Opinion: The colossus of America

Around 280 BC, an immense statue, the Colossus of Rhodes, was erected next to the entrance to the harbor on the Greek island of Rhodes. The ancients called it one of the seven wonders of the world. It is believed that the statue itself was about two-thirds the size of the Statue of Liberty.

Considering the time and technology, the Colossus was an impressive achievement, serving the same function as the Statue of Liberty for New York Harbor. In the Middle Ages, many found it so impressive that it actually stood astride the harbor entrance. While that would have been beyond the capabilities of the ancients, that sentiment nevertheless reflected the incredible impressiveness of the monument.

As we approach Election Day in America, we are confronted with an American colossus as impressive in its own way as that age-old statue: Donald J. Trump. Love him or hate him, Trump has captured America’s political haven since he came down the escalator in 2015. No politician has dominated the stage like Trump since Franklin D. Roosevelt. Like FDR, Trump has come at a time of great unrest, unrest and division in the nation, albeit for very different reasons than in the 1930s. If I may stretch the metaphor, difficult times are the foundation upon which great statues can be erected.

Compared to Trump’s political size, the many candidates who ran against him shrink into dwarfs. Vice President Kamala Harris is remarkably no exception. So far, every show of support she has received has consisted not of praise for her skills and achievements, but of the darkest and most terrifying condemnations of her opponent. The same could be said of the endorsements of Bill Clinton and Joe Biden. Every insult known to political man, and perhaps a few invented for the occasion, has been hurled at DJT. Liar! Fascist! Racist! Sexist! Morally corrupt! Wannabe dictator! And most telling of all: dangerous!

At least his critics were right: Trump is indeed dangerous. But dangerous for whom? To people who want peace in the world and prosperity in their own country? Of course not. To people who would rather be left alone to live their lives and keep more of what they earn? No. To people who want to live amicably with their neighbors, without being torn apart by race and class? Again, clearly not. To people who celebrate America’s spirit and achievements despite inevitable shortcomings? Hardly!

Who, with good reason, is afraid of a President Trump? Everyone knows the obvious answer: those who support, benefit from, and staff the administrative state to further their vision of a more perfect society—the “elites” who populate the government bureaucracies at all levels, which control ninety percent of education , from kindergarten to graduate school, that dominate entertainment and communications, and are making inroads into the executive suites and boardrooms of corporate America. It’s overwhelming that these people have higher incomes, college degrees, and self-righteously believe they know what’s best for you and me: the bitter ends, clinging to guns and bibles, the basket of deplorable people, those poor , retarded souls who need to be killed. told what to do for their own good, the JD Vances of the world who never escaped the hillbilly world.

These people live in a handful of zip codes. They live in self-reinforcing and self-congratulatory bubbles, and a President Trump represents an extremely sharp needle. This is why they used every means at their disposal and violated every historical norm of political discourse and behavior, fair or foul, to bring down this behemoth. (Polls show that two-thirds of politically active elites believe election fraud is perfectly acceptable to defeat an odious opponent.)

As a thought experiment, this year’s elections should have taken place in a completely different – ​​and admittedly impossible – way. We should have had a primary election last summer with only Trump on the ballot. Yes or no. If so, DJT is our 47th president. If not, Democrats, Republicans and whoever could have nominated all those supposedly superior candidates before November 5.

Come to think of it, that’s what this November 5th represents. Trump’s name is all that matters.

— Charles Milliken is a professor emeritus after teaching economics and related subjects at Siena Heights University for 22 years. He can be reached at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Opinion: The colossus of America