“You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.” – Abraham Lincoln
Editorial writers for the Nashville Tennessean and the Memphis Commercial Appeal have had a big time lately talking about civility in politics and “fear mongering.” David Plazas of the Tennessean wrote “What the president says matters to the nation and to the world, and the president should set a tone that unites, that empowers, that inspires and that enlightens people.” It makes me wonder what just country Mr. Plazas lives in, otherwise he would certainly know there is a large swath of the American people who never got over the election of Donald Trump in 2016. These people reject the notion Trump was elected president and not a few of them glory in being part of the “resistance.” Of course people like David Plazas likely believed Barack Obama did that very thing: united this country, empowered it, inspired it and enlightened it. Naturally Obama did no such thing; he may have been perceived that way by some folks, but I can assure you, not all folks. In the current atmosphere, I don’t know who might be able to unite this country. Mr. Plazas quoted the President from his Nashville visit: “We are taking back our country. We are returning our country back to our great American patriots.” Plazas wondered, “What does that mean? Who does that mean? Does that mean returning to a time when Nash and Lewis (civil rights leaders) had to fight to get served at a lunch counter?” No, Mr. Plazas, it means there are a good many people in this country that no longer believe that America is the greatest nation on Earth and who believe we should be ashamed of our country. It means there are people in this country that believe our nation should come first. It means there are people in this country that don’t think we should have to walk with our heads held down in abject disgrace.
Plazas wrote, “We need our leaders from the mayor to the president to provide a selfless, civil leadership at a time when basic facts, history and institutions are under assault.” He’s right about that, although I doubt we’d agree as to just how history has been revised and what institutions are under attack. Nor have I seen any editorials or opinion pieces castigating Democrats for engaging in uncivil behavior.
David Waters wrote in the Commercial Appeal a similar editorial, citing “bitter devils” as well as “better angels,” a phrase also employed by David Plazas. Waters reminded readers it was Abraham Lincoln, “the great Republican president” -(surely the last Republican any newspaper writer thought was great) who had appealed to “the better angels of our nature.” Waters did note California congressman Adam Schiff was an example of a Democrat who isn’t “above disrespectful and divisive rhetoric.” Good Lord, there’s an entire Congress full of them and one only has to watch CNN or MSNBC to see them form a beeline to denounce Trump in the most bitter and partisan and oftentimes personal terms. Waters cites a study issued by the National Academy of Sciences, which claims Trump voters were motivated to back him in 2016 because of “fears of waning power and status in a changing country.” Waters wrote Trump supporters were worried “about cultural displacement”, “especially among white, working-class voters.” Now we get to the root of the matter. Waters decried the gubernatorial campaigns of Congresswoman Diane Black and businessman Randy Boyd whom he believes are attempting to reap the harvest of votes spurred by the candidates taking a hardline against illegal immigration. Waters scoffs at the legislature passing a bill to outlaw sanctuary cities in Tennessee by pointing out there are none in the Volunteer State. Now, after recent action by the Tennessee State Legislature, there certainly won’t be any sanctuary cities in Tennessee. Waters cites the U. S. Customs and Border Protection as the source for noting “cross-border migration is at its lowest level on record,” which is true, but that trend started after the election of Donald Trump when it seemed more readily apparent the government would actually enforce its immigration laws. Waters poo-pooed the notion of violent criminals coming across our borders, noting that there is only “a handful or murders each year” committed by illegal aliens. Waters also pointed out there “are an estimated 6,000 – 10,000 MS-13 gang members in the United States according to the FBI”, while there are perhaps as many as 1.4 million “domestic gang members in the country.” Both numbers are entirely too large and Waters doesn’t explain exactly why we should be unconcerned by foreign or domestic gangs while violent crime is on the rise in cities like Memphis. David Waters thinks we should all be more concerned about opioid deaths and “unhinged mass shooters” which he believes are more of a threat to our society than “undocumented workers.” Gang members aren’t usually mere workers and they aren’t “undocumented,” Mr. Waters, they are illegal aliens.
Here’s what really bothers these folks. Donald Trump doesn’t speak for a globalist utopia, but rather a strong and vibrant America who puts its own citizens first. Donald Trump resonates with the people who get up and go to work every morning and want to make a better life for themselves and their families. Donald Trump speaks to those who still hold a reverence for this country’s flag, believe in God and love this country. Donald Trump addresses the concerns of the people who have paid the freight on everything in this country and helped defend it with their blood and lives. Not everybody shares the vision of David Waters and David Plazas, but by golly, there are still tens of millions of Americans who share mine, especially here in Tennessee.
The bitterest devils around are those who just can’t accept the notion Donald Trump is President of the United States of America.
