The Meaning of A Trump Victory

It's a week Late. I wanted to post this following the election.

The election night coverage of on Fox News last night revealed just how out of touch the media and political establishments are with the American people. They started the evening talking about the certainty of a Hillary Clinton victory, as the numbers came in and Trump seemed to be winning, the tone started changing. They started discussing Hillary Clinton's narrow path to victory. Even after it became obvious that Trump would win, Megyn Kelley kept up the drivel about Trump's mistreatment of women. Carl Rove was totally unhinged at one point screaming that Trump had better work with Paul Ryan if he knew what was good for him. Obviously, the media and the establishment in both parties never thought this would happen: that someone who was not part of the club an outsider would become President.

How did this happen? For a decade the American people have been complaining about the diminishing of their culture and values, while politicians, media and Wall Street moguls have held the American voter in contempt. Now the American voter has sent the establishment a message that cannot be ignored; unfortunately, I wonder whether they have understood it. 

The meaning of the Trump victory is simple to understand: It is about the forgotten in American Culture, those whom Secretary Clinton called "deplorable," and whom Barak Obama described in 2008 as "clinging to their guns and religion." The American who goes to work 5 days a week, pays their taxes, abides by the law, even when they disagree with them, are inherently stupid, racist and oppressive. They are tired of a culture that says we cannot criticize someone for the way they live or think. That we cannot regulate morality, and then criticizes their views, and punishes them for the way they live They are tired of a government and a media that patronizes them. They are tired of being told that all of their values and traditions and institutions are agents of victimization and oppressions. They are tired of being afraid to walk the streets. They are tired of the cost of everything increasing, the shrinking of their wages, and the uncertain future of the next generation. They are tired of terrorist attacks. Trump appealed to the forgotten people who wanted to be heard, and wanted to have their interests represented, rather than having every thing dear to them demeaned and every thing they've worked for taken away. They are tired a government that uses regulation, and economic forces to shape a social or political agenda. 

The Trump victory is a message for the Republican party: The Republican party fielded 17 candidates for for this nomination. Trump was near the bottom of my preferred candidates. Only John Kaisich, Jeb Bush, George Pataki and Lindsey Graham would have been worse. I started the cycle a strong supporter of Scott Walker, because of his successful revolt against the establishment in Wisconsin. When he dropped out I became a Carly Fiorina fan. When she dropped out I supported Cruz, though I was never a strong Cruz fan. When Cruz dropped out I accepted the Trump nomination. I never liked Trump's bellicosity or his vulgarity, but he did appear to grow into the role of a Presidential candidate as the election cycle progressed. He understood that the Republican majority had failed to do what they had been elected to do. Trump rejected the "group-think" approach to politics of the Republican party. Since the 1964 loss the Republican party has had the attitude that they could not win with Republican votes alone, they had to appease the other side. The message of Trump was we can win by delivering our vision for America and our agenda to a general audience. The people will embrace a conservative agenda, because it makes sense and it works.

There is a message for the Democratic Party: The forgotten people are tired of being told that America is inherently evil, and hateful. They are tired of being told that those who are privileged or blessed have only robbed and exploited others to get where they are. We are tired of acting like we are the problem in the world. We are tired of democratic policies, socialist, Utopian, collectivist agenda, class warfare or redistribution of wealth. Democrats need to understand that when democratic Presidential nominees run on their records they usually lose.

We are tired of globalist fascist collusion of government and business to keep wealth in the hands of the few who the distribute it to the deserving.  

We are tired of globalist fascist collusion of government and business to keep wealth in the hands of the few who then distribute it to those whom they deem deserving. It is time for the democratic party to "drain the swamp," to clean up the corruption so prevalent in their party politics. The message of Trump for the democratic party is we are not a nation of oppressed victims.

The victory is a message for Christians: As we engage an increasingly secular society we need to be purveyors of grace not Pharisaical ism. We are no longer a nation that embrace a Judeo-Christian morality. And we can no longer expect those with whom we live and work to live the way we would like. It is simply unreasonable to expect our political leaders to be virtuous. While we are to be the voice of righteousness and be model holiness, we are all flawed. We can not be the moral police for secular people.

While we are to be the voice of righteousness and be model holiness, we are all flawed. We can not be the moral police for those around us. 

Our probity comes not from our conservative philosophy or from our moral strength but from the transforming work of the gospel in our lives. We will encounter people in politics and the work place whose lives are immoral or reprobate. We offer them grace and engage their lives with the love of Christ rather than criticize or ostracize them. Donald Trump is a secular man who has on some occasions lived a reprobate life. Christians who know him need to speak into his life to excoriate him for ignominious behavior, while extolling his virtues, competencies. As horrible as some of the things Trump has said or done they are irrelevant to his qualifications to serve as President.

After the Bille Bush tape surfaced many Christians who had been supporting Trump condemned him. One friend of mine asked on Facebook, "what am I to tell my daughter?" I appreciate my friend's struggle I raised kids during Bill Clinton's Presidency and had to explain to them his peccadilloes, I pointed out some of the negative consequences that sin brought to his life. I explained to them why living right was better, and helped them to understand that it was more important to be a faithful disciple than it was to have a successful career. Most of all I made it clear that Bill Clinton while a great leader was not someone that a Christ-follower modeled his life after. I would also explain that the world was full of those kind of people and where ever we engaged them we were to expose them to the gospel and to righteous living.

The victory is a message for business. The American people are rejecting, globalism, multi-culturalism and inclusion. They reject the idea of a global market place where businesses import cheap labor into the US so their cost to employ are less. While we welcome immigrants (Trump is the son of an immigrant and married to an immigrant) we expect assimilation. We need to return to one of our founding principles, "out of many one." America is to be a place where people come from all over the world, not to find an enclave to preserve their culture, but while respecting and honoring their heritage, they embrace America and it's people.

The victory is a message for Trump: As I sit watching riots in several cities in opposition to his election. I remind people that these things do not happen spontaneously. The behind the scene strategy is to undermined the peace and stability in the country so that you come in to the country appearing not to have the support of the country. Rest assured the democratic party, now that you have won, are going to come after you. The conciliatory tone you took on election night was appropriate, but do not expect the liberals to reasonably hand over power. The forces that worked against you in the campaign are going to be even more determined to bring you down in the White House, so stand firm. Do not abandon your principles. It will be a difficult fight. But people who cast their vote for you will support you, if you do the right thing.If you lose the support of those who supported you, your Presidency will most certainly fail.

I suggest the following lessons from the Trump victory:

1. Never underestimate the American People. Conservative politicians are in the minority, but when conservatives explain their ideas people are persuaded to embrace them. We should call the nation to liberty and the constitution rather than compromising our values with the other side just to get things done.

2. The democratic party should end the selection of Super delegates. In both 2008 and now in 2016 it is doubtful that the democratic nominee would have been selected had it not been for superdelegates. Super delegates are elected or appointed democratic officials who are ex-officio delegates to the convention. Nomination are often more the result of Superdelegates selections than the primary or state convention processes.

3. Republican delegates to the convention, be they elected or chosen at a state convention should be bound on the first ballot.

4. The media should not be allowed to control the debates. The Commission on Presidential Debates needs to be abolished. This unelected group of establishment politicians have created a climate where the media controls the debate. The debates should be sponsored and moderated through agreement between campaign staffs. The number, the format, the time, the place, the selection of moderators should be negotiated each cycle. An independent security or auditing firm should protect be held responsible for security of the questions.

5. The media should restrict their reporting on polls and concentrate on issues significant to the election and which candidate is winning on the election. Attempt to predict the election in advance based on poll resuslts is ludicrous.

Trump will bring many changes to government, but hopefully before the next cycle we can have a more open election cycle by learning the lessons of the Trump victory.