“On Many Sides”

c. 2017 Rod Ice

All rights reserved

(8-17)

Donald Trump.

I loathe writing about this fellow. For a variety of reasons. Mainly because there is little new to contribute. But like most of us who engage in wordsmithing as a regular activity, I do it freely. And have done for many years. Therein lies the conundrum of our current chief executive. Though opinions about him are steeped in contrast and typically expressed with hyperbole of a passionate nature – no one is ever silent about the man. It seems quite literally to be impossible.

The spotlight is his servant.

After the tragic explosion of dark forces in Charlottesville, and the death of Heather Heyer, his initial response echoed like a crude cannon shot from Civil War reenactors. “We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides, on many sides.” Most saw this statement as a vague equivocation that sidestepped offering genuine outrage. Supporters predictably viewed these words as an honest analysis. One given without the flair of professional polish or craftsmanship.

Family members who gave him their endorsement were resolute in judging his words. “Trump is not a politician!”

It is difficult to imagine any easier task than that of condemning the Ku Klux Klan or modern-day Nazis. For any elected official, anywhere in the nation, at any time. Ronald Reagan or Bill Clinton would have certainly accomplished such a task with dignity and decorum. Barack Obama could have delivered a soaring sermon of unity and hope. Even George W. Bush might have sputtered out a convincing message, despite his usual lack of graceful rhetoric.

But Trump once again displayed his true identity – NOT A POLITICIAN. His bread and butter. The style that pointed him toward prominence.

With white supremacist Chris Cantwell having said that the president “gave his daughter to a Jew” one might have expected a personal response, offered with raw emotion. A statement of genuine outrage. Words of a father speaking with love about his family. But little obvious acrimony was aroused by this hateful remark. DJT missed the opportunity to rise above partisanship and rancor. Then swabbed up his mess by reading from a teleprompter.

Media outlets across the nation, never friendly to Trump for any reason, were unleashed. Many voices joined the chorus. Even our military generals spoke up about the disgusting stain of bigotry being revived. It seemed surreal to a point even Hollywood could not achieve.

But this, after all, was the country where Jim Bakker of ‘PTL’ could twist religious themes into glitzy self-promotion, swindle his flock, engage in multiple sexual indiscretions, end up in jail, and then return to his life-path as an orator of the divine. After being exposed as a hellish fraud, more money filled his coffers. A suspension of reality seemed to affect his believers.

Not unlike having faith in anyone who would stumble over condemnation of the Klan.

Admittedly, Democrats have accused Republican presidential candidates of being Nazis for generations. So the word has lost some intensity from generalization and overuse. Nixon was Hitler. Reagan was Hitler. Bush 43 was Hitler. So when the tiki-torches were lit in Charlottesville, many on the left had already concluded that the president was ready to join their march. But his supporters were unmoved. Even defiant with a rallying cry of indifference. For them, the qualifier of “on many sides” had real meaning. The new phrase ‘alt-left’ joined that of ‘alt-right.’ Antifa, little-known to most Americans, entered the discussion. Despite the public furor, Trump remained standing. Once again, the spotlight was under his spell.

Lots of ink has been devoted to ‘The Donald.’ Enough to drown any other figure in domestic history with the sour wine of their own transgressions. But he has proven to be a sturdy figure. Able to channel revulsion and abuse into renewed vigor. A champion for those who long ago gave up on decorum and our American political system.

A proper strategy for opponents would have been to ignore him in bygone years. To let him wither and die with silence choking away his existence. To offer no lifeline from obscurity by addressing his foibles and quirks. His sins of the flesh. His arrogance, His thin-skinned inability to accept even the slightest note of dissent.

But the press fed him well. In print and through many hours of video coverage. Trump has delivered a course-change of epic proportions. One completely logical to those smitten with his dyed hair and sprayed-on tan.

And we continue to write, despite our doubts and misgivings. Every day, aiming the spotlight once again at its master.

Comments or questions about ‘Words on the Loose’ may be sent to: icewritesforyou@gmail.com

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Published weekly in the Geauga Independent.