A Wasted Crises

(Originally written May 18, 2020)

A common refrain in politics is so never let a good crisis go to waste.  As a Political neophyte, President Trump can be excused from being aware of this saying and attempting to ensure some good emerges from the aftermath of the Corona Debacle.  

The problem with Trump and the Republicans is that they have nothing to offer as far as new ideas for America.  It has become the party of NO and the only thing they push for is increased tax cuts and deregulation- neither of which is in the interest of the majority of Americans..  

On Health care, the Republican idea is to destroy Obamacare.  On the environment, deregulation to allow polluters to poison America’s land, water and air.  For social security? Cuts for the neediest.  Taxes?  Cuts for the wealthy.  

Instead of using the Pandemic as a means to draw Americans together in order to overcome the obstacle, President Trump has continued to play politics laying blame on President Obama and stoking divisiveness.  When former President Bush spoke in generic terms on the need for America unity, President Trump lashed out at him as if it were a personal attack instead of a call for unity from one of America’s elder statesmen.

After 9/11, President Bush took the time to unify Americans against the threat posed by Islamic extremists.  During the Great Recession, President Obama took efforts to minimize the effects for all Americans by orchestrating via the bailout.   

FDR dealt with the double whammy of the Great Depression and The Second World War- from the first came the modern American social safety net while the second yielded American economic and military preeminence following the conclusion of The Second World War.  

President Truman picked up when FDR died and found America and The Soviet Union eyeing each other warily.  President Truman used the threat of Soviet domination as a rallying cry to wring more funds from Congress in order to finance America’s efforts to contain the Soviet Union.

Furtherback, Abraham Lincoln used the secession of the South to abolish slavery, create a stronger and more unified Union, oversaw the economic expansion of the United States and generally leave America stronger than when he took over.

Instead of learning from his predecessors, President Trump has so far only sought to use Corona as a means to divide America by stoking the culture wars which have plagued America for the last couple decades.  Instead of encouraging people to continue quarantining and wearing masks and taking other basic steps to battle Corona, President Trump has been fanning the cultural wars by encouraging people to demand that their states be reopened, to hell with Corona and the dangers it poses under the guise of their ‘freedoms.’

Former Presidents had a vision of the more perfect Union they wanted and worked towards it.  Trump only has the thought of the economy and his own re-election on his mind rather than Americans struggling now and the future well being of America.

Despite surrounding himself with ‘the best people’ it looks like Trump will let this crisis pass with nothing to show for the many thousands of lives lost except for more American carnage and internal turmoil.  

At this point, Corona has killed more people than the VietCong in Vietnam.  However, the domestic social upheaval caused by the Vietnam War did result in badly needed social reforms.  

I would like to see some good come out of Corna such as a respect for labor and a strengthened working class, a green new deal, an expanded social safety net, or frankly anything which seeks to turn this tragedy into anything remotely positive.

A great leader would rise up to the challenge posed by Corona and leave America in a stronger position.  A passable leader would combat corona and maintain America’s status quo.  Instead we have Trump whose inept policies stoke divisness and threaten the foundation on which America’s greatness is built.

Please see my article #Capitalism: A New Paradigm.