This Thanksgiving all Americans should join together in being thankful for the presidency of Donald John Trump.
Trump supporters can be thankful that the wall has been built and the immigrant threat thereby averted, that the economy has reached new heights, and that the swamp has been drained. And for Trump supporters who don’t live in an alternate reality, there is now a solid conservative majority in the Supreme Court. It is only a matter of time until Roe v. Wade is overturned, or at least neutered.
For Trump haters, it can be harder to be thankful for the Trump presidency. They would do well to remember Charles Dickens’ Christmas Carol. In the familiar story, misanthrope Ebenezer Scrooge was visited by three ghosts one Christmas Eve. They showed him the error of his ways and the very real risks of failing to change, thereby opening the door to a better life for him, and for those around him. Scrooge received a great gift. For those who will take the time to reflect on the Trump presidency, it will be clear that we have received a similar gift, for which we should be profoundly grateful.
First, we have seen how fragile our democracy is. The founding fathers were very concerned about the damage a populist demagogue could do to our democratic institutions. Until Donald Trump became president it was hard to take this threat seriously. Huey Long and Joe McCarthy never got close to wielding the power of the president, so it all seemed academic. But no more; we have seen the risk with our own eyes.
Second, we have seen the importance of maintaining an independent judiciary and an independent Department of Justice. Trump came very close to bending the prosecutorial power of the federal government to his will, using it as a shield for his allies, and a sword against his enemies. While Richard Nixon had similar aspirations, he was thwarted by patriots from his own party. We cannot continue to trust unwritten norms or the patriotism of politicians to protect us from a president who prefers the justice system of a banana republic.
Third, we have learned that the term “Republican principles” is an oxymoron, and that many self-branded “conservatives” are far from conservative in any meaningful sense of the word. People who called themselves constitutional conservatives readily embraced an anti-constitutional autocrat for the sake of holding on to their own power. No one should never see the Republican Party the same way again.
Fourth, we have seen the value of the Deep State. It was the Deep State that provided the information that led to Trump’s impeachment. It was the Deep State that upheld the Integrity of our electoral process at a time when there was a serious threat to undermine it. People like Alex Vindman, Fiona Hill, Christopher Krebs, Aaron Van Langevelde, and many other unelected public servants refused to give in to pressure from elected officials, and upheld their oath to defend the Constitution. In this they were helped by appointed judges, many of them Republicans, who ignored the claims of election fraud on cable news and the internet, and dismissed cases when there was no evidence of actual fraud.
Fifth, we have seen that we are stronger as a nation when we work with other democracies, and that courting autocrats only weakens us.
Sixth, we have seen that government should not be run like a business, where the goal is to make a profit for those in charge. So, there is no reason to think a successful businessman would be good at running the government. To the contrary, we should expect that a government run by a businessman will be corrupted to serve the needs and goals of those at the top.
Finally, we have seen how vulnerable our economy is. We could not pause the economy for even a few weeks to deal with a pandemic without massive government spending to avoid a collapse. At the same time, we have seen clear proof that the stock market is not the economy, and that setting national economic policy, let alone public health policy, based on pumping up the Dow Jones Industrial Average will damage the country in the long run.
Above all, Trump haters be thankful that Donald Trump is such an inept, narcissistic buffoon. Imagine how different things would be if, instead of Donald Trump, the current president were a skilled politician like Richard Nixon or Dick Cheney, or even an intelligent celebrity like Tucker Carlson. Trump haters should be thankful that we dodged a Howitzer shell over the past 4 years. But gratitude is not enough. We must learn from the Thanksgiving Carol gift we have been given, and change our country. Perhaps even more than Trump lovers, Trump haters should be thankful for Donald J. Trump this Thanksgiving.
