OUR COMMON BOTTOM LINE

By Edwin Cooney

Before stating what I see as our common bottom line, I'll state my case for it. See if you can identify what it is before I assert it!

It all began on Tuesday, June 16th, 2015, the day Donald John Trump officially announced his presidential candidacy. Since that day, America has been subject to a continuous combination of virulent and tantrum-oriented hatred toward one another. The conductor of this socio/psychological state of affairs is obviously Mr. Trump. However, the cause isn't entirely due to Mr. Trump. He has just exploited an element of our nature, but he didn't create it!

Early on the morning of Wednesday, November 9th, 2016, during his acceptance speech and immediately after Wisconsin had given him its ten electoral votes to put him over the top, the new President-Elect uttered a real rarity: praise for Hillary Clinton. He reminded his supporters that Hillary Clinton had given tireless service to her country for which she should be acknowledged. The following day after visiting President Obama at the White House, he asserted that the president was "a good man." Then, suddenly and permanently, Mr. Trump was clean out of compliments or even friendly acknowledgement of all opponents, whether president or pauper.

Since the night of Sunday, March 12th, 1933, when Franklin D. Roosevelt sat in a small metal wheelchair before a bank of radio microphones to inform and reassure the American people of the necessity for and the workability of the banking holiday, the effect of a president's communication with the people has been of special interest to political scientists, sociologists, and just plain folks. Presidents have traditionally been very careful regarding how often and for how long they should address the public.

Presidents address the people through various forums and during significant events. They are radio and television addresses, usually from the Oval Office at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, from the halls or the steps of the Capitol Building, from a celebrated gathering place such as Arlington National Cemetery, West Point or Annapolis, or invariably from "the stump" during a political campaign.

Eighty-six plus years have passed since FDR's first "Fireside Chat” and there have also been some memorable presidential addresses. Each president, from FDR through Barack Obama, has, on numerous occasions, spoken to the American people in different moods and with different purposes in mind. All of these communications from the president to the people have been delivered with the dignity and respect worthy of a free and accomplished people. After all, every communication creates an atmosphere in its wake. However, President Trump, so far, invariably addresses us almost exclusively in anger with an inevitable dose of self-braggadocio. His speeches are designed to turn us against one another. Like the movie patron who cries "fire" in a theater, Mr. Trump invariably sets fires even where the grass is green and unparched. His message is clear. To our president, half of us (if not more) are unworthy of his regard, or respect — let alone affection. Nearly every speech is the same old vitriol! is it any wonder why he may well be impeached?

So wearisome has his constant anger become as well as the atmosphere it creates,  that even to write about him has become downright boring! I'm even bored by my own anger with the president. I was raised to respect our president, even a president from the opposition. Thus, my boredom is accompanied by a sense of sadness and even guilt! 

The fault is hardly exclusively his. The question is, can we afford our own misery? If there's an old America to be revived or a new America to be created, can we afford to be angry as we seek to renew or rebuild?

As I've written on countless occasions, fear is the father of anger and, as I see it, our common bottomline is that virulent gripping, self-destroying fear!  America is afraid! Not only is it afraid of its president, it is afraid of its very self.

If you aren't scared, you may not be quite as patriotic as you think you are!

RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED,

EDWIN COONEY