What Trump is Really Selling

I was intrigued by a column by Joe Klein in the May 26 issue of Time Magazine. In examining the Donald Trump phenomenon he starts out by commenting on Trump's rejection of much of Republican orthodoxy, and the GOP electorate's acceptance of this. He writes, "It seems opposed to free trade, to entitlement cuts, to tax breaks for the wealthy and to neoconservative adventurism overseas...All of the above are positions--or 'suggestions,' in his most recent formulation--posited by Trump. What's left of "conservatism?" Klein offers "only the nasty bits: nativism, isolationism, protectionism."

So what is Trump really selling? Klein feels author Yural Levin, a conservative, is on to something when he says both parties are "trapped by nostalgia" into a veneration of their versions of 1950's and pre-Vietnam 1960's America. "Republicans are nostalgic for the family values of that period, the homogeneity of society and the fleeting reality of transcendent American power." Democrats are nostalgic for the economy of the 1950s, with "Big Business and Big Labor synergistic, and for the New Deal notion that massive government programs to alleviate poverty and regulate business were an unalloyed good."

Trump, he feels, is selling nostalgia big time. His very slogan, "Make America Great...Again" looks to the past, a past in which America "always won wars," of "humming factories with belching smokestacks, and, of course, the place where blacks and women knew their respective places and homosexuality and Latinos had yet to be invented."

What Trump has done is "a stunning job of repurposing the past as the future." In the end, though, a dated vision of "father knows best and racial privilege" is " a nursing home for those more comfortable looking back than looking forward."

Still Time to Register to Vote

No election of our lifetimes is likely to be more important than this one. Is the American electorate so unhinged with venom that it could actually send a demagogic, misogynist, racist, Islamophobic narcissist to the White House who admires Vladimir Putin and thinks we should pull out of NATO and allow nuclear proliferation to more countries? Quite a few people are enamored of this ignoramus just because he talks tough and is quick with an insult. Both Democratic candidates are committed people who have serious solutions to the nation's issues. When you get right down to it, that's the choice facing Americans this year. And if you aren't registered to vote you are part of the problem.

You have until Monday, May 23 to register so you can participate in California's June 7 primary election. My advice, of course, is to register Democratic and vote for Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders. Primaries are being held for U.S. Senator, Congress, State Assembly and Senate offices too, as well as county party governing boards, the Central Committees. There's also Proposition 50, which would let the State Legislature suspend a member without pay by a two-thirds vote for good cause, as when three legislators were indicted last year. I recommend a yes vote on this measure. Currently the legislature can only expel a member, which may not be justified until a conviction is secured, or suspend with pay, which isn't tough enough in cases of egregious misconduct.

At any rate, it's more important than ever that you register and vote. It's easy. Go to the Secretary of State's web site and register today. Here's a link to it. Here's a link to the voter registration page on the Secretary of State's site. You have all day Monday until 11:59 p.m. to register. Don't delay. Let your voice be heard rather than wishing you'd done something after it's too late!

New Review Recommends My Book "Liberally Speaking"

I am happy to see a new review of my book has just come out. It's by Anita Lock in the US Review of Books, and I am pleased to share it with you. You can go to the original here.

Liberally Speaking: Why Liberalism is Right for America
by Stephen J. Natoli
Branden Books

 

Reviewed by Anita Lock

 

"Liberal ideas have been the ones that have made society more just, more prosperous and better for people to live in."

 

Liberally Speaking is a guidebook designed so that "moderates will see the wisdom, sense and success of liberal positions" and to help liberals who "are starving for some affirmation of their views and some explanations they can use to defend and promote the principled positions they hold dear." Complete with a questionnaire, plenty of history, and an in depth explanations on issues, Natoli's attention to liberalism raises awareness of the basic needs and desires of all Americans.

Natoli offers a step-by-step approach to understanding liberalism. He opens by describing his shift from conservative to liberal thinking, followed by providing his audience with a "personal inventory" questionnaire before detailing what the liberal perspective looks like. Divided into five sections, Natoli explains what it means to be a liberal utilizing his 18-point constitution on what liberals believe. Section 2 covers the historical highlights "the liberal record of success" from the early 1600s to present day and the foundations to liberal thought. 

While the preceding material is highly educational, the next several chapters under part 3 serve to crystallize liberalism as Natoli addresses where liberals stand on issues. Examples include human rights, health, defense, war and peace, as well as gun issues—just to name a few topics. Part 4 offers balance as Natoli includes a historical perspective on the conservative record of failure, what conservatives believe, and why their thinking doesn't work.

Natoli offers plenty to ruminate on, plus a word of encouragement for his readers, in the last section, to engage in the political process by getting involved in organizations. In closing, Natoli states his groundbreaking read the best: "The American people deserve to see that liberal values are American values, and to appreciate that much of what has made America free and prosperous is a result of great liberal leaders and great liberal ideas."

RECOMMENDED by the US Review

 

Louie Campos for Congress

There is no doubt the people of Tulare and Fresno Counties have been poorly served by their current Representative in Congress. In office for 14 years, Rep. Devin Nunes has failed conspicuously to alleviate the area's water problems, bring jobs to his constituents, or even get the 99 Freeway widened to three lanes. Brave Gnu Whirled sat down with a new and different kind of candidate who is challenging Mr. Nunes by running for the position this year. I sat down with Louie Campos for an interview recently, which is printed below. His insight and vision represent the kind of responsive and proactive leadership the people of Tulare and Fresno Counties have needed for a long time. Louie is running as a Democrat in the 22nd Congressional District of California. I have known Louie for a long time and have seen his energy, commitment and intelligence first hand. He has my full and complete support and endorsement.




BRAVE GNU WHIRLED: What is your basic philosophy of politics and government?
LOUIE CAMPOS: I'm a liberal. I believe in equality, and it starts with the individual. I believe in empowering people. We are often under the authority of institutions, but people have the power to reverse that relationship and assume the authority themselves. Therefore I believe in the power of democracy.

BGW: What are some of the primary responsibilities you believe a congressional representative should keep in mind?
LOUIE CAMPOS: You have to balance the national interest and your constituents' interests. Primarily you do serve your district, but you have to keep in mind America as a whole.

BGW: What are the major issues you want to address?
LOUIE CAMPOS: The most important thing for our area is jobs. Then come national security and safety. That means an effective policy on the Middle East. Specifically, if we are going to increase our footprint there then congress needs to take a vote. We've seen a lot of congress second-guessing the President but then they won't take a vote. We need to modernize our 1950s infrastructure and update it for the twenty-first century. That would mean a lot of jobs. Water is a critical need here. We can address that and that means jobs too. Climate change needs to be addressed as well. The current drought could be a result of it. We have communities here with bad water or even none. That is not acceptable, and neither is the air quality. I believe in a comprehensive immigration policy with a pathway to citizenship. It is against American values to split up families. It isn't right for people to contribute labor and money to a system that doesn't benefit them.

BGW: Why are you particularly suited to be a good representative?
LOUIE CAMPOS: For the past several years I've spent time on the ground with the people who live here. I've been involved and gone door to door. I've worked in the culinary industry, in the Department of Corrections and am a Board Agua member, a group advocating for water quality. I have a better sense of what the people are going through here. I take a logical, reasoned approach to problem solving. I have no problem challenging my party or anyone for a better way. We need to plant the seed for a new generation to help democracy to succeed.

BGW: What is your critique of the current incumbent in California's 22nd Congressional District, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA)?
LOUIE CAMPOS: I've researched his record and can't find anything he's authored. He hasn't really done anything. His constituents can't name a single thing he's done. I think he's been absent, listening to only a limited circle of people, and no one who challenges his view, no one who wants him to do anything. He's like the guy on the couch with a remote in his hand.

BGW: Thank you for the interview. Is there anything you would like to add?
LOUIE CAMPOS: I don't want to understate the value of input. I want to hear what people want and need. I have always been approachable by anybody. If need be I will go to wherever they are. You can't always satisfy everything people want, but I promise to listen and consider any serious need or idea.