The liberal punditry wants we the people to believe the “insurance policies” of the Trump-Russia probe, Mueller investigation, and impeachment inquiries were rooted in patriotism: protect the Republic from a money-grubbing traitor. Nonsense! Democrats and their media allies are trying to oust an existential threat to the Washington status quo, in spite of the free-and-fair election of a conservative populist who promised BIG CHANGES.
A change presidency has been looming since businessman Ross Perot sowed the seeds of conservative populism in the early 90s. After criticizing President Bush for not helping the Vietnam War POW/MIAs, Perot ran as a populist in 1992 against the political establishment; opposing NAFTA and the 1991 Gulf War, and supporting higher taxes on the wealthy and means testing for retirees to reduce the federal deficit.
Voters rejected Perot’s goofy populism and George Bush’s status quo in favor of Bill Clinton’s charming populism (it’s the economy, stupid). Clinton populism quickly gave way to Clinton global elitism, which sealed the fates of millions of soon-to-be forgotten black and working-class Americans. The results of five Clinton acts all but guaranteed an outsider like Trump would one day be elected president:
- Signing NAFTA into law in 1994 sent 950,000 US jobs to Mexico.
- Enacting the Clinton crime bill in 1994 doubled the black prison population.
- Rewriting the Community Reinvestment Act in 1995 forced banks to offer subprime mortgages to low-income Americans.
- Failing to kill Osama bin Laden in 1998 allowed 9/11 to trigger the longest and most expensive war in US history.
- Ushering China into the WTO in May 2000 cost 3.4 million US jobs and decimated rural manufacturing towns.
George W. Bush and Barack Obama poured gasoline on the smoldering anger left by Clinton. Bush might have inherited the 9/11 attacks, but he chose the battlefield and scope of America’s military commitment: $960 billion and 9,000 US military dead in seven years. Plus he did nothing to stem the outflow of US jobs to Mexico and China or prevent the housing and banking bubble. Mind you, black and working-class Americans sent their kids to war, lost their jobs, and had their homes foreclosed.
Barack Obama crushed forgotten America financially and spiritually. He managed eight years of low wage-low growth, did nothing to restrain the deficit or illegal immigration, and wasted $950 billion and 2,500 US military lives in regime-change wars. After he accused local police departments of racism, forgotten Americans were not just worried financially, they felt their racial and cultural identities were under attack.
By 2016, a dog with a note could defeat Hillary Clinton, who was married to the Obama economy and tarred by her own corrupt behavior. Donald Trump won because he was not Ms. Clinton and – because she won’t shut up – Democrats are constantly reminded an un-electable rapscallion sits in “their” Oval Office. Sadly, their pity party prevents Dems from seeing the 2016 election as a referendum on Washington’s business-as-usual status quo.
It’s notable neither Republican George Will nor Democrat Chris Matthews felt Trump was electable or presidential, and that they still express how much they resent his lack of politesse and disruption of the way things have always been done. Ross Perot would have met the same fate in 1992 but for too few forgotten Americans demanding an end to the status quo. 24 years later, such was not the case.
Ross Perot or Donald Trump: Ms. Clinton loses to either, because it was the conservative populist message – not the man – that received 63 million votes and carried 33 red states. The 2016 election was a referendum on new-school globalism, and old-school nationalism prevailed. That referendum is how President Trump got here: Trump the referendum is on trial. Dems can impeach at their own risk: many Americans think America First is the solution and liberal elites are the problem.