Trump gets it

The violence in Charlottesville, and the tearing down of Robert E. Lee's statue there and in Durham, has made me angry and unhappy. I, like many Americans and Southerners of my generation, have seen the tremendous progress in racial harmony. I remember the bad old days and do not want to return there, but I also do not like attacks on my ancestors. Then I listened to President Trump's remarks yesterday from Trump Tower. Brilliant. Trump jumped to the chase. He gets the progressive mind. He asked, "Will you tear down George Washington's statue next? Do you like Jefferson? He was a slave owner. Will you tear down his statue, too? You are changing the history and changing the culture." Finally, we have a leader who fights back against the tyranny of the culture-changing socialists.

Trump understands that these actions are warm-ups. The progressives are tearing down Confederate statues, and they are kicking and spitting on the memorials to the dead because they cannot yet kick and spit on President Trump and his voters. If they could imprison Trump and deport his voters, they would do that and not worry about statues. They are lashing out where they can. Progressives want a socialist society cleansed of traditional values. To get power, we, as a country, must reject our heritage of freedom and embrace Marxist values of state control. That is why they fight so hard to control the teaching of history and why they denigrate the ideals and values of the Founders and the pioneers. Trump sees this fight for what it is and says so clearly. Then he shows leadership in racial healing. The debate has raged ever since Emancipation: which comes first: economic opportunity or political equality? The civil rights leader Booker T. Washington spoke of the need to "cast down your buckets." He asked businesses to hire African-Americans rather than import immigrants. He argued that African-Americans would gain political power by gaining economic power. Washington's opponent, W.E.B. DuBois, argued instead that African-Americans were better served by fighting for their rights. Until the Civil Rights Era, Washington's approach predominated. After that, the DuBois path of fighting for political power was taken. Many years of struggle have gone by. African-Americans have served at all levels of political power – but it doesn't feel like a victory because the economic victories have not come for many. The War on Poverty, started by Lyndon B. Johnson, resulted in victory over the African-American family – as the link between work and survival was severed. Generations of families were formed without a father going to work every day. As the economy changed and manufacturers moved overseas, as jobs became harder to get, it became less and less common for men to work. Without a good job, marriage is a distant goal, and without marriage, young boys grow up angry that they do not know their fathers. What can the president do about this? How can he work to bring racial healing? As Trump said (in minute 23): "Jobs." It is not words that will change this country – we've had years of beautiful words. It is deeds that will change this country. Economic freedom will bring jobs. Jobs can build character. Strong character builds the nation. Keep on leading, Trump.