Ethereal
11-03-2017, 10:03 AM
I did not vote for Trump. I did not donate a single dollar to him. And I do not consider him a worthy candidate for president.
That said, his presidency has served an important purpose, which is to serve as a wake-up call for Americans on every side of the political debate.
For conservatives, his presidency should demonstrate the awesome and dangerous power that the military and intelligence agencies wield, and that this awesome power can be turned inward just as easily as it can be turned outward. For decades, conservatives have done everything in their power to enshrine these institutions into positions of immense power and secrecy, telling incredulous Americans that it was all for their "safety" and "security". Now those very same institutions which conservatives have lionized and empowered are using their position to undermine a president who they regard as too unpredictable and mercurial to manage their great empire.
For liberals, his presidency should demonstrate the awesome and dangerous power of government in general. The thought of Trump with this much power (he's basically the most powerful man on the planet, at least, in theory) has caused liberals everywhere to come unhinged. And in a way, they are absolutely right to feel that way. What they don't seem to realize is that NO ONE should have that much power. NO ONE is so good and just and honest that they can be trusted with the kind of power that a US president has amassed. George III would be green with envy if he could see how much power a US president has.
But will either side learn any lessons from these valuable experiences? Doubtful. For them, everything is about power dynamics, i.e., who gets to be in control. Principles and ideas are merely window dressing to them. That is why they endlessly vacillate between being highly skeptical of government authority and being highly supportive of it. What matters most is not the substance of the power, but who wields it.
That said, his presidency has served an important purpose, which is to serve as a wake-up call for Americans on every side of the political debate.
For conservatives, his presidency should demonstrate the awesome and dangerous power that the military and intelligence agencies wield, and that this awesome power can be turned inward just as easily as it can be turned outward. For decades, conservatives have done everything in their power to enshrine these institutions into positions of immense power and secrecy, telling incredulous Americans that it was all for their "safety" and "security". Now those very same institutions which conservatives have lionized and empowered are using their position to undermine a president who they regard as too unpredictable and mercurial to manage their great empire.
For liberals, his presidency should demonstrate the awesome and dangerous power of government in general. The thought of Trump with this much power (he's basically the most powerful man on the planet, at least, in theory) has caused liberals everywhere to come unhinged. And in a way, they are absolutely right to feel that way. What they don't seem to realize is that NO ONE should have that much power. NO ONE is so good and just and honest that they can be trusted with the kind of power that a US president has amassed. George III would be green with envy if he could see how much power a US president has.
But will either side learn any lessons from these valuable experiences? Doubtful. For them, everything is about power dynamics, i.e., who gets to be in control. Principles and ideas are merely window dressing to them. That is why they endlessly vacillate between being highly skeptical of government authority and being highly supportive of it. What matters most is not the substance of the power, but who wields it.