It is worse than I thought. As I listened to Donald Trump’s inaugural address I could not believe this was happening in the United States. A man with the mind of a dictator was elected and inaugurated as President and without apology laid out a nationalist, militarist, populist agenda. (Which populist?) He called us to Patriotism, as if he knows better than anyone what this means, and it felt as if there could be, should be no higher loyalty.
This wealthy man who brags about his hotels and casinos, who hasn’t paid taxes for fifteen years, stood there and castigated “Washington” for forgetting the little person. Just exactly who has forgotten whom?
When the wealthy few live off the backs of the common people, how can we blame government for that? Maybe for some of it. Maybe for not requiring those wealthy few to pay their fair share, or be accountable to “the masses.” Will our new President see to that? Or will he take away the little millions have, like health care?
If we are all to be “Patriots,” and I am not talking football, he says he has turned power over to us. We can tell him what to do. What? After announcing that we would have a strong police force and military to protect us, he threw God in too. God follows the power.
Our new President seems to think that God has a preferential concern for making America great, first, and maybe, even though he did not say this, rich like him. But that is delusional and simply wrong thinking. I think great means morally right not just militarily strong. I don’t want America to be the bully on the world stage.
The raised fist at the end, and the constant use of the word “Movement” does not signal a people’s movement even though he calls it that. Some may feel he is on their side and represents their values. But he is not one of them, not even their sugar Daddy. “Movement” signals something else to me. It seems to be the movement of a patriarchal monarch and his team, determined to cap their glory by becoming leaders of the world through American power. Even though I tremble, I am angry, I am all but speechless, I hope I am wrong.
Maybe it serves us more liberal middle class folk right for not seeing this coming. Americans, citizens of the United States that is, secretly and sometimes quite obviously, think wealth is harmless and wealthy icons are worth our interest. And maybe we were not enough focused on the working (or not working) poor. Or willing to admit that we are closer to them than we think.
Moderates, conservatives, and liberals who have a different view of American “greatness” now have to band together beyond Movements (without losing the gains of movements) to protect human rights and religious freedom and promote peace.
And by the way, “making America great again” should not be confused with “making America Christian again.” The Separation of religion and state has not been overturned.