Patrick J. Buchanan: Long Before Trump, We Were a Divided People

[thompson]

Long Before Trump, We Were a Divided People

In a way, Donald Trump might be called The Great Uniter.Bear with me. No Republican president in the lifetime of this writer, not even Ronald Reagan, united the party as

townhall.com

Long Before Trump, We Were a Divided People

Pat Buchanan
Posted: Feb 11, 2020 12:01 AM

In a way, Donald Trump might be called The Great Uniter.

Bear with me. No Republican president in the lifetime of this writer, not even Ronald Reagan, united the party as did Trump in the week of his acquittal in the Senate and State of the Union address.

According to the Gallup Poll, 94% of Republicans approve of his handling of his presidency, in his fourth year, despite the worst press any president has ever received and the sustained hostility of our cultural elites.

Only Bush I in the first months of the 1991 Gulf War and Bush II in the first months of the 2003 Iraq War registered support like this.

Only one Republican, Sen. Mitt Romney, and only after having consulted God himself, joined Speaker Nancy Pelosi and voted with Sen. Chuck Schumer's caucus to bring down the president.

When have Republicans ever exhibited the home-team enthusiasm they demonstrated during that State of the Union address and the post-acquittal gathering in the East Room? When have working- and middle-class voters shown such support for a Republican as they do for Trump at his mammoth rallies? Heading for November, this is a party united.

But not only is Trump the great uniter of the GOP. He is the great uniter of Democrats. Every Democrat but three in the House voted to impeach and remove him. Every Democrat in the Senate voted to convict and expel him from office and prevent his ever running again.

In Iowa and New Hampshire, evicting Trump from the Oval Office seemed the one issue that animated every candidate. Getting Trump out of the White House seems far more important to Democrats than getting U.S. troops out of the endless Middle East wars.

But while he has made more than a small contribution to our savage partisanship, is Trump really the cause of the uncivil war in America? Or is his presidency, like Gettysburg, simply the battlefield upon which America's cultural and political war is currently engaged?

Consider. Bernie Sanders' nationalization of health care and abolition of private health insurance for 150 million Americans is grounded in a socialism that has never been reconcilable with Trump's belief in the superiority of the private sector, a belief reflected in Trump's tax cuts for corporations and individuals and his deregulation policies.

Democrats' unanimous support for "reproductive rights" is in eternal conflict with the traditionalist belief in a God-given right to life, as well as with Trump's pledge to nominate justices who will overturn Roe v. Wade.

Still, the battles over the Supreme Court nominations of Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas predated by decades the battle over Brett Kavanaugh.

Immigration may determine the destiny of the West.

Yet, Democrats believe in tearing down Trump's wall, an end to deportations, extending welfare benefits to border-crossers and granting sanctuary from border security agents for criminals here illegally.

That Americans of European descent, 90% of the nation in 1960, close to 60% today, will, in 20 years, be less than half of the population, is for Democrats a cause of ceaseless celebration.

America, they contend, will be a far, far better place than we have ever known when a far smaller share of the population is white. The greater the racial, credal, cultural and ethnic diversity, the better the country.

Yet, Americans of European descent, headed for minority status, provide 85-90% of all Republican votes in presidential elections. What Democrats are cheering portends the demographic death of the GOP.

Republicans are a more nationalist and populist party than they were in the Bush presidencies. But the Democratic Party has become a politically correct institution where Joe Biden is forced to explain stands that he took when he was a moderate Democratic senator from Delaware.

His opposition to the forced busing of children from neighborhood schools into inner-city schools was attacked as racist. He had to apologize for his friendship with Southern senators like Jim Eastland and his role in the Clarence Thomas hearings. He has been made to confess for voting to authorize the 2003 war on Iraq.

Biden is far to the left of where he used to be as a senator. Apparently, he has not moved far enough.

Even James Carville is castigating his own party's candidates for talking about "reparations or any kind of goofy left-wing thing out there."

"It's like we're losing our damn minds," said Carville.

Is Trump responsible for what Carville himself sees as an irrationality and irresponsibility taking on epidemic proportions inside the Democratic Party?

Or has Trump's success maddened Democrats into manifesting who they are and what they believe, and what may yet prevent them from being taken seriously as a party that can lead the nation?

We were divided long before Trump got here, and we will remain so long after he departs.

 

[Intestinal Fortitude]

The Ludicrous Left is composed of Marxist/Communists/Fabian Socialists/and nutters

 

[Luddite]

Until recent history, both sides were restrained by the consteetooshun and generally accepted restraints against rude
behavior.

Decorum. Both extremes were usually unhappy. You can argue boiling frog and mission creep but neither were too noxious.

I would guess both extremes see this as a "make or break" moment. I do.

 

[PghPanther]

The social progressive left thinks that if we destroy the values of traditional nation states that we can all live as one people and be "citizens of the world" marching towards a utopia of human existence..............

The problem is anytime throughout history when consolidation of governess is centralized over more people the abuse of power manifests itself in ever increasing control. The founding fathers recognized this abuse and created a government that was to be for the people along with checks and balances within government to minimize such abuses....

As long as humans exist there will be no centralized world government that will govern the population of the planet in a benevolent fashion. We have absolutely no evidence to the contrary in all of human existence.

The progress left lives in their idealism with words like justice, hope and change...............rather than seated in the reality which is expressed in both the beauty and terror of the human social condition.........of which the former needs to be leveraged through individual freedom and the latter needs to remain in check by a vigilant society given the power (can you say 2nd amendment) to be able to do so.

The left sees government as the savior and leaves their playbook wide open for their control from on high.......................while history demonstrates that the government must fear the people to remain in check.

The progress left is heading full steam in what they believe will be their noble pursuit of social justice only to find an end game of creating a centralized world governing nightmare with no resolve............

If Trump has done one thing so far........ its to rally those willing to see it.........of the responsibility to remain vigilant around those who would want to control us.

 

[Blacknarwhal]

Until recent history, both sides were restrained by the consteetooshun and generally accepted restraints against rude
behavior.

Decorum. Both extremes were usually unhappy. You can argue boiling frog and mission creep but neither were too noxious.

I would guess both extremes see this as a "make or break" moment. I do.

There was a notion called the "loyal opposition." We both wanted the same thing--a better America--but we both had different ideas about how to get there. Then the dems lost their minds somewhere back around Obama and tried to turn America into a Communist country.

 

[WalknTrot]

The Dem leadership and insiders have been this whack-a-doodle for the past 40 years.
They just never had the balls to publicly run campaigns on their true policy positions before.

 

[Blacknarwhal]

The Dem leadership and insiders have been this whack-a-doodle for the past 40 years.
They just never had the balls to publicly run campaigns on their true policy positions before.

Well, still. It amounts to the same thing. Suddenly they just threw all the blinders off and started running hell-bent for leather.

 

[Fake Shemp]

Obama had to be the most divisive President in history!

 

[intothatgoodnight]

There was a notion called the "loyal opposition." We both wanted the same thing--a better America--but we both had different ideas about how to get there. Then the dems lost their minds somewhere back around Obama and tried to turn America into a Communist country.

The democrats lost their minds when they elected Johnson in 1964 - some would argue that it started as far back as Wilson or FDR.

In contemporary times, "We, The People" were warned - first by Eisenhower, then Kennedy.


intothegoodnight

 

[Blacknarwhal]

The democrats lost their minds when they elected Johnson in 1964 - some would argue that it started as far back as Wilson or FDR.

In contemporary times, "We, The People" were warned - first by Eisenhower, then Kennedy.


intothegoodnight

I don't remember Dems being this nuts in the eighties. Or the nineties.

 

[intothatgoodnight]

I don't remember Dems being this nuts in the eighties. Or the nineties.

80s - The failed Carter presidency, followed swiftly by the relative sanity of the Reagan era of 1980-88, then the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989 - which angered and energized the communist/deep state/three-letter base, worldwide.

90s - Having just come off of the Reagan era, then Daddy Bush (RINO NWO Clinton-lite drug partner) and the promotion of all things China and Mena drug-running, finally descending into the Clinton fiasco of in-your-face politics and all but out-in-the-open arkanside.

The internet as a mechanism of free-exchange of information worldwide, decidedly absent of the MSM gatekeeper tax, was established and affordable by the mid-90s. This one development kicked-up the in-your-face game several notches. The bad guys suddenly discovered that they had no where to hide, and their narratives became watered down, if not entirely discounted in the minds of J6P.


intothegoodnight

 

[Blacknarwhal]

80s - The failed Carter presidency, followed swiftly by the relative sanity of the Reagan era of 1980-88, then the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989 - which angered and energized the communist/deep state/three-letter base, worldwide.

90s - Having just come off of the Reagan era, then Daddy Bush (RINO NWO Clinton-lite drug partner) and the promotion of all things China and Mena drug-running, finally descending into the Clinton fiasco of in-your-face politics and all but out-in-the-open arkanside. The internet, and the free-exchange of information worldwide, free of the MSM gatekeeper tax, was established and affordable by the mid-90s. This one development kicked-up the in-your-face game several notches. The bad guys suddenly discovered that they had no where to hide, and the narratives became watered down, if not entirely discounted in the minds of J6P.


intothegoodnight

Absolutely none of this is even close to "Not My President" of 2016.

 

[intothatgoodnight]

Absolutely none of this is even close to "Not My President" of 2016.

Disagree - it was where much of today's political antics and tactics were shaped and formed - recall who mentored Hillary Clinton during her college years, and what she was taught - same comment for the shaping of Obama during that era - and those behind his ascension to national political office.

Today's in-your-face political scene is simply an expected follow-on to what had already been inculcated into the developing future political and business leaders who were groomed decades ago.

It is happening/possible BECAUSE of the free information flow of today's internet, with its 24/7 practically anywhere connectivity, that the bad guys are facing serious headwinds and a waking international J6P - they used to own and control the means of message shaping and distribution, lock, stock and barrel - not anymore - one result of losing messaging control is the insane/violent political food fights have become increasingly public, ugly and frequent, as narrative control is being wrested away from their grip.

Cornered animals (by an aware and connected worldwide J6P), who are not going to give up power without a brutal fight, despite the fact that their mask has been ripped off.

NONE of today's political scene could have occurred prior to the established internet and affordable access, and its corresponding smartphone everywhere/anywhere/anytime participation by a truth-seeking and distinctly motivated J6P.


intothegoodnight

 

[summerthyme]

Well, still. It amounts to the same thing. Suddenly they just threw all the blinders off and started running hell-bent for leather.

I think Obama's election, and then REelection, emboldened them. They figured we'd met the metric... if a majority could be convinced to vote for someone with absolutely no accomplishments, whose background was murky, at best, and who spent millions of dollars hiding every detail of that background... then obviously, the averge American has been dumbed down sufficiently.

They didn't know about the Deplorables.

Summerthyme

 

[Blacknarwhal]

Disagree - it was where much of today's political antics and tactics were shaped and formed - recall who mentored Hillary Clinton during her college years, and what she was taught - and by whom - same comment for the grooming of Obama during that same era - and those behind his ascension to national political office.


intothegoodnight

Sure, it was a great foundation, but you never saw Dems actively protest an election before 2016.

 

[intothatgoodnight]

I think Obama's election, and then REelection, emboldened them. They figured we'd met the metric... if a majority could be convinced to vote for someone with absolutely no accomplishments, whose background was murky, at best, and who spent millions of dollars hiding every detail of that background... then obviously, the averge American has been dumbed down sufficiently.

They didn't know about the Deplorables.

Summerthyme

Overreach, fueled by an arrogant misreading of J6P.


intothegoodnight

 

[intothatgoodnight]

Sure, it was a great foundation, but you never saw Dems actively protest an election before 2016.

I edited and clarified above, after you had read/responded.

It is happening/possible BECAUSE of the free information flow of today's internet, with its 24/7 practically anywhere connectivity, that the bad guys are facing serious headwinds and a waking international J6P - they used to own and control the means of message shaping and distribution, lock, stock and barrel - not anymore - one result of losing messaging control is the insane/violent political food fights have become increasingly public, ugly and frequent, as narrative control is being wrested away from their grip.

Cornered animals (by an aware and connected worldwide J6P), who are not going to give up power without a brutal fight, despite the fact that their mask has been ripped off.

NONE of today's political scene could have occurred prior to the established internet and affordable access, and its corresponding smartphone everywhere/anywhere/anytime participation by a truth-seeking and distinctly motivated J6P.
.

But, that ugly scene was always there and festering - just not shown to the public - rather a pleasant but false facade of unicorns and rainbows.


intothegoodnight

 

[Luddite]

There was a notion called the "loyal opposition." We both wanted the same thing--a better America--but we both had different ideas about how to get there. Then the dems lost their minds somewhere back around Obama and tried to turn America into a Communist country.

Bill Ayers WeatherUnderground "O"

It started before that as ITGN explained.