Give ‘Em Hell!
After watching President Trump deliver a riveting acceptance speech, two thoughts came to mind. The first thought echoed an impression I described in my last essay (The Contrast Couldn’t Have Been Greater, 8/25/20) which looked at the RNC vs. the DNC conventions as a whole: the contrast between President Trump’s acceptance speech and Joe Biden’s acceptance speech could not have been more different.
Where as Biden’s speech was very short on policy Mr. Trump’s speech had point after point of specific proposals (expanding school choice programs, additional tax cuts, manufacturing independence from China, and many, many others).
Where as Biden’s speech was doom and gloom, Mr. Trump’s speech was suffused with hope and promise.
Where Biden’s speech was amazingly short (21 minutes) (he didn’t have much to say, apparently), Mr. Trump’s went a full 70 minutes.
Where as Biden’s speech could best be described as apathetic and perfunctory, Mr. Trump’s speech gleamed with purpose and steely determination.
Where as Biden “sallied forth” from the silence of a gloomy basement, Mr. Trump addressed his constituents from the inspiring grounds of the White House.
Where as Biden neglected ANY MENTION of the horrific violence that continues (for OVER THREE MONTHS now) night after night in DEMOCRAT RUN cities across America) Mr. Trump addressed the problem head on.
Where as Biden spoke from solitary confinement, Mr. Trump engaged many members of his audience in recognition, gratitude and honor.
Where as Biden’s DNC paraded a gaggle of entertainers and celebrities, Mr. Trump’s RNC featured citizen and after citizen of regular American’s stepping up to challenges as heroes.
Surprisingly, Mr. Trump was less bombastic in this speech than he often is. After approximately 40 upbeat minutes in which he catalogued four years of astonishing achievement, the last 30 minutes were delivered almost at a whisper and surprisingly slowly. A cabal of media commentators, unsurprisingly, claimed it didn’t have the emotion that Mr. Trump’s speeches often have, but they missed the point entirely. The last thirty minutes were not intended as entertainment: they were a clear eyed look at the wickedness running amuck in our country and a pledge to combat it. They were a pledge of commitment. An oath of raw determination. A description of mission. A display of confidence. During those 30 minutes you could have heard a pin drop.
The second thought I had involved Mr. Trump’s relationship with the Washington, DC, establishment. In 2016 citizen Trump ran as an “outsider,” as, indeed he was. He came to his Presidency from the realm of business, with NOT A SINGLE day spent in politics. This unusual pedigree is, perhaps, why his style is utterly foreign to the career politicians that inhabit Washington. But America desperately needed a change from the worn out politics of Obama, and, as the saying goes, the rest was history.
Now, four historic years later, with a torrent of water under the bridge, he’s STILL AN OUTSIDER. He stands alone in his own abilities and self confidence. He is undaunted. It’s HIM against an unbelievably partisan and hostile media. It’s HIM against the sniveling entertainers and prima donna athletes. It’s HIM against the entire DC establishment. Thinking back on it, the term “swamp” couldn’t be more apropos. The career politicians and bureaucrats that inhabit the beltway are a cabal of self serving functionaries that care first and foremost about themselves and their jobs. For America, not so much. They are indeed, creatures of the swamp. And, like the swamp denizens they are, when Mr. Trump was elected, they acted just like wounded animals every where: they struck back with the viciousness you might expect from a stabbed alligator. The spying campaign, the astonishing leaks early in the presidency, the collusion myth, the Ukraine accusations, the countless investigations, the politically motivated indictments, all were the wounded swamp animals fighting back with every ounce of energy and venom they could muster. And, they’re STILL trying.
So, incredibly, after four years as Commander in Chief, leader of the Republican Party, President of our nation, and de facto leader of the free world, Mr. Trump is STILL an outsider. And, for the sake of our nation, let’s hope he STAYS that way. As a entreaty by a reporter directed at Harry Truman during a speech in 1948 in Bremerton, Washington said: “Give ‘em HELL Harry!” I would now say, here in 2020, “Give ‘em HELL, Donald! Give ‘em HELL!”