in plain and politically incorrect language.
These were bold conclusions, and even in the aftermath of their thunderous validation, those who right into election night counting were complacently expecting Trump to be sent packing back to his demi-monde of golf clubs, condos and low-brow television, are divided between those who wonder if they had completely misjudged or misheard or just missed what was happening, and the imperishables.
The latter group, including a number of the conservative intellectuals who stormed out of the Republican party and noisily slammed the door behind them, are claiming to be prophets who will be honoured, are proud of the martyrdom they have (unintentionally) chosen, and warn darkly of Trump’s authoritarian tendencies. Such tendencies are less pronounced in the president-elect’s character than in the personality of his chief opponent, and the whole concept is nonsense, given the robustness of the constitutional strength of the legislative and judicial branches of the U.S. government. (All three branches have performed poorly during the past 20 years, which is ultimately why Donald Trump will be the next president, but they are at least proficient in ensuring they are not overrun by the other branches.)
What made Trump such a long shot was the tenacity of the pompous certitude of entitlement of the political class. This is always a dangerous attitude in a country that actually holds free elections. Donald Trump was well known to the public before he started his campaign. He had the means to finance the campaign, used the social media and the conservative talk shows and bloggers to counter the mainline media and exploited their ignorance and malice to gain popularity from the wide section of the public that resented the bias and condescension of the Clinton News Network (CNN) and its ilk.
He knew, from polling and from echelons of the public that he encountered in his entertainment business, that the Archie Bunkers of America were angry and numerous, and that they were decent, plain-spoken, patriotic people, not ignorant slobs in need of guidance from my esteemed but disoriented friends such as (to pick two names out of a distinguishedly full hat) George Will and Fareed Zakaria.
What made Trump such a long shot was the tenacity of the pompous certitude of entitlement of the political class
Those who have been routed should have seen it coming. Trump thundered into the nomination race, cleaned up most of the primaries, routed 14 candidates, including five serious governors (Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, Mike Huckabee, John Kasich, Scott Walker), and three prominent senators (Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio). And is credited with raising the Republican primary vote by 60 per cent in four years.
His entire campaign was an assault on everyone in both parties who was complicit in the blunders of the past 20 years: the soft early response to terrorism, the housing bubble and financial crisis and great recession; the admission of 12 million illegal and unskilled migrants, the disastrous Iraq war, 15 million dropouts from the workforce, immense trade and budgetary deficits, and a doubling of national debt in seven years to produce one per cent economic growth.
Given their lengthy intertwined involvement in high government office, the Bushes and Clintons were both obvious targets for Trump’s uproarious billingsgate, and his political incorrectness shattered many taboos and enjoyed a much wider appeal than had been thought possible for many months. He debunked global warming (more or less accurately) as a leftist attempt to hobble capitalism and incidentally destroy the coal and oil industries, and reviled U.S. President Barack Obama and former secretary of state Clinton for their inability to mention “Islamic extremism.”
His attacks in the crowded Republican debates were often brutal and personal: Sen. Rubio’s slight stature and tendency to perspire, Bush’s alleged lack of energy, Sen. Cruz’s claimed ethical lapses, even Carly Fiorina’s (unexceptionable) appearance; it was often gratuitous and unseemly but none of his opponents had any idea how to deal with it. He tapped a tremendous volcanic lava pool of public anger at poor government that has produced the first absolute and comparative decline in American history. Historians of the future will wonder how the political class imagined it could admit so many migrants without taking effective measures to control the southern border, and merely babble garrulously on, year after year, about “comprehensive immigration reform.”
The wellsprings of public anger and frustration were not exploited by Trump alone. He took half the Republicans, the democratic Marxist Bernie Sanders took almost half the Democrats, and the runner-up Republican contender, Cruz, took 30 per cent of the Republicans on a campaign of tearing down the federal government from the far right.
In the circumstances, it was no mean achievement for the two nominees to emerge still broadly within the political centre, despite Trump’s polemical flourishes about illegal immigration.
No informed person could be unaware of the depth of America’s problems, but the governing elites who were collectively responsible for the steady proliferation of those problems did not see what they had wrought. American democracy is undermined by corruption and misinformation, but it is still vital and healthy on election day. A clear choice was presented and the people have spoken.
The score is Donald Trump and the clear and free plurality of the public 1; the authors of the economic debacle, the immigration disaster, the foreign policy fiascos and catastrophic wars and humanitarian crisis, and gross fiscal mismanagement and the deterioration of almost everything in America, 0. This is as it should be, and the alarmists are fools, as the positive response of financial markets to Trump’s economic growth program illustrates.
America and the world will be the better for it, Donald Trump spoke elegantly and generously on election night and I predict that, though there may be some stylistic lapses, he will be a successful president.
Conrad Black is the founder of the National Post. His columns regularly appear in the National Post on Saturdays. For more opinion from Conrad Black, tune into The Zoomer on VisionTV (a property of ZoomerMedia Ltd.), Visiontv.ca.
Mr. Black graciously allowed us to reprint this article on CFN.
Hopefully Canadian politicians enjoying the perks of a free democracy take note of what can transpire when apathy is replaced by action. What can happen when the average individual finally thinks long enough to digest the real reality of political corruption and entitlement. The results of backlash whipped by a liberal dominated media when it gets caught playing the public for fools. Come on 2019!
This is a first…I sort of agree with Conrad. But I disagree with his statement “he will be a successful president.” Tronald Dump tapped into a pissed off average American. Will he be successful? We’ll see. They were tired of the old boys network and big government. But they elect the poster boy for old boys networks.
The Yanks have found themselves in a terrible economic situation and it is in the many trillions of dollars in debt that they cannot get out of and when they lose it they really lose it like Gerald Celente said who is the economic forecaster of Trends Research. Canadians take all the crap from their government and do not stand up for their rights. Yankees stand up for their rights and had enough
“A nation divided cannot stand” and a “nation without God cannot stand”. We have a terrible morality today and don’t just point the finger at Trump – we all have ourselves to blame. The economy is going to come down whether it be Trump, Hitlery or anyone else. When a nation turns its back on God it cannot continue and that includes Canada, Europe, etc. etc. etc.
There is talk on the net about impeaching Trump because of some fraud with Trump University. Why in the hell didn’t they think of that before Trump ran and spent all that money. I heard before that Hillary wanted to be president and is going through a barrel of tears. I also heard that the electoral college wanted to give the job to Hillary to be the first woman president.
Jamie I am shaking like a leaf because of all the years I was listening to wacky Alex Jones so much is true. Hold on to your seat I will have to put down sites for you to look at that will knock your socks off and flip your wig. When you go on the sites that i will give you go on the side to see what others are talking about as well and please share with the sheeple of Cornhole. I am shaking.
Jules…the wheels of justice move mighty slow. That’s why Tronald Dump may never take office. He may be impeached or arrested before he even gets to take office. The Republican National committee would much rather have Mike Pence as president, that is a well-known fact.
As for Alex Jones he quite the piece of work. Not too bad a conspiracy theorist either. Conspiracy theorists are fun to listen to or watch. There is a a blind Bulgarian mystic, Baba Vanga (died 1996) known as ‘the Nostradamus of the Balkans who is credited with some accurate predictions. He predicted that Obama would be the last president and the 45th would never take office.
Now before you get all worked up Vanga also predicted global warming in 1955, and the Boxing Day tsunami. But he also predicted that World War III would begin in 2010, and that Bulgaria would get to the 1994 World Cup final.
“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God”(Jas 1:19-20). The U.S. “wellsprings of public anger and frustration” developed because the American people have forsaken God, and God “….setteth up over it (presidency) the basest of men”(Dan.4:17). That the U.S. would vote in Trump, and ….
Where is Ontario’s righteous anger over – school closings, over billions of misappropriated hard earned tax money, for incompetence of leadership, for skyrocketing Hydro bills, for all the jobs that are not, for the raping and sodomizing of our children by Wynne’s perversion: her New (approved) sex-curriculum. I can go on. But Jonah of old said this-“I do well to be angry, even unto death”. Well?
Now the Bible tells us -“Be angry and sin not…” (Eph. 4:26). So all anger is not sinful, and it is righteous anger that we need. Isn’t it true that often the only time we do something about an issue, a habit, etc. is when we get angry enough to do something about it. Also, we are not to be angry at the person, or persons, but direct the anger at the problem. Easier said than done! How do we….
Pastor Newton thank you so much for coming on I havent slept all night and not feeling well. You hit the nail on the head and that is we have all these problems because people forsake God and that is so very true whether in home, school, government, etc. etc. etc. We would literally remove our kids from school if they were little again with Winnie the Poos sexual curriculum.
Pastor Newton and folks the internet will no longer be what we have now and we might as well take advantage. There will be no conversations like we have here or elsewhere – net censorship is coming and the New World Order United Nations is real and is communist. This is no theory but fact. You will find out soon so be careful and take advantage now while we have it. It is already in UN.
Pastor Newton I enjoyed that video that you posted. Lamb of God take away the sins of the world. Only God is the light of the world. Thank you so much. I bookmarked your sermons and will continue later to look at them – I couldnt sleep all night because I was sick and upset at the same time of the things that I know about and nobody would believe me. I know a lot of what is coming – get ready
Hugger World War III has begun since 2003 and it hasn’t stopped since. The Middle East is burning as we speak and innocent souls are murdered. Russia has war ships in the Mediterranean near Syria for all hell to beak loose. N. Korea, Iran and others have nuclear weapons ready to strike and there is the Crimea, Ukraine etc. in conflict and things are only going to get a great deal worse.
There were problems in the southern US with flooding, etc. and the federal government didn’t do anything to show up for the people who were hurting except one man Donald Trump bringing in supplies to the people and they never forgot that. Hillary was hiding out somewhere and Obama most likely on the golf course or whatever but Trump showed up with supplies for the people.
I guess the words “World War” have a different meaning to a lot of other people. I know because I know and others don’t know because only I know. Seriously??
Gee how I long for the life of the 1950’s era when everything was the way it should be and not like the chaos that we have today. We are in the last days and the Bible is being played out whether you know it or not it is the truth. So much insanity came out of people and we will pay for it – nuclear attack will erase the world as we know it. There are enough insane to do such a horrible act.
Conrad makes some fine points. America isn’t the only democracy where most of the population either doesn’t vote or doesn’t vote for the winner. About a quarter voted for Clinton, about a quarter voted for Trump, and half committed the social action of acquiescence, like those cops that stood around watching the other cops beat Rodney King. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLG9g7BcjKs
I remember about the Rodney King days and my husband’s nephew had his business in that area and was fed up with Bill Clinton. I remember Dani using profanic language wanting Clinton out and go back to his chickens. Now things have escalated a great deal worse and can go into Civil War and FEMA Camps. I knew all of this was coming eventually – I am awake.
Ah yes, America NEEDS religion in government right now, of course. There is a reason for the first ammendment: DIVISION OF CHURCH AND STATE. For god’s sake, please stop with the christian propaganda. You know what happens when church dominates government? Please see Saudi Arabia, Qatar, etc.
There’s only one god who can save the planet from Trump and Newton… And he is The Flying Spaghetti Monster.. the ONLY true god. And he is the bestest gang god what ever was! And that’s THE TRUTH!
John Rivington – are you a U.S. citizen? Have you ever read the U.S. constitution? “DIVISION OF CHURCH AND STATE”- is no where to be found in the U.S. Constitution. Does Canada have “DIVISION OF CHURCH AND STATE”? How about Ontario? “You know what happens when church dominates government?”- tell us about it? Psa 14:1 “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God…” No god for me…
Furtz love you for all of your jokes. LOL LOL. Flying Spaghetti Monster. ROLF! The US does not have religion stated in their constitution after the Protestants went through with the Vatican way back in the Middle Ages. I know so much that would make everyone terrified.
Folks don’t be shocked if you find out that Obama may stay in office for a third term and I have been listening to this for a long time now and not just from Obama himself. There is a great deal to this which is very bad news so hang on to your seats because things are not good at all but very bad news coming.
There sure is a God and with a capital G and not talking about a small g. People are going to find out the hell that is coming and will make them fill the churches and on their knees begging for repentance. They will be beating their chests (par ma faute, par ma faute, par ma très grande faute). I only know the French words to this since I went to a French school as a child. Yes hell is coming
Furtz your Flying Spaghetti Monster will not be able to save you from the hell that is coming. You are a very humorous person – something like myself but this is serious stuff and coming very soon.
As you all know I have been chearing for Trump to win and get the seat in the White House. I should not have cheared too much because something bad is coming up. For one thing is that Obama may stay on for a third term and make himself a kind of a king and this was done in WW2 with Truman. WW3 is coming and a great deal worse than what we see now folks. Get right with God.
If I told you the things that I know you may not sleep at night and it is hard for me to sleep and best not to know. Prepare with food and water because something is coming up including disposal of waste – you know what I mean. If you have a generator or more in your homes then this might help. Get prepared and you too Jamie even for your pets.
Jamie my daughter has to have root canal done on Thursday afternoon – around $1,000 worth of work and she paid the X-ray today. She is going to have the same dentist that I had some years ago a Muslim fellow. That was a hit in the pocket book.
PTN….I don’t like getting involved in other’s discussions of church and state. But the separation of church and state in the United States is covered in the Establishment Clause and Free Exercise Clause of First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States
Jules..there is no provision in the u.S. for Obama to stay for a third term. If Tronald Dump can`t take office Mike Pence would be sworn in.
Jules, I
m surprised as a fear monger and conspiracy theorist that you dont have a theory on the JFK assassination and other happenings.Pastor Tom…to clarify it is separation of church and state in the constitution of the U.S.A. While Canada does not formally recognize separation of politics and religion in its charter the government of Canada traditionally does not involve itself in such matters. However unlike the US the door to intervene is open in Canada. Don’t get Justine upset Pastor Tom.
Hugger I do know about the JFK assassination and it isn’t at all what was dished out to us at all. One evening I was at the public library here in Ottawa and a man who was with the US military a long time ago knew what happened and both of us spoke about it and I cried a lot and it is a vision that I would never ever forget as long as I am alive. You folks don’t know the truth at all.
Very soon we will not be able to discuss religion or politics, and a lot of subjects and there is a company working with the UN that has taken over the internet. There will be no more freedom of speach nor discussion of religion or Bible and churches will go underground as I have heard some years ago. Things are changing for the worst and this is all true.
What I have heard was NOT from Alex Jones but more down to earth people who are in the know. Be prepared. I have to stock up on can goods and all kinds of things. I am working like a demon on my quilts just now – the tied quilts this time and my arthritis is killing. I have no time this week and my daughter had a shock at the price of one tooth today to be fixed on Thursday afternoon.
This does not give you the right to put others down because you know because you know. And meeting a member of the U.S. military who says he knows what really happened in the JFK assassination. This makes you smarter / better than us? Or to tell us how to live our lives? Or what we should / shouldn’t do? Seriously?? Reality check due here.
PTN I didn’t say it was in the constitution. As others have said it was the first ammendment, but I digress. You want examples of religion dominated governments:
Saudi Arabia: Women can’t drive, women just got the ability to vote in 2015, how many beheadings last year? 157.
“Claiming to be wise, they became fools.”
I myself would have preferred Mike Pence as president but it didn’t work out in that way. I would have liked that doctor who is a black man I cannot remember his name just now. I had to make a description of race because I cannot remember his name. Gee I am getting awfully old. LOL LOL. ROLF!
Dr. Ben Carson is the name I was looking for and he would have made a better choice than Trump. Dr. Carson was offered a very good position in Trump’s cabinet but he refused it. When I got out of the car this morning my husband said to me that I was getting old. No kidding I am getting up there – so arthritic – bones creaking and falling apart. LOL LOL. ROLF!
Hey Jules we agree on something…..Mike Pence would be a better choice as President instead of Tronald Dump. It may come to pass as Tronald Dump still has to face the embezzlement charges in regard to his “university.” As well, the electoral college still has to vote. If they decide against Dump then it’ll be Pence. I see some of the EC would like to do that.
Pastor Newton when I read that 12 schools in Cornhole and surrounding area are closing I said that they have lost a great deal of population and my daughter said the same words. Ontario is literally bankrupt and are not telling the sheeple. Taxes as well as utilities, etc. are out of reach. Businesses are going elsewhere. Cornhole will be a ghost town and it already is.
If those 12 schools in Cornhole and area were really needed then why are the sheeple not protesting loudly and dragging the mayors out of their comfortable seats. Nothing will be done because they are not a people. The entire thing is a joke. People who want action will protest and even throw the mayors out on their keesters literally but there are no people just ghosts.
Jules, people down here in Cornwall and area are protesting the PROPOSED school closings. I don’t know where you get your info, but it is wrong. People are protesting the proposed closings. The decisions are up to the school boards, not the mayors. The mayors can have their say, but in the end it is up to the school boards. And it is not 12 schools in Cornwall, that is for all the school boards.
The mayors should be doing more to help in the stopping of the proposed school closings. Mayors and councils should get behind the schools targeted by the school boards. Schools are the backbone to communities.
Schools all across Canada are being closed. Most are operating at a fraction of their capacity. People just aren’t making babies (students) at the rate they used to. And of course everyone wants their favourite local school to remain open. Can’t please everybody.
Speaking about church and state my husband’s country of Lebanon – the president has to be a Maronite Christian, the PM has to be a Sunny Muslim, the Speaker of the House a Shia Muslim and the list keeps on going. The Muslims have gained the most in population and who knows what will happen later because there are big problems because of religion even as we speak.
About “The Donald” I have cheared the man on to win and I hope that he is successful. The Donald doesn’t want people with criminal backgrounds like a lot of Mexicans have and you have to live with all these people to know what I mean and the drugs, weapons, etc. is unbelievable here in Ottawa and other big cities. The crime is really really bad and that never existed until the 90’s era.