An Historian Looks at the Current Political Scene

To get a clearer idea of the feelings of Trump supporters, read the comments section following any mainstream news story that deals with race, class, and gender in politically correct fashion. A stream-of-consciousness litany of his supporters’ peeves, for good or ill, would run like this: The wrong people are in the news. Instead of generals, and small-business owners, and muscular workers, we instead see smarmy smart-asses, the pajama boys and mattress girls of the world of TV, who roll their eyes, wink about a joke only the anointed get, and smirk that what they say could have three different meanings — the Jon Stewarts, David Lettermans, and Stephen Colberts of Smug, Inc.

Trump is for a brief season our long-haired Samson, and the two pillars of the temple he is yanking down are the Republicans to his right and the Democrats to his left — and it will all land on top of us, the Philistines beneath.“And he bent with all his might so that the house fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he killed in his life.” Judges 16.30.

[Episcopal Outrage Alert:  Yes, the linked article appears in...National Review.  For some of my colleagues and parishioners, this will mean that they will mutter that I'm a Republican, or "Repug" as an acquaintance writes on her Facebook page.  Such gossip about my political perspective has even resulted in my being dis-invited to a cocktail party, so it's not entirely a bad thing.  However, I also read, and link to from time to time, articles from New Republic, Huffington Post, Salon, Reason, The New York Times, The Washington Post and Slate.  Does this mean I'm also a Democrat, Libertarian, or Lunatic?

By the way, if you want to see the damage that can be done when an institution decides to be informed of, accept, and promote only one political ideology, check out the national membership records of The Episcopal Church for the last twenty years.  Or the last five.

I appreciate that, especially in the homogenized sanctity of northwestern Connecticut, one is to have only one perspective on the issues of the day, whether from the left or the right, but I've always found that a sign of gross ignorance.  It is good to read of a variety of opinions and the best way in which to inform one's own.  Those who are quick to label and dismiss would seem to have a rather weak grasp of the Gospel.

For those who would label me a "Repug", I'll simply point out that my father was the treasurer of our county Democratic Party for twenty years or so and my mother a Democratic candidate for political office.  That was the household in which I grew up.  While I do not belong to one particular party, I'm rankled when it's assumed that I must be "the enemy" because I think for myself.]