Trump's Executive Orders
Trump's executive orders have taken center stage during his first days in office. Needless to say, people are making too much of this. Executive orders are by no means unusual. Despite all you anti-Trumpers' hand-wringing and and teeth-grinding over
these Executive Orders, let's all remember that Donald Trump is by no
means the first President to issue Executive Orders to pursue a desired
result. President's going back to George Washington have issued them.
"But he's issuing so many!" you may (whiningly and hysterically) protest. Not really. Remember George Bush? Of course you do. You were apoplectic when he issued 'em. And then there's your ol' buddy our former President O'Bama. He issued tons of Executive Orders too. Oh, right; that was OK. You liked most of those orders, so you gave him a pass. Not that it should surprise anyone that you would. After all, "Bushers" didn't seem to mind his Executive Orders all that much.
The fact is, the office of President of the United States has grown in power along with the federal government itself has throughout the 20th and now into the 21st century. As the Executive branch of our government continues to wax while the Legislative branch wanes, Trump's actions merely highlight a trend firmly in place. Signing Executive Order after Executive Order, the country's new Chief Executive demonstrated a certain determination to advance at least some of the key initiatives of his campaign platform. While we can tip our hats that he's trying to be true to his promises, it's understandable if the Executive Orders themselves give us pause. At some point, an ever stronger office of the President may result in producing a so-called "Strong Man." And if that happens, we'll have slipped into Nazi-Commie-Banana Republic territory. But - fortunately, at least so far - we're getting ahead of ourselves.
To gain better perspective on the reactions to Trump today, we might look back to Franklin Roosevelt. Now there was a guy who who issued Executive Orders in such quantity that others took notice and hoisted a red flag. Indeed, we might trace our current trend of an ever-more-powerful President back to ol' Franklin. When Roosevelt ramped up the issuance of Executive Orders, he was portrayed by some as a dictator. At that time, the fascist movements around the world were on the rise, fueled by a world-wide Depression that had many people in desperate straits looking for relief. The "strong man" who promised such relief followed a path to power enabled by the despair of the people. Think Mussolini or Hitler, along with Stalin (who, while not lumped in with the other two, was by far the more powerful, and ultimately murderous of that crew).
So was Roosevelt also such a "strong man"? Well, most Americans either forget or were never taught Franklin Roosevelt (and Winston Churchill for that mater) greatly admired Benito Mussolini, the original Fascist dictator. In fact, Hitler admired, looked up to, and imitated Mussolini - at least in the early years. It almost sounds like a joke to think that someone we now see as a bombastic caricature was once almost universally admired, at least by the ruling class. But Roosevelt, Churchill, Hitler and many others virtually revered the man. While people today label their enemies "Fascist" these days, it wasn't always so. Mussolini and his Fascist Party seemed to provide solutions that actually worked. And as the Great Depression claimed the well-being of the working and middle classes of first one country then another, Fascism seemed to be the better alternative to Democracy. Yes, that's right. It seemed like the Democratic systems that followed the rule of law, exemplified by the United States, Great Britain, and many European countries, were making a mess of things. They appeared to be impotent in the face of severe economic downturn and the social disruption and unrest that accompanied the Great Depression.
Of course, we don't have a Great Depression today. But we do have enough people in this country whose lives have taken a turn for the worse over recent decades. These working and middle class Americans have experienced a loss of jobs, of wealth, and a deterioration of the society and culture that once surrounded them with at least a modicum of security. If that weren't the case, do you think Donald Trump would be our President?
So don't be surprised at Trump's Executive orders, either in number or in kind. He's responding to the folks who voted for him, and he's attempting to reverse a decline that cause them to do so. It's perfectly natural. And he's following a trend that's been firmly in place for decades.
As for Trump becoming a Strong Man, I wouldn't laugh at the idea. If we plunge into times that recall the troubles of the Great Depression, the precedent's been established for people to look for such a man. Let's hope we don't.
"But he's issuing so many!" you may (whiningly and hysterically) protest. Not really. Remember George Bush? Of course you do. You were apoplectic when he issued 'em. And then there's your ol' buddy our former President O'Bama. He issued tons of Executive Orders too. Oh, right; that was OK. You liked most of those orders, so you gave him a pass. Not that it should surprise anyone that you would. After all, "Bushers" didn't seem to mind his Executive Orders all that much.
The fact is, the office of President of the United States has grown in power along with the federal government itself has throughout the 20th and now into the 21st century. As the Executive branch of our government continues to wax while the Legislative branch wanes, Trump's actions merely highlight a trend firmly in place. Signing Executive Order after Executive Order, the country's new Chief Executive demonstrated a certain determination to advance at least some of the key initiatives of his campaign platform. While we can tip our hats that he's trying to be true to his promises, it's understandable if the Executive Orders themselves give us pause. At some point, an ever stronger office of the President may result in producing a so-called "Strong Man." And if that happens, we'll have slipped into Nazi-Commie-Banana Republic territory. But - fortunately, at least so far - we're getting ahead of ourselves.
To gain better perspective on the reactions to Trump today, we might look back to Franklin Roosevelt. Now there was a guy who who issued Executive Orders in such quantity that others took notice and hoisted a red flag. Indeed, we might trace our current trend of an ever-more-powerful President back to ol' Franklin. When Roosevelt ramped up the issuance of Executive Orders, he was portrayed by some as a dictator. At that time, the fascist movements around the world were on the rise, fueled by a world-wide Depression that had many people in desperate straits looking for relief. The "strong man" who promised such relief followed a path to power enabled by the despair of the people. Think Mussolini or Hitler, along with Stalin (who, while not lumped in with the other two, was by far the more powerful, and ultimately murderous of that crew).
So was Roosevelt also such a "strong man"? Well, most Americans either forget or were never taught Franklin Roosevelt (and Winston Churchill for that mater) greatly admired Benito Mussolini, the original Fascist dictator. In fact, Hitler admired, looked up to, and imitated Mussolini - at least in the early years. It almost sounds like a joke to think that someone we now see as a bombastic caricature was once almost universally admired, at least by the ruling class. But Roosevelt, Churchill, Hitler and many others virtually revered the man. While people today label their enemies "Fascist" these days, it wasn't always so. Mussolini and his Fascist Party seemed to provide solutions that actually worked. And as the Great Depression claimed the well-being of the working and middle classes of first one country then another, Fascism seemed to be the better alternative to Democracy. Yes, that's right. It seemed like the Democratic systems that followed the rule of law, exemplified by the United States, Great Britain, and many European countries, were making a mess of things. They appeared to be impotent in the face of severe economic downturn and the social disruption and unrest that accompanied the Great Depression.
Of course, we don't have a Great Depression today. But we do have enough people in this country whose lives have taken a turn for the worse over recent decades. These working and middle class Americans have experienced a loss of jobs, of wealth, and a deterioration of the society and culture that once surrounded them with at least a modicum of security. If that weren't the case, do you think Donald Trump would be our President?
So don't be surprised at Trump's Executive orders, either in number or in kind. He's responding to the folks who voted for him, and he's attempting to reverse a decline that cause them to do so. It's perfectly natural. And he's following a trend that's been firmly in place for decades.
As for Trump becoming a Strong Man, I wouldn't laugh at the idea. If we plunge into times that recall the troubles of the Great Depression, the precedent's been established for people to look for such a man. Let's hope we don't.
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