Jeff Gewert op-ed: Coping with President Trump

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We all have to be prepared for the remote possibility that we will wake up Nov. 9 to find that Donald Trump is our 45th president. Here is one rationalization to help cope with that horror.

It’s generally accepted that the popularity of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders is in large part a result of voters’ dissatisfaction with the overall state of this country, particularly a dysfunctional Washington, D.C. By and large, most Americans agree social change is desperately needed. The obvious exceptions might be the richest 10 percent of Americans whose wealth grows exponentially. Over the last 40 years, the middle class has continued to shrink while the gap in terms of wealth between the top 10 percent and the rest of the nation has ballooned to such extremes as to remind us of the opulence and avarice of European monarchs of the 17th and 18th centuries.

Unfortunately, America has historically embraced large scale, social change the hard way. Positive, meaningful social legislation has almost always come as a result of serious upheaval such as the Civil War, the Great Depression, and the tumultuous 1960s. These were events that threatened virtually every American regardless of wealth. And when the majority of Americans of all social strata feel their life, liberty, or their pursuit of happiness is vulnerable, a consensus for dramatic social change frequently follows. And such change often comes with uncharacteristic rapidity in Washington.

The Civil War brought an end to slavery, gave citizenship to all those born in the United States, and voting rights to all male citizens regardless of race. The Great Depression ushered in the New Deal which included Social Security, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and Unemployment Insurance. And the unrest of the 1960s helped facilitate an end to the Vietnam War and military draft, and the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1965 which removed barriers to black voting, desegregated much of America, and created Medicaid.

American history tells us things need to get a lot worse before they get better. So that brings me to Trump, arguably a megalomaniac whose stated beliefs and plans for this country betray everything America stands for; a man with few, if any, credentials to serve as commander-in Chief; and a man who seems to relish saying outlandish things that alienate people and nations. If his campaign rhetoric comes to fruition, he could be disastrous for this nation, but isn’t that exactly what history is telling us the doctor should order?

Certainly, in my mind, Hillary Clinton will just serve up more of the same Washington dysfunction and corruption we’ve seen for decades and so desperately need to fix. Yes, she promises change, but don’t all candidates, regardless of party, offer the hope of better things to come? But, few campaign promises are kept. Although it would be an important milestone in our history for a woman to be elected president, we first need to preserve the nation before setting precedents.

This newfound willingness of the populace to embrace maverick candidates like Sanders and Trump is unprecedented and affords us an opportunity to shake up the status quo. We may never get a better opportunity to say to Washington we’re not going to take it anymore.

For Trump and Sanders to almost get to the Oval Office won’t have much impact, but for one of them to achieve that goal will definitely alarm career politicians. And who knows, maybe it will change Washington politics for the better.

Perpetuating the status quo in Washington that Clinton represents may threaten America’s long-term prosperity more than Trump. America shows its best mettle when disaster seems imminent and is somewhat complacent otherwise. In many respects, we are like a drug addict that needs to hit rock bottom before acknowledging we have a problem and to find the willpower to sober up. The quicker we hit the skids, the faster we’ll recover.

Trump could unwittingly be the catalyst of constructive change, while Clinton is unlikely to break the shackles of special interests and money that have controlled both Democrats and Republicans for decades. But, could I vote for Trump? I seriously doubt it, but if he wins I will cling to hope that this silver lining will come true.

Jeff Gewert is a former Stamford resident and business owner who lives in Sandy Hook. His blog is http://truth-through-reason.blogspot.com/