Dear America;
Chairman's Blog
Dear America;
July 08, 2018
As our country ventures into writing still another chapter in our unbelievable history it’s important we consider where we’ve been and take a hard look forward at where we might be going.
It wasn’t all that long ago when, for a couple of months every other year, we’d begin the process of debating politics. Dedicated Republicans and Democrats would advocate for their candidates and espouse the benefits of their policy positions. And while the debates were often passionate, the rhetoric fell mostly within the bounds of respectful discourse.
Back then, no one was thrown out of restaurants or theaters for their political opinions. Hollywood personalities didn’t advocate assault against the President and his children. It would have been an unthinkable act of fascism when one group of Americans beat up another because they carried our nation’s flag, or supported free speech, or promoted limited government.
Pretty much all Americans agreed that public debate was crucial to protecting our freedoms. You could be forgiven for thinking that sentiment a bit odd given alarming number of Americans today who don’t count freedom as all that important to protect.
Take speech. Not long ago we believed people had a right to believe, and say, whatever they wanted — right or wrong, good or bad, politically correct or not. We also believed if you didn’t like what someone said, you were free to ignore them. It never occurred to us to silence the other side by force or harassment no matter how strongly we felt.
Then in 2008 Barack Obama was elected President and proclaimed his goal of ‘fundamentally changing America.’ He said freedom to earn, and the right to own the proceeds of those earnings, should be secondary to ‘redistributing wealth.’
To start the process, he divided Americans into identity groups pitting one against another. Nothing was out of bounds: gender, religion, class, age, income, ethnicity; all these and more became causes for envy, hate, or persecution.
So what comes next.
Americans in 2016 elected Donald Trump as President — an unconventional choice by nearly anyone’s standards. It’s important to understand why.
It started in 1989 with the Presidency of Bill Clinton. He brought a new cynicism to the Presidency. He drastically redefined downward what was acceptable from our high public officials. George W.’s subsequent leadership brought non-stop war. Then Barack Obama’s dishonesty, far-left economic policies, and radical growth in the size and scope of government
left Americans demoralized, afraid, and less secure. Even more, it left them ready for a drastic change.
They wanted their country back. They were tired of settling for a mediocre economy, high unemployment, a military that didn’t possess the ability to fix their own planes or keep their own ships afloat. After Barack Obama’s “apology tour” and the new orthodox of “leading from behind,” “America First” sounded pretty darned good. Americans wanted to feel proud of their country again. They wanted a return to the values of honesty, civility, faith, family, hard work, and personal responsibility.
Americans rejected the excuses, finger pointing, and division of the politicians they’d known recently. Americans looked forward to electing someone who would clean up the decades of corruption and return a chance for hope, security, and pride. They chose a doer, a business person.
And so in this 242nd year of our nation’s life, we see the once honorable Democrat Party of John F. Kennedy turn so far to the left their number one candidate for President is an admitted socialist. They’ve learned nothing from the failures of Obama, much less the disasters of Venezuela or Cuba.
Just think, the President’s press secretary needs secret service protection. SHAMEFUL!
Donald Trump and his America First policies deserve a chance the left isn’t willing to give. If he fails, so be it, replace him. But if he continues to put more people to work, lower taxes, rebuild America’s military, protect our borders and make Americans feel proud again, then maybe there’s a real chance our land and people can find unity once more.
That alone — a free, united people — is the thing that will really Make America Great Again.
John Philip Sousa IV is an entrepreneur, political activist, author and accomplished business person. John has worked in the financial services industry for over 40 years, built a highly successful marketing company, ran for congress at age 24, and in 2016 created and led the successful movement to draft Dr Ben Carson into his candidacy for President of the United States. John is author of John Philip Sousa, A Patriot’s Life in Words and Pictures and Ben Carson, RX for America.