A Tale of Two Cities in the Age of Trump

By Christian Rose
Reader Contributor

Acknowledging it may spark riots down on Cedar Street, I should say this straight-away; Donald Trump has already won re-election. Since he’s trademarked the slogan, “Keep America Great,” I suspect he thinks so as well.

I realize this may not sit well with the Subaru-driving, Patagonia-wearing, Winter Ridge cafe crowd. But it’s not difficult to see. That is, if you’re willing to log out of Facebook, turn off cable news and actually read his inauguration speech. It’s all there. He didn’t hide a thing.

Subdue your gag reflex for a minute. You’ll be fine. Just read two sentences. That’s all it takes. Ignore it, and I promise you’ll still be depressed in 2020.

Oh, full disclosure: I own a Subaru, wear Patagonia, and yes, I love the Winter Ridge Cafe, too! In fact, those who know me can attest I’m no Donald Trump sycophant. I didn’t support him during the Republican primary. To be fair, I didn’t support most of them at all.

Now that I’ve clarified that, and assuming you’re still with me, let me explain why Trump is winning. Two sentences best encapsulate his movement. Speaking of the D.C. establishment:

“Their victories have not been your victories. Their triumphs have not been your triumphs and, while they celebrated in our nation’s capital, there was little to celebrate for struggling families all across our land.”

You’re thinking, it can’t be that simple? Sorry, it is. Washington is so corrupt and dishonest that both the Democrat and Republican parties have devolved into irrelevancy. You thought Trump was nothing more than a soon-to-be-forgotten vulgarity. A scatological enigma doomed to fall prey to the Clinton Machine. You were wrong. It’s time to start acting like adults.

Hooliganism won’t change a thing. This left-wing narrative of his “illegitimate” presidency won’t stop him. In fact, even if he upholds only a small part of his campaign promises, he’s already won a second term. Anti-Trumpers have nobody to blame but themselves.

Folks like me viewed our election choice pretty simply: imminent danger or certain death. Since Trump could only garner roughly 40 percent of the Republican primary electorate, yet in the general election still won 33 of 50 states and more counties since Ronald Reagan, it’s safe to say most chose the former as well.

I’m serious, folks, hear this: Americans are tired of narcissistic disquisitions by self-important movie-stars, petulant media talking-heads and partisan politicians. We’re sick of being labeled racists, homophobes, sexist, wing-bats, and uneducated red-necks by coastal elites and Twitter trolls. Americans instinctively know something is truly sick in D.C.

They know establishment Democrats and Republicans are too far gone. Remember, 2008 was billed as post-racial America. A time for renewed hope and a return to a focus on the folks that actually pay for all this stuff: middle-class Americans. Instead, we just got run over in the street by Marquis Evrémonde.

Nothing changed. Americans lost hope.

It can’t all be blamed on Obama, despite what Sean Hannity says. It was foretold 16 years ago. During the Bush/Obama years America has been at war nearly every year, the federal debt has grown from $5.7T to $19.9T, and the number of Americans not working has ballooned to 95 million. Nobody in D.C. seemed to care.

Here’s the point. “Their triumphs have not been your triumphs…” Boy, has the D.C. establishment been triumphant. Would it surprise you that seven of the 10 wealthiest counties in the U.S. are in the suburbs of D.C.? Talk about Dickensian.

But hey, I understand. Trump won, and you’re mad. Regardless, the D.C. establishment must be overthrown. I know that it won’t be as cathartic as Sydney Carton on the guillotine. But it’s a good start.

Christian Rose is lakeside Sagle transplant, recovering poet, small business owner and amateur constitutional historian.