President Trump called a reporter “stupid” last week (see here). The MSM was outraged, charging Trump with being “unpresidential.” His base laughed.
A few days later, President Trump called Minnesota Governor Tim Walz a “retard.” The leftist snowflakes had the vapors – screaming “incivility” as they searched for the nearest safe space. His base got a chuckle from that one too.
The radicals that think governance is their birthright, are totally perplexed that Trump’s crude behavior doesn’t seem to offend us. Perhaps that’s because our memories are longer than theirs. We remember the flipside of civility – betrayal.
Ann Althouse correctly says that President Trump doesn’t fall for the “incivility bullsh*t,” because he doesn’t unilaterally disarm while doing battle with the most uncivil resistance faced by any President in modern history. He refuses to step in the civility trap, while interacting with those demanding his impeachment, and applauding assassination attempts on him. Althouse is 100 percent correct in her assessment of Trump.
But there’s another point that I would like to make. When President Trump engages in unrestrained warfare against his enemies (and who could argue they aren’t?), he isn’t merely defending himself. He is also defending us, his supporters.
President George W. Bush was the left’s original Hitler avatar. They even called him “Bushitler.” Yet he remained a model of civility. When the Dems chanted “Bush lied and people died,” he tried to remain above the fray, and said nothing. When the Dems said he was stupid, Bush stayed “presidential” and said nothing again.
But Presidents are not merely men. They are also the vessels of our self-governance. When Bush remained silent amidst claims that he was evil, the implication was that we were amoral for empowering him. When he remained silent while they called him stupid, the implication was that we were idiots for voting for him.
You see, President Bush’s refusal to defend himself, was also a refusal to defend the wisdom of our support for him. We elected Bush to speak for us, yet he refused to even speak for himself. It felt like betrayal, and demoralized conservatives. But even worse, the unchallenged claims of the radicals became articles of faith for far too many Americans.
Consequently, and much to George W’s chagrin, we decided to try a little less civility in 2016 and 2024. We have been richly rewarded for our choice. Donald Trump doesn’t betray his supporters. He defends himself, us, and the legitimacy of our self-governance.
Is the Donald’s behavior uncivil? Certainly, at times. Is his incivility necessary? I think so, given the onslaught of viciousness he faces. Is his crudeness towards the resistance a form of loyalty to his base? Absolutely, and his base rewards him by being loyal in return. Is Trump’s incivility helping him win the battle? Most definitely. As Saul Alinsky predicted, ridicule makes one’s enemies react irrationally – even to the point of defending murderers, rapists, and drug runners apparently.
President Trump understands something that President Bush never did. Civility to one’s enemies, taken too far, becomes betrayal of one’s allies. George W. Bush’s extreme civility paved the way for Barack Obama. The American people will choose another President in three years, but Donald Trump isn’t going to roll out the red carpet for any anti-American radicals. His base will go into the next election energized, not demoralized, because we haven’t been sacrificed on the alter of civility.
Author Bio: John Green is a retired engineer and political refugee from Minnesota, now residing in Idaho. He spent his career designing complex defense systems, developing high performance organizations, and doing corporate strategic planning. He is a contributor to American Thinker, The American Spectator, and the American Free News Network. He can be reached at greenjeg@gmail.com.
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