"When people show you who they are, believe them" remains true when we examine the sorry state of the U.S. political arena. Both major political parties have made clear their priorities - and those are opposed to those of the people.
Originally published in New Pittsburgh Courier.
“I don’t know who you are and I don’t know why you like this guy (Trump). I think what you like about him; he appears to be strong and the rest of us are weak… That’s what he’s selling…Here’s what you’re buying…He’s a race-baiting, xenophobic religious bigot. He doesn’t represent my party. He doesn’t represent the values that the men and women who wear the uniform are fighting for… He’s the ISIL man of the year.” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on CNN 2015
There are periods in history… epochs, distinctive periods in time marked by notable events, that in many instances signal change. Columbus stumbling upon the Americas where Indigenous peoples had been living for thousands of years. The French Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, the invention of the semiconductor, WWII, the Civil Rights era, etc.
In many instances, one may not realize that they’re living in the historic moment. It’s only upon reflection that you realize the significance of the time. There are other periods, I call them Oppenheimer moments, where you know that you are in the moment. The first atomic bomb was tested on July 16, 1945. The bomb, nicknamed “Gadget”, released 18.6 kilotons of power. We are told that Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer, upon watching the first ever atomic bomb explode, quoted a line from Hindu scripture; the Bhagavad Gita, “Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds”. Oppenheimer knew he was in the moment.
As we look at the current geopolitical landscape, we find ourselves firmly in the grips of the second Trump administration. There is a dramatic decline in the status of America, both domestically and internationally. The economic outlook is uncertain. America is funding a war in Ukraine and a genocide in Gaza. Homelessness, unemployment and incarceration rates are continuously on the rise. One can only conclude that we are living in a historic moment. Steve Bannon, the former Trump campaign and White House advisor calls it “managed decline”.
One of the ironies in all of this is we have seen this movie before. We are watching Trump Redux. We are not just watching the film; we are actors in it. For those of us that are old enough to remember, watching the news and political programs today is analogous to watching the Rocky Horror Picture Show. We find ourselves constantly yelling at the screen, except this is unscripted.
People are aghast listening to President Trump attack DEI policies, firing federal Inspectors General, threatening to close the Department of Education and pledging to fire FBI agents that investigated January 6. Steve Bannon told us in 2019 of what was to come, “…we had a whole tiger team of the White House counsel guys, the ‘deconstruction of the administrative state,’ which is a huge element…we want less (government intervention). In fact, we want to start to take apart certain parts of the apparatus.” America, you were warned.
Now, the authoritarian that over 77M Americans voted for wants to disregard the constitutionally guaranteed right of “birthright citizenship”. He is impounding funds, freezing nearly all foreign aid, federal grants and loans as if he has been magically granted the power of the “ex post facto veto”.
Almost none of President Trump’s policies have gone through legislation or House votes. Trump issues his edicts through Executive Order. The American people are being subjected to a flurry or whirlwind of executive action. Bannon called it “flooding the zone and muzzle velocity”. “Every day we hit them with three things. They’ll bite on one, and we’ll get all of our stuff done, bang, bang, bang. These guys will never—will never be able to recover. But we’ve got to start with muzzle velocity.” Some people may think Trump is crazy. If he is, he’s crazy like a fox.
But it’s not just him. President Trump is not alone. The racist suggestion of Trump saying, the United States should own Gaza and develop it into “the Riviera of the Middle East” by displacing the Palestinians from their homeland to other countries in the region, was first posited by former President Joe Biden. The AP reported, “A Western diplomat in Cairo said Egypt rejected similar proposals from the Biden administration and European countries early in the war.” Trump’s major faux pas was he made Biden’s secret proposal public.
Trump is not alone in his racist deportation efforts. CNN reported, “According to an analysis by the Migration Policy Institute, more than 12 million people were “deported”—either removed or returned—from the US during the Clinton administration. More than 10 million were removed or returned during the Bush administration. Far fewer—more than 5 million—were removed or returned during the Obama administration.” Lest we forget, President Obama was dubbed the “Deporter in Chief”.
Trump’s ideas of deconstructing the administrative state, cutting government agencies or his privatization/neo-liberal policies via Project 2025 are not new. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich proposed similar tactics with his “Contract with America”. Former President Bill Clinton thought he could make government more efficient by employing principals from the private sector by “Reinventing Government as We Know It”.
The major problem with these schemes is very simple. The goal of private sector capitalism is the maximization of profit. The goal of democratic/republic government is the protection of the people and the delivery of services. Contrary to the beliefs of the oligarchs, government is not in the “business” of making money. It’s lucky if it breaks even.
Don’t let this context confuse you. Sen. Graham is correct, President Trump is “…a race-baiting, xenophobic religious bigot.” This is evidenced by his baseless rants about Mexican rapists, his proposed Muslim ban, his lie about Barack Obama’s birthplace, his attack on the Central Park 5, his baseless attack on DEI programs, removing historical videos of its storied Black Tuskegee Airmen from Air Force training modules, supporting genocide in Gaza, just to name a few. Remember, all of this resonated with over 77M Americans.
So, what are we to do? Well, for starters do not listen to Rep. Nancy Pelosi. Anyone who tries to insist that the election was not a rebuke of the Democrats is delusional and anyone who argues that Democrats don’t need to change is clueless.
I strongly suggest reading Dr. King’s 1963 Letter from a Birmingham Jail, “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” Then read Frederick Douglas’, 1857 speech, If There Is No Struggle, There Is No Progress—“Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.”
After that, read more and remember, when they tell you about their own, they are also telling you about themselves. Believe them.
Dr. Wilmer Leon is a nationally broadcast radio talk-show host. Author of Politics Another Perspective. Host of the podcast Connecting the Dots w/ Dr. Wilmer Leon. Go to www.wilmerleon.com or email: [email protected]. www.twitter.com/drwleon and Dr. Leon’s Prescription at Facebook.com © 2025 InfoWave Communications, LLC
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