The Age of Trump Begins

The presidential election of 1828 was one of the nastiest in American history. That year voters had to choose between a well-known but unpopular member of a famous political family, who was a former Senator and Secretary of State, and a populist outsider famous for his attacks against foreigners and minorities. Four years before, John Quincy Adams was elected by the House of Representatives when Andrew Jackson failed to win a majority of the electoral votes. Speaker of the House Henry Clay supported Adams, who returned the compliment by naming Clay his Secretary of State. Jackson, a frontiersman famous for killing Native Americans, Englishmen, Spaniards and any man who dared to insult his beloved wife Rachel, accused Adams and Clay of a corrupt bargain and spent the next four years plotting his revenge. It came in 1828, when Jackson won after a campaign that was dirty even by today’s standards. It did not help Jackson’s disposition when his opponents accused Rachel Jackson of bigamy – she married Jackson before her divorce from her first husband was finalized – or when Mrs. Jackson died of a heart attack following her husband’s electoral victory.

The election of 1828 launched the Age of Jackson, a period of westward expansion and increased democracy for white men. Jackson became a role model for future presidential candidates. Before Jackson, presidents were educated, sophisticated men of the world like Thomas Jefferson, James Madison or John Quincy Adams. Jackson was the first president who, for good or ill, resembled his constituents: he was born in a log cabin, was poorly educated, and was a veteran of frontier warfare. Jackson paved the way for other politicians like Davy Crockett – who died at the Alamo before he got to run for president – or William Henry Harrison, who was elected to that post in 1840.

The presidential election of 2016 could be as monumental as the election of 1828. It would certainly change what we expect from our presidents. From George Washington to Barack Obama, the presidents of the United States were men with some political and/or military experience. Even Jackson served as military governor of Florida and U.S. Senator from Tennessee. Donald Trump, the Republican Party’s presumptive candidate for president, has no political or military experience, and his business experience leaves much to be desired. But Trump is a personality, who came into our homes each week through his reality show Celebrity Apprentice. Trump attacks the political establishment in a year when politicians are held in such low esteem. And he makes outrageous remarks about immigrants, Muslims and other minorities, comments that, I am sorry to say, seem to resonate with so many Americans. Trump is also the darling of the media, which might claim to be impartial but which in reality have given the Donald many hours of free publicity to the detriment of the other candidates. As horrible as it might be to many of us, a Trump victory is not as far-fetched as it might seem, especially in a race against a candidate as unpopular as Hillary Clinton.

Will the election of 2016 launch the Age of Trump? I hope not, for too many reasons. But it could happen, which is why those of us who want sanity and humanity in our political system must work to prevent a Trump victory. It won’t be the first time that a business owner with lots of money but no other qualities is elected to a high position. It happened in Florida, where a plurality of voters elected Rick Scott as governor, not once but twice. Not surprisingly, Scott is on Trump’s list of possible running mates, which would make for an uniquely cringe worthy ticket. Meanwhile, our friends and foes overseas are shocked that so many of us seem willing to elect a rich clown to the most powerful job in the world. Even Jackson was Mensa compared to the Donald.

George Zimmerman Update. Last year I wrote an article about George Zimmerman, whom I named Florida Man of the Decade because of his persistent habit of making a fool of himself. Recently Zimmerman gave chutzpah a new meaning when he tried to auction off the 9 millimeter pistol he used to kill Black teenager Trayvon Martin in 2012. Reminding us that he has absolutely no shame, Zimmerman described his gun as “the firearm that was used to defend my life and end the brutal attack from Trayvon Martin,” adding that he plans to use the proceeds from the sale of the gun to fight Black Lives Matter, State Attorney Angela Corey (who prosecuted Zimmerman) and Hillary Clinton. To no one’s surprise, Zimmerman’s pistol soon disappeared from the auction website, but not before adding to Zimmerman’s unrivaled, WTF reputation.

Jesse’s Journal
by Jesse Monteagudo