From a political standpoint, Donald Trump’s ban on travelers from seven Muslim countries was successful. He never called it a ban on Muslims but the press did and his base supporters responded positively. As far as they’re concerned, he’s delivered on another campaign promise.
The outrage over the ban came from the usual suspects—progressives, Democrats, and establishment Republicans who respect the traditions and norms that have kept our government functioning for over 200 years. These folks are also Trump’s natural enemies and foils. His campaign was about disrupting the status quo and breaking those norms. He said it loudly and explicitly and his base of supporters cheered wildly. They’re still cheering.
It’s hard to know how much damage Trump is doing, but it’s clear who can stop him. Unfortunately, it’s a Republican Party that controls both Houses of Congress and is currently captured by its base. The movement conservatives who’ve dominated the party since Nixon and provided the GOP’s intellectual underpinning are out of favor. The criticism from elected Republicans comes mainly from senators and governors who must reach beyond the party’s base and appeal to a broader audience.
Over in the House, though, Paul Ryan is proving to be an enabler. He’s engaged in a policy of appeasement. His caucus is made up of Members who run in gerrymandered districts where their biggest threat is from the GOP base in a primary, not Democrats in a general election. They have little incentive to stand up to Trump and Ryan lacks either backbone or moral fortitude to take much of a stand.
We’ve seen similar scenarios play out here in North Carolina. Gerrymandering has created Republican caucuses in the state house and state senate that can’t muster the will to repeal HB2 despite the damage it’s doing to our state’s economy and reputation. A majority of people in North Carolina support repealing the law but the GOP’s base is standing firm. We’re in an age of tyranny of the minority.
Trump’s base of support is probably about 25% or 30% of the population. However, that base makes up a larger proportion of GOP primary voters, especially in gerrymandered districts. They’ll cheer Trump’s decisions all the way to recession, ostracism, and war.
Thomas Mills is the founder and publisher of PoliticsNC.com. Before beginning PoliticsNC, Thomas spent twenty years as a political and public affairs consultant. Learn more >
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Donald Trump Is the Least of Latin America’s Worries
17 COMMENTS
TAGS Global EconomyWorld HistoryPolitical Theory
20 HOURS AGOJosé Niño
Donald Trump’s election has sent the mainstream media and intellectual circles in the United States into complete disarray.
Not only that, but international outlets and the intelligentsia are also at a loss for words at Trump’s unexpected ascent to the American presidency.
The most notable of these international outlets are Spanish-language-oriented ones like Univision, who constantly branded Trump as a threat to Hispanics and even argued that his policies would bring Latin American style underdevelopment to the United States. In the same vein, other experts contend that Trump’s rhetoric and policies will lead to economic malaise throughout Latin America.
For starters, Latin America’s underdevelopment is indicative of the failure of socialist/mercantilist style policies that have been fixtures of the majority of these countries long before Trump came into office. Unlike Latin America, the United States has generally avoided falling into this economic abyss, and will continue to do so to a large extent, thanks to the nature of its political institutions.
While there are legitimate concerns about the impact of Trump’s more protectionist economic measures and immigration policies, the principal threat to Latin America countries’ stability still remains the same — their very own governments.
Trump as a Scapegoat
The anti-Trump paranoia put forward by Latin American intellectuals and policy figures is nothing more than a smokescreen that diverts attention from the corruption of the political class in that region which is the principal culprit behind its squalid state. This scapegoating is part of a victimhood complex perpetuated by Marxists and their social democratic cousins in which the region’s underdevelopment is blamed on “Yankee Imperialism.” However, when one peels back the onion a bit, a different picture emerges.
For decades, Latin America has engaged in outdated mercantilist policies, dabbled in radical socialist experiments à la Cuba and Venezuela, or IMF reforms (revealed to be socialist half-measures when one takes a deeper look). The results have ranged from disastrous to mediocre and have left a lot to be desired. This can’t be blamed solely on the United States.
Naturally, it’s easy to find demons abroad, rather than looking at oneself in the mirror and identifying the true causes of your country’s economic problems.
Trump’s Tariffs
Trump’s tariff policies, especially his latest proposal to tax Mexican goods at 20%, are truly a reason for concern. Tariffs have a proven track record of impoverishing consumers and hurting producers in countries that possess a comparative advantage in exporting certain goods. However, the tariff issue barely scratches the surface of Latin America’s underdevelopment dilemma. Latin America’s problems consist of a package deal of statist economic policies — onerous occupational licensing, import bans, quotas, wage restrictions, unionism, loose monetary policy, expropriations, price and capital controls, etc. — that have shackled the region since its independence from Spain in the nineteenth century.
Quite frankly, the US is not the culprit in this case. It’s the fault of an arrogant political class in Latin America that has the temerity to continue to dabble in failed economic policies and maintain primitive political institutions that do not foster economic and institutional growth.
At the end of the day, the biggest threat to Latin American countries is not Trump or any other US administration. The greatest threat lies with the Latin American regimes.
These governments have a proven track record of impoverishing their own citizens at rates that even the most punitive of US tariffs or misguided interventions couldn’t even generate.
Latin Americans should pause to reflect on why their economies fail to achieve the levels of growth and income they have long wished for — instead of looking for foreign boogiemen such as Trump. This only serves to give the corrupt ruling classes of the region cover for their many failings. Naturally, these elites will continue to plunder their countries’ wealth with impunity knowing that they can just conjure up anti-American rhetoric at a moment’s notice to divert attention from their nefarious actions. Once Latin America can overcome this self-destructive habit of scapegoating other countries for their own domestically brewed problems, the region will then be able to live up to its potential.
A tract from the Austrian school of economics about Latin American economies is not exactly related to the issue of the dictatorial travel ban issued by Trump, but I guess it’s reassuring that crackpot right wingers believe that Trump is no threat to Latin America if they would just pull themselves up by their bootstraps and learn to overthrow their governments. Thanks for the intel.
Sure D.g., we conservatives are very upset that our safety net will be removed by the Trump Administration. I’ll be sure to let you know when I am so outraged at federal spending restraint that I’ll support progressive candidates. But don’t hold your breath. LOL
Lord and High Commander Orange Marmalade in Chief.
I loved this when I heard it and thought I would share it.
Turbulence ahead. Remain in your seats with your seat belts fastened
If our safety was so precarious, why wasn’t this the first act of the new Trump administration, rather than occurring eight days after the fact? If the safety of the citizens is his number one priority, would this not have been the first priority?
Why, of the seven countries whose people were banned from entering the United States, that list didn’t include Saudi Arabia? 15 of the 19 hijackers during 9/11 were Saudi. If this were about safety, seems to me Saudi Arabia would be at the top of the list. What about Afghanistan? Seems that would be a good idea too; you know, from a safety standpoint.
There is no real risk and the sad part is,it likewise has nothing to do with the safety of our citizens. This is just a way to keep another perceived campaign promise to stimulate the base that elected him.
Tom Brokaw stated to Tom Friedman, referencing Russia, formerly The Soviet Union, :A tyrant can only last for so long;…Our tyrant has been here way too long already.
When I was young man and had little concern our American image, I was in Spain. I went into a bar in dusty, remote small town outside Pamplona. Sitting at the bar drinking a coke, I noticed a photograph of John F. Kennedy over the cash register. The walls were covered with photos of bullfighters and calendars, but here was my president. These people in a small town in Spain looked at his photo and felt admiration for our president, and by extension, Americans. He was the handsome, young idealist who spoke of a better world for all people, and the people in this Spanish village listened to him and were inspired by him.
It was a small thing, but the Kennedy’s influence, so far from home, was impressive. A few days later, I was in Mallorca in the hotel bar (I drank a bit back then) and I was the only American in the place that evening. Astronauts were landing on the moon for the first time in human history and I watched it on a black and white TV in quiet bar. There was no one to talk to, but I felt a warm sense of pride in that achievement. It was a good day to be an American. At that time, Americans represented intelligence, democracy, a brighter future for mankind, and incredible achievements. We stood on the free side of the Berlin Wall and we protected Europe from despots. We let freedom ring, even when we were embroiled in a struggle for civil rights. At the time, we were convinced that our hopes and dreams were coming true.
On the free side of the Iron Curtain, we had rock and roll, fast cars, modern highways, fashionable clothing, excellent educations, and great food. We, in the free world, had the best of everything. People were trying to escape oppression and tyranny to come to us.
Today, our President is the most hatred human being on Planet Earth. In slightly more than a week, the United States has been transformed into an ominous, powerful enemy of people everywhere. Our nation was not universally loved when Barrack Obama was president, but nations in Europe trusted us and believed that Americans possess a sense of moral place in the world. Now, our people have put a morally bankrupt massive ego in his place. We stood for something. We projected the rule of law and at least of small measure of human decency. No more.
Trump does not belong in the White House, but there he is. He is a bull in a china shop, a bulldozer, a blunt instrument. He brags; he offends; he whines; he snivels; he plots revenge for perceived slights; he lies; he cheats; he rips people off. He makes enemies whenever and wherever the opportunity presents itself, and he is stupid, incoherent and thoughtless. His speeches make no sense and are filled with lies. The world has taken notice.
Even though Ronald Reagan towed a hard line, he was personally engaging and had goodness within. He was able to elicit cooperation from Gorbachev to reduce our common nuclear threat, and to instill a sense of mutual trust. The world was a safer place after Reagan made peace with Russia – unlike today.
Leaders must be thoughtful, not impulsive. They must have empathy and not be focused solely on themselves.
We have a White House filled with the greediest, most self-obsessed individuals we have ever seen. As one pundit put it, Trump appears to be outfitting a pirate ship with his cabinet selections. He has telegraphed his intention to rob the world. He wants Iraq’s oil. Just take it, he says. Chinese bombers are in the air or on alert. Russians are preparing to take more of Ukraine and they are rattling sabers on the borders of their old hostage stages.
Muslims the world over look in horror at our racist policies – an affront to a billion and a half people.
On his second weekend in the White House, Trump put the nation of grave danger. Our airports were effectively shut down. Without warning he stopped travel for people who have legally-obtained VISAs and passports, people fleeing certain death, people who helped us, people who study at our universities, people who would make the world a better place, people who work at Google and Microsoft.
“Life on Earth is at the ever-increasing risk of being wiped out by a disaster, such as sudden global nuclear war, a genetically engineered virus or other dangers we have not yet thought of.” Stephen Hawking. Trump may will be the disaster we have come to expect.
“In our new age of terrifying, lethal gadgets, which supplanted so swiftly the old ones, the first great aggressive war, if it should come, will be launched by suicidal little madmen pressing an electronic button. Such a war will not last long and none will ever follow it. There will be no conquerors and no conquests, but only the charred bones of the dead on an uninhabited planet.” William L. Shirer, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich.
We have our little madman; we have our lethal gadgets; and his fingers are near the electronic button. Someone should whisper in his ear that, like George Costanza’s high score on Frogger, his billions will turn into nuclear ash and dust in the wind.
Very well written. I could not have been nearly as eloquent.