In this era of fake news, it’s even more important to think clearly. That’s why this Los Angeles Times Article on how Hollywood is trying to adjust to a Trump presidency, made me wonder how much we do. I write this not so much as an example of how to think clearly, but as one to question some of the things we read. In this case the issue is not being pro or con Mr. Trump, but of more correctly interpreting the meaning of his victory. The article read, ” –but his defeat of Hillary Clinton was a stinging repudiation of the political correctness, diversity and liberalism celebrated by much of the entertainment business at a time of bitter arguments over the nation’s ideals.” Placed in context of a few facts, how can that be? How can his victory be a stinging repudiation of “political correctness, diversity and liberalism”? At my last checking Hillary Clinton received 2.7 million more votes, or about 2% more. Given that Mr. Trump and his associates won an electoral victory (to be clear, a substantial one), not a popular one, it would seem that he and not his ideas won. Of the 200 million registered voters, Mr. Trump received something like 62 million votes, which represents less than a third of registered voters, and certainly a fraction of the 324 million that make up the US today. Several (not all) commentators, columnists, politicians and journalists seem to assume as the authors of the above quote that Trump’s winning of the presidency means victory for his ideas. Doesn’t seem we ought to interpret it so dogmatically. Wouldn’t it be more accurate to say that only his supporters voted for both he and his ideas? And when seen in a larger context of the electorate, they are indeed a minority. In the spirit of fairness, columnists and commentators seem influenced by the fact that the electorate also voted for a Republican Congress. Yet let’s consider the desire for a switch of party, the number of people who were yearning for an alternative to the values of the Democratic Party, loyal Republicans who willingly or not voted for Mr. Trump, and those votes would tend to reinforce my assumption that many voted for Mr. Trump, not necessarily for his ideas. Given the intricacies of how our political system works, Mr. Trump may legitimately be the president, but since more people voted for other candidates (including the 7 or so percent who voted for third parties), he cannot be said to have a mandate for his ideas. Assuming there is validity to this line of reasoning, the majority of voters are leery, doubtful, resistant, or in some way against the ideas he seems to hold. Mr. Trump, however, who is very much of the view that he won a resounding victory on all fronts, is giving indications that he is governing to please the extreme right. Thus, he seems to represent the interests of only a fraction of the electorate. If my deduction is correct that though he won, his ideas did not get overwhelming support, some may either take hope, or caution, from the question both his supporters and his detractors might want to ask: Given the numbers, is he setting himself for a fall?
P.S. If my view isn’t sufficiently clear, feel free to amend it.
Trump’s Victory and Trump’s Ideas
