Well, it’s been more than a year since my first and last blog post. I intended to blog about the different issues – political, social, personal – that might be of interest to people. But I couldn’t push myself to write about my reactions to the election of Trump.
Unlike many voters and pollsters, I wasn’t exactly shocked at Trump being elected – I was always a bit more pessimistic about Hilary winning than most people. But still, to actually see the former TV personality and showman become the President of the U.S. was hard.
It’s not as if I am a die-hard, lefty Democrat. I was repelled by the rhetoric of Bernie Sanders who talked a good game but had impractical and unrealistic ideas that in my opinion would wreck the country if implemented. You could say I may be more of a centrist as I voted for Mitt Romney in 2008 because I was sick and tired of Obama vilifying Wall Street just because the country’s sentiment was going in that direction.
Like many people, it’s hard for me to stomach Trump. I have to turn the TV off if he’s speaking. I don’t mind reading about him or about what he said, but I can’t watch or listen to him. The support that the Republican Party gives him, no matter what he says or tweets, astonishes me. I can imagine that many loathe him, like Marco Rubio who, given the opportunity, comments on Trump’s gaffes like the way he drinks water and the spelling error the White House generates (“State of the Uniom”). But they still throw their support behind him, presumably because they can get things done with Trump in office. It almost doesn’t matter who is in office at this point. It probably is a bit like the “adult day care center” environment described by Bob Corker, the retiring Republican senator. They can’t exactly control the craziness but are hoping to pass some laws they want to pass while someone is sort of managing the situation at the asylum.
With Trump’s popularity at historical lows, one would think that the Democrats would have a field day during the midterm elections. But I’m not so sure. The Democrats seem stuck on issues like DACA and immigration. Is this now the chief issue that defines the party? If it is, it’s very likely that they will remain the weaker party. In order to translate Trump’s lack of popularity into wins for their party, the Democrats need to be able to win over the independents and centrist Republicans. If they continue to focus on immigration, I doubt they will be able to do that. I’m sure a lot of people don’t harbor any ill will towards the Dreamers but may not consider DACA/immigration to be the central issue of their lives. Same with LGBTQ – people may support gay rights in general but it may not be no. 1 on their list of priorities.
If immigration, race, and LGBTQ – issues that Democrats care deeply about – become THE defining issues of the Democratic Party as it moves forward to the midterm elections, it will continue to win the states they have won in the past. But it won’t be easy for them to win over red states or seats currently occupied by GOP.
It’s not as if I have an easy answer as to what the Democrats need to be focused on to win the midterm elections. But there may be some universal concerns that can get a little more of their attention, like jobs/economy, national security (with respect to N. Korea), the country’s unity, etc. I’m not saying that they are necessarily not paying attention to those concerns, but immigration and race seem so much more front and center to the party.
My true feeling about politics these days is that time is ripe for a third party. The Republicans and Democrats are so extreme these days. The people in the center are not being well represented. Where’s Mike Bloomberg when you need him?!
New York Digest 