Trump, the Next President of the United States?

Published in Southern Views
(China) on 21 March 2016
by (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Calvin Blackburn. Edited by Helaine Schweitzer.
Donald Trump is America’s Internet sensation and an earthshaking capitalist. He has a head of golden hair, he has bankrolled both parties, been married three times, bankrupt four, and through his natural swagger has become a household name in America. Opinions about him are polarized.

Following a sweep of 10-plus states in the Republican presidential primaries by this “loudmouth,” Trump has all but locked up the Republican presidential nomination. People who mocked him at first are now both shocked and enraged, leaving those who would cry unable to shed a tear.

This is not anyone’s fault. America’s divided public opinion has been amplified by a “politics of rejection.” The three branches of America’s government argue over trifling matters and waste energy, making it difficult to carry out official business, kicking people’s suffering around like a soccer ball. The most recent example of this is Obama’s nomination of a Supreme Court justice, with the centrist Merrick Garland’s evaluation being dragged out by the Senate, which says this issue needs to wait until next year. It is no surprise that according to independent opinion polls, only 11 percent of Americans have faith in their administrative bodies, and their trust in Congress is a mere 5 percent.

When one compares the spectacle and anti-establishment nature of Trump’s “straight talk” to the language used by the “orthodox” wing of the party, his talk is much more adept at striking a chord with white, blue-collar individuals that have suffered from low wages, unemployment and high tuition as a result of globalization. One need not worry that Trump will become the second Hitler or Mussolini, because America’s system of checks and balances is so well developed.

As the fourth generation of a family which immigrated to America, and with German and Scottish blood, Trump is father-in-law to a Jewish real estate magnate from New Jersey. Trump has no interest in changing the basic nature of America’s ethnic melting pot, and will not be able to place himself above America’s democratic system. This decision to strike at gaps in the positions of the American left has led to the fifth outbreak of puritanism in American politics since the Salem witch hunts.*

In the view of many people, even if Trump were to win the Republican presidential nomination, his chances of beating Hillary Clinton in the general election are practically zero. But through the popularity of Trump, we can examine the changes in American politics and society. The “pathological changes” of a superpower are occurring right before our eyes.

*Editor's note: Previous outbreaks of such puritanism include the great awakening or period of religious revival in the U.S. between the early 18th century and the late 19th century, the anti-slavery movement, and the progressive era, which saw a period of widespread social activism and political reform in the U.S. from the 1890s to the 1920s.


特朗普,下任美国总统?

特朗普是美国的网红、资本翻天派,一头金发、两党金主、三段婚姻、四次破产,让生性招摇的他在美国家喻户晓,评价两极。
  随着“出口成脏”的他在今年共和党预选中横扫十几州,基本锁定共和党总统提名,当初哂笑的人又惊又怒,想哭都哭不出来了。
  这赖不得谁。美国分裂的民意被“否决型政体”放大,三大政府分支扯皮内耗,正事难办成,民瘼当球踢。最新例子是奥巴马提名的大法官人选、中间派老头加兰德被参院拖着不批,要到明年再说。难怪有独立民调显示,只有11%的美国人相信行政机构,而相信国会的更是低到5%。
  特朗普反建制、娱乐化的“实话实说”,相比“政治正确”的党派化语言,更能让全球化中受低薪、失业、高学费等困扰的蓝领白人找到出口恶气的感觉。何况美国政治制衡机制成熟,不用担心“特大炮”变成希特勒或墨索里尼第二。
  作为赴美移民第四代的特朗普,具有德意志和苏格兰血统,与新泽西州的犹太地产大亨结为亲家。他无意改变美国的种族大熔炉本质,也超越不了民主体制的框架,但他的选战钻了美国左倾的空子,迎合了美利坚第五次“理念激情”的爆发。
  在许多人看来,即使获得共和党提名,特朗普战胜希拉里当选总统的概率也几乎为零。但透过“特朗普热”,我们可以观察美国政治社会的转向。眼下,这个超级大国的“病变”正在发生。
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