THE SOUL OF A CANDIDATE
By Saint John Hunt
Over the years, political speeches have come to mean very little in terms of the soul of a candidate. The last truly great speech was John F. Kennedy’s inauguration speech when he said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” This was truly a memorable line. A country is only as strong as its people. Kennedy was telling Americans that they, the people are the country, not the government. Sure, the government was made up of the people, and in theory it’s a simple idea.
After Kennedy’s death, things changed. The government became separate from the people and the country was made up of the government. It’s not a subtle difference. As presidents came and went and Democrats and Republicans fought each other for the glory of party politics, America was losing its most important asset; the people. Year after year regardless of which party was in the White House or running the Senate, nothing improved. America lapsed into a kind of paralysis. The government worked hard at appearing to hold the true value of its citizens in high esteem. It worked tirelessly, shining the badge of Democracy, promising the American dream, the greatest country in the world. The standard bearer by which all nations should aspire to. It was an epic show. But that’s all it was… just a show. Underneath that shining exterior, Americans were being stripped of everything that makes this country work.
“Americans want great schools for their children, safe neighborhoods for their families, and good jobs for themselves. These are just and reasonable demands of righteous people and a righteous public, but for too many of our citizens a different reality exists. Mothers and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities, rusted out factories, scattered like tombstones across the across the landscape of our nation, an education system flush with cash, but which leaves our young and beautiful students deprived of all knowledge.” The greed with which medical, corporate and financial institutions operate is astonishing. Sucking the very life from its citizenry, feeding in a frenzy to extricate the last drop of dignity from its people.
Just as it could get no worse, a ray of hope has shined on the darkness of our souls. Donald Trump’s inauguration speech may be the greatest call for change since Kennedy or Teddy Roosevelt. Trump’s promise is to give back the power to the people. In less than 20 minutes he brutally and honestly told us the truth: “For too long, a small group in our nation’s capital has reaped the rewards of government, while the people have borne the cost. Washington flourished, but the people did not share in its wealth. Politicians prospered, but the jobs left and the factories closed. The establishment protected itself, but not the citizens of our country. At the center of this movement is a crucial conviction, that a nation exists to serve its citizens.” Many of the guilty men were in attendance and Trump was speaking to them as much as to us. The Democrats who shamefully boycotted the event have shown their true colors. I hope they stay away.
The media said his speech was unnecessarily dark. It’s the truth though. Donald Trump, we have learned speaks without false flourishes of hopefulness. All the heartwarming speeches of Obama did little to create real change. Yes, he brought us through a near economic collapse…by printing more money. “We’ve spent trillions and trillions of dollars overseas, while America’s infrastructure has fallen into disrepair and decay. The wealth of our middle class has been ripped from their homes and then redistributed all across the world.”
These words are not just a call to action, they constitute a declaration of war against those that are to blame. Those corporate CEO’s, politicians and lobbyists, that through action or inaction have contributed to these crimes, know who they are and I hope they’re shaking in their boots.
“We assembled here today our issuing a new decree to be heard in every city, in every foreign capital, and in every hall of power, from this day forward: a new vision will govern our land, from this day forward, it’s going to be only America first. America first. We will follow two simple rules: buy American, and hire American. We will seek friendship and goodwill with the nations of the world, but we do so with the understanding that it is the right of all nations to put their own interests first. We do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone, but rather to let it shine as an example.”
Trump may be the biggest upset of the old order since the revolutionary war. “So to all Americans, in every city near and far, small and large, from mountain to mountain, from ocean to ocean, hear these words. You will never be ignored again. Your voice, your hopes, and your dreams will define our American destiny.”
It’s not going to be easy but Donald Trump already has 14 executive orders ready to go. He’s not going to be concerned with bruising egos or upsetting the status quo, he’s just not like that. It’s refreshing to hear real words with meaning. For many it’s downright scary. Trump isn’t going to declare a WMD crisis that doesn’t exist or lead us into wars that are unjust and needless. Those were diversionary tactics to draw our attention away from the gutting of the middle class that was taking place. I believe that Donald Trump will be a major force for the rebirth of this country (where are those democrats anyway?). My advice is, you can either help this man in the huge task he has, or you just better get out of the way.
