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This afternoon, former President George W. Bush gave a speech in New York City at the George W. Bush Institute and began his speech by expressing joy that “friends of ours from Afghanistan, China, North Korea and Venezuela are here… these are people who’ve experienced the absence of freedom and they know there’s a better alternative than tyranny.” He went on to say that “the great democracy has faced new and serious threats.”
Though President Bush does not state Trump’s name in his speech, many of Trump’s policies and much of Trump’s rhetoric is criticized. Bush says that “too often we judge other groups by their worst examples” and that “nationalism has turned into nativism,” which can easily be tied to Trump’s jaw-dropping statement about Mexicans in June of 2015 (the video at the top of this article is a fun flip flop here). Bush also says that “We cannot wish globalization away,” which also could be targeted at Trump, who threatened to withdraw NAFTA if Canada and Mexico refuse to renegotiate. Bush again returns to the increased tension between races, and states, “Bigotry or white supremacy in any form is blasphemy against the American creed,” which again could be targeting Trump, who has said that laziness is a trait in black people and said that the majority of Mexican immigrants are rapists.
This speech connects very closely to the “How American Politics Went Insane” by Jonathan Rauch. Bush reflects on the inefficiency of the government and states, “In recent decades, public confidence in our institutions has declined. Our governing class has often been paralyzed in the face of obvious and pressing needs.” This paralysis could be due to the weakening of parties or middlemen as a result of voters distrusting the system as Rauch claims, though Bush states, “We know that when we lose sight of our ideals, it is not democracy that has failed. It is those charged with preserving and protecting democracy.” Those “charged with preserving and protecting democracy” undoubtedly includes the administration and legislatores. Bush’s reflection also agrees with Rauch’s when he states “discontent deepened and sharpened partisan conflicts… Our politics seems more vulnerable to conspiracy theories and fabrication.”
The polarization which both Bush and Rauch refer to has “paralyzed” the government by weakening the ability to compromise and has also caused people to believe facts from their party which makes us “more vulnerable to conspiracy theories and fabrication.”
Other articles: http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/without-mentioning-trump-george-w-bush-rebukes-trumpism/
How has Trump impacted people’s views and perceptions of Republicans?
Has Trump changed what it means to be Republican? If so, how?
10 comments:
I think that Trump's actions as President so far have shed a lot of bad, and embarrassing, light on the GOP. You can see an example of this in his Healthcare alternative which has been condemned by multiple prominent Republican Congressmen. I think that there's a sense of regret felt by many Republicans who have seen what the election of Trump has brought about, and it is being exposed to the public, who seem to be moving farther and farther away from Trump. For this reason, I think that the GOP has been under increasing fire for their disorganization and lack of thought in the future of our country. However, I don't think that Trump has changed what it means to be Republican because I believe that he ascended, or descended, to something quite separate from most modern conservatives' values. I believe that still labeling him as a Republican somewhat misrepresents the Republican party and their values.
I believe that Trump has changed how people view the Republican party, but I do not believe that he has changed what it means to be a Republican. His actions and statements are often controversial, and being the face of the Republican party, he can obviously change how people view the Republican party. However, he is still one person, and cannot possibly change what it means to be a member of a party that has existed for over a century and has millions of members.
I do not believe that trump has changed what it means to be a Republican as it is not reasonable to change what it is to be, one simply because of what Trump has done and what he believes. Sure he won as the candidate of the republican party but that doesn't mean all republicans agree with what he does or his policies. However I do believe that he has impacted the way that many people see republicans but not to the point to where it has changed the way all republicans are viewed as.
I think that the Republican party is facing a split. Traditional Republicans, who focused on free market economics, are facing off against a new faction of more socially conservative and economically protectionist Republicans. These are the mostly poorer less educated people, who are feeling the pressure of not being able to keep up in a more educated, more advanced economy. And Trump has positioned himself as the champion of these people, with his stance on protectionist tariffs (which will no doubt hurt the economy) and low education jobs. I believe that Trump is making the mistake of refusing to look to the future, and instead being mired in the economy of the past. But the truth is, the majority of the population can no longer be coal miners or construction workers. The few traditional values that Trump held do not seem to be working out; healthcare reform has been a failure, and taxes have not yet been lowered. I believe that the GOP must return to its traditional values of truly free markets and personal liberty, and forget the populist and extremist actions of Trump and the new Republicans.
To begin with, Trump's earlier career in politics in joining and leaving political parties go to show how weak they have become. This shows that the people are not happy with both parties, and so a new outsider had to fill in the gaps. His party says Republican, but in reality he is just doing his own thing. But because of association when people think of Republican, Trump's face is the only thing people think of.
Trump has essentially given the Republican party the burden of guilt by association. According to one ambassador of conservatism, Trump's hate speech has amplified the Republican association with racially-tainted rhetoric. However, the party is in a position where it is forced to cling to Trump despite his diversion from its moderate ideals in order to prevent its own inward collapse. So far, the Trump presidency has only reaffirmed notions of the Republican party as a destructive one, one that knows how to criticize those in power in order to gain power, but have no clue how to act constructively. Essentially, Trump has mastered the art of gaining followers at the expense of appearing like he knows what to do with it. Now, he is solidifying preexisting notions of the Republican party as hateful, nativist, and incompetent, when this perception mistakenly presents all republicans as moronic and radical.
I think Trump has definitely given Republicans a bad reputation. I'm sure there are many who agree with him, but there are also many republicans who detest him and what he stands for. His comments about women and racial groups are disgusting and a contemptuous display of everything that's wrong in our country. Also, as we read in "How American Politics Went Insane," Trump really isn't a true republican, which to me is really the irony of all ironies. I think many people who are not well informed about how our government functions, and what the characteristics and viewpoints of democrats and republicans, are taking what Trump has been doing and attributing it to the Republican Party, even if some of what he does is not what they stand for.
Trump is not a politician, he is a businessman. While I understand that many people wanted a change in our government and didn't want to vote for a career politician, I believe this past election was not the best time to do it. He is inexperienced and continues to receive low approval ratings. His actions are distorting American's views on what a president, and even a republican, should be.
I absolutely agree with what Daniel said.
I don't really think that Trump has changed what it means to be a Republican. In my opinion and according to the author of "How American Politics Went Insane," Trump is not really a true Republican; Donald Trump does not follow and believe all the values that the Republican party does. In fact, many Republicans do not support Trump. Despite this though, I do agree with people above me who state that Trump has given the Republican party a bad reputation.
I don't think Trump has necessarily changed what it means to be republican. I think in a way he has enforced it. I think Trump has enforced it by saying what many people think, but aren't always so brave to say. For example, Trump does not necessarily have a filter when it comes to taking. He often makes racist remarks, and many people are now agreeing with him. in the past years not many people have been so open to being racist, but with Trump as the president many people are starting to feel safe when talking about racism, or many other things.
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