My father, an electronics engineer, would never discuss his political views. This was a marriage-survival strategy as my mother was vigorously liberal. It was a time when politics was more about ideas than popularity.
Trump taps into an anti-intellectual, anti-elite undercurrent, the resentment of working people caught between inflation and stagnant wages (although inflation has fallen and wages have risen of late). Trump is their hero, perceived as a powerful, even sexual winner. It follows the “strong man” theory of government, where a cult of personality overtakes common sense — like Putin, Napoleon, Hitler.
According to CNN, current voters are motivated by cultural influence more than political party, TV news, social media, or newspapers.
What prompts an American to ally with one set of beliefs or another? Is it the rationalism of my father, or the hopefulness of my mother? One wants to keep our budget balanced and our economy stable, the other wants to help those less fortunate. But politics is not rational. We choose based on personal feelings and needs. According to Maslow, safety and stability, in fact, rank higher than empathy.
Therefore, politics is like music or art — totally in the eyes of the beholder. There is no scorecard of issues and policies that elect a leader. In the way that Woodstock captured the 1960s, Trump captures the zeitgeist of working peoples’ disappointment. Look at Trump through loyalist eyes: he’s their savior.
Today we say we pick our present based on policy or issues, but that’s not true this time. Some of us are picking based on the mood of the times. Maybe there is a useful historical criteria for picking a president. Aristotle held that an “ideal” politician is a good man, speaking well.
Apply this Aristotelian standard to Trump. Both his goodness and his speech have been called into question. These apply much more favorably to Harris.
The criteria for president ought to include management skill, rational decision-making, character, and the ability to work with people with whom you disagree. Harris embodies these qualities; Trump simply does not. Vote Harris!
Karen Muriello
Oak Park