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"A decent political system takes both desires into account."...
5/6/16, "Why You Shouldn’t (Totally) Freak Out About a Trump Presidency," Vanity Fair, T.A. Frank
......
(parag. 4): "Voters have been
ill-served by the two parties, because the areas of Washington consensus
did not reflect a popular consensus. Both parties favor globalism, free
trade, and loosened borders, but millions of Americans favor
nationalism, isolationism, and nativism. The latter terms are
customarily used as ones of abuse, but the simple fact is that some
people want to connect more with the outer world, while others want to
keep their environments more stable and enclosed.
A decent political system takes both desires into account and looks
for compromise, not winner-takes-all. People on the left often speak of
leaders who can be a voice for the voiceless. Trump, whether you like
him or not, is that. His manner of delivery may not be defensible, but
he’s the first to channel something that had to come out eventually. He
sets the stage for others to set up political choices more in tune with
the splits of Americans, which won’t resolve our differences but will
make some of them less bitter.
If Trump wins, he might threaten to deport 11 million people, but he
will not do it. No one will. But if Trump gets a border fence built, I
predict it would not bother most people. There is already a wall south
of San Diego. Do you wish to see it torn down, or do you not much care
either way? My guess is you do not much care either way. If a wall
causes most of the illegal migration across the southern border to be
stopped, then much of the bitterness surrounding the issue will fade
away. Amnesty will become easier, not harder.
Many of the worst erosions of our liberties and checks and balances
have occurred in a slow and creeping manner, thanks to a court decision
here, an executive action there, or a law with unintended consequences.
Republicans failed miserably to keep the power grabs of the George W. Bush White House in check, but Democrats have hardly been models of self-policing when it comes to the Barack Obama
White House, either. With Trump, all sides would be so vigilant and
frightened that the threats to the rule of law might be less, not more,
with his presidency. To put it another way, Trump might be less of a
threat to democracy than, say, Marco Rubio. I can’t promise this, but it’s not an outlandish possibility.
Trump will win only if he can prove himself capable of impulse
control and the demands of the presidency. If he continues to go mad
with his pronouncements, if he makes a hash of his debates, if he fails
to act as a statesmen would, he will lose decisively. He could rely upon
the issue of immigration as a flotation device in the primaries. He
can’t do that in the general election. Yes, Americans are fed up with
many things, and they are readier for risk than normal. But they are not
suicidal. If you trust in their judgment, we will be O.K. I think you
should, and I think we will."
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