Throughout his 17-month campaign for President, Donald Trump consistently promised that, if elected, he would institute policies that would “Make America Great Again.” He didn’t specify whether it would take him 4 or 8 years to accomplish this goal, nor did he fully define what he meant by “great,” but his pledge convinced millions of people to vote for him. As it turns out, he only needed 6 weeks to unleash a remarkable renewal of American greatness. Within the span of six short weeks since his inauguration, Trump’s words and deeds successfully evoked a call to action that collectively manifests the greatness of our country in all its glory. When the various responses and events are considered together, a vivid definition of American greatness is offered. Here are the highlights:
• Millions of Americans, representing all ages, ethnicities, religions, and regions, spontaneously engaged in impassioned, open debate about how the country should be run. Congressional representatives from across the land were suddenly behooved to participate in numerous town hall meetings where they were questioned and challenged by their constituents on issues of importance. A groundswell of interest was sparked within many citizens who only months earlier were too turned off by politics and government to bother to vote. From children in kindergarten to the elderly in nursing homes, almost everyone had an opinion about what was happening in the White House, Congress, the Courts, and the Statehouses.
• Suddenly, the populous seemed to be much more versed about the Constitution, the Electoral College, the vacant seat on the Supreme Court, the “nuclear option,” the President’s Cabinet choices. A quantum leap in civic awareness among the citizenry had taken place.
• The world watched as the genius of our Constitution came into play. Try as he might, President Trump found that he couldn’t run our country in the authoritarian manner that he likely followed in business. The checks and balances inherent in the Constitution made that impossible for him. An independent judiciary did not flinch, stopping him in his tracks when he was about to trample on religious freedoms and rights to due process. He was unable to intimidate, or diminish the judges who renewed respect for the rule of law, as applied to a Green Card holder, or to the President of the United States.
• Equally unsuccessful were Trump’s numerous attempts at intimidating the media. He shamelessly staged a full court press on freedom of the press, free speech, and verifiable facts, all in the service of subverting the truth. It didn’t work. Indeed, his efforts had the opposite effect of emboldening the fourth estate, more determined than ever to inform the American public about what had happened, and what was still happening in the halls of government.
• Perhaps most important was the tremendous display of compassion, and empathy by Americans, and millions throughout the world, in support of the suddenly targeted and vulnerable Muslims, immigrants, and refugees, who found themselves in the cross-hairs of the Trump-Bannon-Miller-Sessions vanguard. Neighbors cared about neighbors, who no longer felt so isolated and alone.
The past 6 weeks have vividly demonstrated that the rule of law reigns under the U.S. Constitution at a level unsurpassed by any other country on the planet. Also on display has been the remarkable resilience, courage, and fighting spirit in behalf of freedom and justice that exemplifies the people of our great country. That we are a country of immigrants, unafraid to take risks in pursuit of liberty and justice, makes us uniquely prepared for doing whatever it takes to preserve or restore the greatness of the United States.
Greatness is not a static construct. A great athlete, artist, teacher, scientist, or salesperson has good days, mediocre days, and bad days. Occasionally he or she reaches the heights and has a great day. We tend to assign the label “great” to a person, company or country that has a high proportion of great days or moments, but each entity is fallible and subject to reversals, hence we can’t expect to be “great” all of the time. As such, greatness is a dynamic construct. We strive to be great, and feel ecstatic when achieving a select standard, but the euphoric feeling is short-lived. Tomorrow, we will be faced with new challenges testing once again our capacity for greatness.
The opportunity for achieving greatness varies with circumstance. It doesn’t come along every day. It presents itself most often in times of great challenge, peril or other adversity. It is not by coincidence that our greatest Presidents, Washington, Lincoln, FDR, had to cope with challenges to societal survival. Their idiosyncratic ordeals brought out supreme clarity of vision, integrity, perseverance, and leadership qualities that enabled them to lead the country into the sunlight. Jackie Robinson, my childhood hero, was an accomplished baseball player, who reached Mt. Olympus as a consequence of prevailing against seemingly insurmountable odds in the form or virulent racism at his place of work.
Prior to Donald Trump’s ascendancy to the Presidency on January 20, 2017, we didn’t seem to be at a time of greatness as a country. We were more divided than ever, to the extent that intelligent people couldn’t even agree on observable facts. Many people voted for Trump simply because they hated Hillary. That is not emblematic of an informed, thoughtful electorate. Approval ratings for both candidates as well as for Congress were abysmally low. Respect for the media was also quite meager. Recent Supreme Court decisions cast that once hallowed institution in a sharply partisan light. Xenophobia was on the rise, while tolerance and acceptance across ethnic lines were being strained. The rupture of our American fabric may be traced to the Viet Nam War, Roe v. Wade, Watergate, the emergence of right wing talk radio during the Reagan, Iran- ‘80’s, the impeachment of President Clinton for lying under oath about a blow job, Bush’s misleading the nation into the Iraq War, or the audacity of Barack Hussein Obama daring to be black and president at the same time. With each milestone, the crack in our American firmament widened. As of a few months ago, it seemed that the polarization of our society was doomed to get worse, much worse.
On Election Day, 2016, it is likely we reached our nadir, without knowing it at the time. We elected the most inexperienced, psychologically unfit, dishonest, President in our history. What made matters worse was his proclivity to demonize anyone who might disagree with him, not hesitating to cast aspersions on the Judiciary, the Media, targeted ethnic groups, and the physically challenged. That was a recipe for splitting the nation asunder.
Once in office, Trump was intent on carrying out many of his outrageous ideas, in the name of making America great again. His ineptitude and that of the cast of characters around him has thus far led to abject failure, with one exception. His six week tenure has unleashed and invigorated the majority of the American people, paving the way to what is now a great moment in our history. Donald Trump’s words and deeds in six short weeks have truly “Made America Great Again.” Thank you, President Trump. Keep up the good work just a little longer, to ensure that this new era or moment of greatness takes deep root. Once that is evident, perhaps by the end of this summer, your historic work will have been done. After resigning in a patriotic gesture, you can return to the life you know best, and covet most, that of wheeling, and dealing, and conning your way to becoming the wealthiest man in the history of the world.
Leonard T. Gries, Ph.D.
Psychologist, Executive Director, IEH
March 3, 2017
• Millions of Americans, representing all ages, ethnicities, religions, and regions, spontaneously engaged in impassioned, open debate about how the country should be run. Congressional representatives from across the land were suddenly behooved to participate in numerous town hall meetings where they were questioned and challenged by their constituents on issues of importance. A groundswell of interest was sparked within many citizens who only months earlier were too turned off by politics and government to bother to vote. From children in kindergarten to the elderly in nursing homes, almost everyone had an opinion about what was happening in the White House, Congress, the Courts, and the Statehouses.
• Suddenly, the populous seemed to be much more versed about the Constitution, the Electoral College, the vacant seat on the Supreme Court, the “nuclear option,” the President’s Cabinet choices. A quantum leap in civic awareness among the citizenry had taken place.
• The world watched as the genius of our Constitution came into play. Try as he might, President Trump found that he couldn’t run our country in the authoritarian manner that he likely followed in business. The checks and balances inherent in the Constitution made that impossible for him. An independent judiciary did not flinch, stopping him in his tracks when he was about to trample on religious freedoms and rights to due process. He was unable to intimidate, or diminish the judges who renewed respect for the rule of law, as applied to a Green Card holder, or to the President of the United States.
• Equally unsuccessful were Trump’s numerous attempts at intimidating the media. He shamelessly staged a full court press on freedom of the press, free speech, and verifiable facts, all in the service of subverting the truth. It didn’t work. Indeed, his efforts had the opposite effect of emboldening the fourth estate, more determined than ever to inform the American public about what had happened, and what was still happening in the halls of government.
• Perhaps most important was the tremendous display of compassion, and empathy by Americans, and millions throughout the world, in support of the suddenly targeted and vulnerable Muslims, immigrants, and refugees, who found themselves in the cross-hairs of the Trump-Bannon-Miller-Sessions vanguard. Neighbors cared about neighbors, who no longer felt so isolated and alone.
The past 6 weeks have vividly demonstrated that the rule of law reigns under the U.S. Constitution at a level unsurpassed by any other country on the planet. Also on display has been the remarkable resilience, courage, and fighting spirit in behalf of freedom and justice that exemplifies the people of our great country. That we are a country of immigrants, unafraid to take risks in pursuit of liberty and justice, makes us uniquely prepared for doing whatever it takes to preserve or restore the greatness of the United States.
Greatness is not a static construct. A great athlete, artist, teacher, scientist, or salesperson has good days, mediocre days, and bad days. Occasionally he or she reaches the heights and has a great day. We tend to assign the label “great” to a person, company or country that has a high proportion of great days or moments, but each entity is fallible and subject to reversals, hence we can’t expect to be “great” all of the time. As such, greatness is a dynamic construct. We strive to be great, and feel ecstatic when achieving a select standard, but the euphoric feeling is short-lived. Tomorrow, we will be faced with new challenges testing once again our capacity for greatness.
The opportunity for achieving greatness varies with circumstance. It doesn’t come along every day. It presents itself most often in times of great challenge, peril or other adversity. It is not by coincidence that our greatest Presidents, Washington, Lincoln, FDR, had to cope with challenges to societal survival. Their idiosyncratic ordeals brought out supreme clarity of vision, integrity, perseverance, and leadership qualities that enabled them to lead the country into the sunlight. Jackie Robinson, my childhood hero, was an accomplished baseball player, who reached Mt. Olympus as a consequence of prevailing against seemingly insurmountable odds in the form or virulent racism at his place of work.
Prior to Donald Trump’s ascendancy to the Presidency on January 20, 2017, we didn’t seem to be at a time of greatness as a country. We were more divided than ever, to the extent that intelligent people couldn’t even agree on observable facts. Many people voted for Trump simply because they hated Hillary. That is not emblematic of an informed, thoughtful electorate. Approval ratings for both candidates as well as for Congress were abysmally low. Respect for the media was also quite meager. Recent Supreme Court decisions cast that once hallowed institution in a sharply partisan light. Xenophobia was on the rise, while tolerance and acceptance across ethnic lines were being strained. The rupture of our American fabric may be traced to the Viet Nam War, Roe v. Wade, Watergate, the emergence of right wing talk radio during the Reagan, Iran- ‘80’s, the impeachment of President Clinton for lying under oath about a blow job, Bush’s misleading the nation into the Iraq War, or the audacity of Barack Hussein Obama daring to be black and president at the same time. With each milestone, the crack in our American firmament widened. As of a few months ago, it seemed that the polarization of our society was doomed to get worse, much worse.
On Election Day, 2016, it is likely we reached our nadir, without knowing it at the time. We elected the most inexperienced, psychologically unfit, dishonest, President in our history. What made matters worse was his proclivity to demonize anyone who might disagree with him, not hesitating to cast aspersions on the Judiciary, the Media, targeted ethnic groups, and the physically challenged. That was a recipe for splitting the nation asunder.
Once in office, Trump was intent on carrying out many of his outrageous ideas, in the name of making America great again. His ineptitude and that of the cast of characters around him has thus far led to abject failure, with one exception. His six week tenure has unleashed and invigorated the majority of the American people, paving the way to what is now a great moment in our history. Donald Trump’s words and deeds in six short weeks have truly “Made America Great Again.” Thank you, President Trump. Keep up the good work just a little longer, to ensure that this new era or moment of greatness takes deep root. Once that is evident, perhaps by the end of this summer, your historic work will have been done. After resigning in a patriotic gesture, you can return to the life you know best, and covet most, that of wheeling, and dealing, and conning your way to becoming the wealthiest man in the history of the world.
Leonard T. Gries, Ph.D.
Psychologist, Executive Director, IEH
March 3, 2017
RSS Feed