Thursday, July 18, 2019

Trump's Tweets - De-ranting Washington's Rules of Civili-Tweeting.

Ok, so... as my Monday rant on the furor over Trump's Tweets has faded from my blood pressure, some questions have surfaced about it - sorry, but rants being what they are, it may not have been too clear on who or what my rant was directed at in the wake of Trump's tweets.

No, I was not ranting against Trump... directly. I was more ranting over how the ludicrous offendocrats (Left, Right & Center), have dutifully ignored ALL of the instances of truly anti-American, racist, mendacious, tyrannical and ideological norms that've run amuck in our Politically Correct world today (I'd hoped that the many links in the rant would point ya'll's attention that-a-way). Outrages which they've  so easily and entirely ignored for decades, and yet these same flustered pearl-clutchers come wide awake and fully aroused, when Trump tactlessly points out some harsh opinions, flawed facts and obvious truths, causing themselves, the media, and the various 'spheres (Twitter, Blogger, etc) to spaz out with an:
"Egads! The Orange Man has failed to be a shining example of George Washington's Rules of Civility! Burn him! And everyone who agrees with him!"
They vent their outrage over Trump's Tweets, while ignoring the fact that they themselves not only utterly fail to live up to that ideal (in everything from Pink Pussy Hats & Slut Walks, to violently silencing Free Speech & fascist antifa terrorism and thuggery, etc), but it's a standard that they've been actively ridiculing for decades (again, see my rant's links).

To give the short answer first, before getting into the details of why, no, Trump's Tweets were not racist, and what is most upsetting about the the outrage over Trump's Tweets, is that there's nothing, nothing, to be upset about in them - the outrage you find there, is your own. And by focusing on these four, the outrages of thousands of others, are ignored. But if racist is what you're looking for, I'll be happy to direct you to a select few of the many comments of Omar, Tlaib, Ocasio-Cortez, Pressley, and more, that are racist, and biggoted, and anti-Semitic and anti-American. That being said though, Trump's Tweets were worded in such a way as to guarantee an uproar, and as bad as that is, what's worse is that it's very likely the only way that We The People of today would take notice of what desperately needs being taken notice of, and now. Sad.

To be clear about what direction I'm coming at this from, as I've said too many times before, I'm not a Trump Supporter (though I most definitely used Trump's name on my ballot to counter the greater threat to the nation in the Pro-Regressive Hillary presidency posed), but I'm also not a Trump Hater, I'm simply not a fan, and haven't been since the 1980's (even in his "Art of the Deal", he showed a willingness to use govt to aid his own ends, which I'm opposed to, and his personal style in doing so, doesn't appeal to me), but I've never had reason to think him to be a fool, or a racist, or a fascist, or a [insert idiotic blank here], and while I've been unsurprised at the number of his missteps, loose comments, self-inflicted tweets, etc., that's he's made, I've also been pleasantly surprised, and pleased by the majority of his actual actions in office, especially those which involve reducing regulations, making generally good use of the military, and the judiciary - mostly in the lower courts, as Kavanaugh is about what I expected of him, yet Gorsuch was a very pleasant surprise.

What I do support politically, is our Constitutional form of representative, limited govt, where Govt's powers are limited to upholding and defending Individual Rights and (and that last 'and' is only
needed because of the public misperception that they are entirely separate concepts) Property Rights. I could support a candidate in agreement with that, and be familiar and knowledgeable with the history and concepts which our Declaration of Independence and Constitution are derived from, and show himself capable of explaining and implementing them. But I doubt that even the most ardent supporter of President Trump would say
 "That's the Orange Man to a "T"!"
, and sadly, I know of no one today that does fit that bill. No, not Rand Paul, or even Ted Cruz, for as close they come, I expect that they're no more suited to this fight today, than a boxer trained in the Marquess of Queensberry Rules, would be of use in a street gang fight. Sad. Regretfully, Trump seems to be about the best we can do at this point in time. And please, no comments about the deficit, etc. - until We The People relearn why and how to limit Govt's powers, no one (I should probably repeat that) NO ONE! is going to fix the budget, the deficit, spending, etc., etc., etc. and anyone who thinks that that's the current, or even the previous few presidents' fault, or something that any president could fix, is gilding their own damn lily ... or maybe dunging the turd would be better...?, either way it's something you really shouldn't do in public.

Looking into Trump's Tweets
There's only so much 'analysis' that tweets deserve, and none that elevates the tweeter to genius 3D Chess player status. But. We've sunk to the level of communication that Tweets are representative of, and he's proven a master of utilizing them to his ends, which should be neither surprising nor unduly impressive. Trump's a smart, capable administrator, who's shown a creative and practical mind in business, entertainment and politics, and has managed to stay in the public consciousness for nearly 40 years, in business, society, media and Reality TV. Anyone who doesn't think that that person has a notion or two about how a few well chosen words (jarring or otherwise) are likely to affect and direct the public mood... is someone who hasn't given the matter much thought. I do have a nagging suspicion that he had a very good idea that EVERYONE would seize upon his words and read into them the bigoted phrase 'go back to where you came from!' - he didn't say it, he just nudged you into hearing it. It doesn't take a 3D chess guru to see that Nancy Pelosi & Joe Biden were starting to succeed in distancing themselves from the vile 'squad', and Trump realized that a few well placed Tweets would throw them back into an unsightly and awkwardly close embrace, with them. And sure enough, Nancy & Joe are again aligning themselves with them, dutifully singing their praises, and wondering what in the hell happened to the power they thought they had.

Some friends of mine agreed with this,
"In an interview with MSNBC, Joe Biden argued the four lawmakers don’t represent “the majority of Democrats” who won back the House of Representatives last year."
, saying that ' Pelosi 'knows what she’s doing', which I very much disagree with. The 'Squad' may not represent the “majority of Democrats”, but they most definitely do represent what is politically correct to say, and what people feel obligated to admit to (and afraid to dissent with), and what Joe Biden & Nancy Pelosi are finally starting to realize, I think, is that in their decades of helping to twist the narrative, and build a base that will swallow it whole, what they've succeeded in doing is to put 'the narrative' in power, and out of reach, of Joe Biden & Nancy Pelosi - those two no longer control it. It's not even close. That power, which is gaining real power now, is a creature of wacademia, entertainment, media, and the lowest common denominators of anti-Western thought. The likes of Pelosi & Biden are not in charge anymore, the Politically Correct Narrative is, and if there's anyone who's got a handle on that, it's the four 'powerless' freshmen congresswomen of the 'squad'.

Trump's Tweets
Which brings us back to Trump's Tweets. First, let's do what CNN did not bother to do, and before pronouncing them 'racist!', let's actually look at the first three tweets, put together, in full:
"So interesting to see “Progressive” Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even have a functioning government at all), now loudly and viciously telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our government is to be run. Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came. Then come back and show us how it is done. These places need your help badly, you can’t leave fast enough. I’m sure that Nancy Pelosi would be very happy to quickly work out free travel arrangements!"
Sorry, there is no racism there, no bigotry, no overly zealous thing said - but I'll grant you this - with the 'flaws' of his phrasing (tweets people, good lord, we're analyzing tweets!) he invites you to read certain well known tropes into his tweets, from out of the dark corners of your own mind, and man oh man did most of you do just that!

Ok, now to go point by point... through his tweets,

"So interesting to see “Progressive” Democrat Congresswomen..." What he doesn't say here, is which women they are (it's not much of a stretch to include Hillary in that... no more a stretch), or  how many they are, or what colors & ethnicities they are or are not - but virtually everyone assumed that he meant those four congresswomen (perhaps the shoe fits...?) - did you assume he meant them too? Then you too volunteered to be a pawn in his social media offensive. Congratulations on that. Well done.

" who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even have a functioning government at all),..." This of course only applies to one of the Squad, and he doesn't say which country's government, but he does say plural, and whether skillfully calculated or simply unconsciously artful,  that sort of 'somewhat true/somewhat false' statement is a slick salesman's stock in trade - but as the best of that field know, you don't sell the 'customer', they sell themselves. If you led yourself to condemn him, or excuse him, on the basis of what is at best only partially right or wrong, again, you've volunteered to be his pawn. Congratulations. And for those who've been revolted over the comments of the squad, you will certainly grasp that, one of them IS from Somalia, one of them continually speaks AS IF she's from Palestine, and all four of them speak as if they wish that they had nothing at all to do with America, and those who does love America (either its image or reality), dislikes them for it.

"... now loudly and viciously telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our government is to be run...." The Squad, Pelosi, Biden, the entire Democrat slate of POTUS wannabees, most of wacademia & media are all guilty of doing the same. He's snagged the entire lineup with this, and yet those four stand up for it. Brilliant. Pelosi & Biden can't claim it's theirs and puff out their chests anymore, they need the 'squad' for that!

Now here's the most effective bit in the tweets, IMHO, where he both evokes, and contradicts the 'why don't you go back where you came from!' spiel:

"Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came. Then come back and show us how it is done."
, yes, he says "Why don’t they go back...", but it's you, oh offended one, who are the ones who are filling in the blank on that vile ditty. Trump himself, stops midway through, and in the next sentence he makes a perfectly reasonable comment of the sort that nearly every adult has said to a child many times over, to the effect of 'if you think you're so smart, why don't you do it, and then show me how?'; However Trump goes that one better, by inviting them to go fix these foreign shores that they're always praising, and once they've succeeded at that, please, come back (I should probably repeat that) COME BACK and show us how to... dare I say it... (yes, I do), come back and help 'Make America Great Again. Friggin'. Brilliant. Again, I think it's more a skilled art, like an accomplished guitarist who just does it in the moment, mostly without thinking, than what a skilled wordsmith would do by skillful construction, but Trump wins either way.

This line isn't half bad either:
"These places need your help badly, you can’t leave fast enough. I’m sure that Nancy Pelosi would be very happy to quickly work out free travel arrangements!", which is the bit that shoved Nancy & Joe back into the arms of the waiting 'squad', just when she and Joe Biden were finally beginning to get a bit of distance from them. As Trump himself pointed out in his followup tweet:
"The Democrat Congresswomen have been spewing some of the most vile, hateful, and disgusting things ever said by a politician in the House or Senate, & yet they get a free pass and a big embrace from the Democrat Party. Horrible anti-Israel, anti-USA, pro-terrorist & public.....
.....shouting of the F...word, among many other terrible things, and the petrified Dems run for the hills. Why isn’t the House voting to rebuke the filthy and hate laced things they have said? Because they are the Radical Left, and the Democrats are afraid to take them on. Sad!"
I don't know how this will play out in the long run, but if Trump's successful, it'll lead to their massive defeat. If he's not, it'll lead to our nation's destruction. But then... We The People have been running headlong towards that anyway.

Let's pray that Trump's Tweets work.

I could go on and go deeper, but this is already much too much to spend on cleaning up after a rant - if you disagree, good news: 'Anonymous Commenting' has been turned back on, on my blog (I've no idea how it got turned off... I suspect when Google dropped it's Google+ fiasco a few months ago).

4 comments:

Drake's Place said...

Good analysis. Yes, his original tweets never mentioned "countries", just 'go back where they came from' and help that area out, fit it, and come back and tell us what worked. He challenged them, without naming them, in general. A 4 DEM women stood up and said, "he's talking about us." Comical in so many ways. Good stuff!

Drake's Place said...

Edit it: second line: "fix"it (not "fit").

Van Harvey said...

Thanks David. You want a laugh? Your "Edit it: second line: "fix"it (not "fit").", had me looking for 'fit' in my post... and I ended up updating a few rushed lines of my own. :-)

Drake's Place said...

Sorry about that, yeah, I meant the edit in my comment. I make typos I miss all the time. Didn't see any in your post or your writing. Have a good weekend!