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Political Hay
Trump and the American Dream
Freedom to dream makes Donald Trump, Newsmax, ION debate — and USA — possible.
I have a dream.
The words are most often associated with Martin Luther King’s famous 1963 speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
Overlooked is why it was so natural for King to express himself in such a fashion. He didn’t say he demanded. He didn’t say he insisted or pleaded, and he certainly wasn’t whining. What Martin Luther King expressed that day was in fact one of the most cherished and celebrated beliefs that was — and is — fundamental to generations of Americans.
The God-given right not just to dream, but to have the freedom to make one’s dreams come true, is at the very heart of the success of America itself.
In all the silliness surrounding the idea that … gasp!… Donald Trump is moderating a presidential debate, something is being lost — a big something. And as it happens, it is the very same something that is at the center of the 2012 election.
To wit: will America continue to be the kind of country that has made it a beacon of hope, the Reagan “shining city on a hill”? The country where millions have flocked from every corner of the planet over centuries in the belief that once here they can make their dreams come true?
Or will we instead make of this country a bleak outpost of class warfare, a nation of greedy takers with everybody frantically trying to climb in the proverbial wagon for a free ride? A wagon “paid” for with a Chinese credit card and headed to a dream-killing dead end of poverty-for-all “equality” presented as the politics of the “fair share”?
Let’s, as they say, “unpack” a few things here and understand what we are really seeing — and not seeing. Yes, Donald Trump has a new book out, Time to Get Tough: Making America # 1 Again. But there’s infinitely more to Trump than this book… a very important something more.
On the surface, this tempest over Donald Trump is presented in huffy, laughably elitist “who is he to be running a presidential debate” terms. As if… what?… Anderson Cooper or Scott Pelley or George Stephanopoulos and Diane Sawyer were given a Commission from God to do the job?
But who is Donald Trump, really? What is Newsmax? What is ION television?
Let’s start with Mr. Trump.
What is it you see when you look at, say, the Trump Tower in New York? Or maybe his Trump International Hotel and Tower? How about Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach? What about his private luxury jet? Or his helicopter?
If all you are seeing here are buildings and flying machines and the flashing images from the opening to a popular television show, you are making a mistake.
What you are really seeing in all of these things is the manifestation of one man’s dreams. Actually, more than one man’s dreams.
Donald Trump did not accumulate all of this at birth. Yes, his father was a success in real estate. But Trump took that success of his father — his father’s dream — and used it to make his own dreams come true, famously turning a Queens, New York developer’s small business into the famous billion dollar Trump organization of today. What you are seeing when you look at all these various parts of what might be called the Trump empire — the glistening towers, the luxury clubs, the gleaming jet and helicopter, the Apprentice’s umpteenth successful season — are infinitely more than just steel, glass, concrete and show business. What you are seeing is a dream. Donald Trump’s dream. A dream that he has worked his butt off to achieve — making mistakes and having some failures along the way — but endlessly persisting, working, achieving.
About the Author
Jeffrey Lord is a former Reagan White House political director and author. He writes from Pennsylvania at jlpa1@aol.com.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (20) | Leave a comment
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Hobbes| 12.13.11 @ 9:43AM
I have a dream too. That egotistical morons like Trump go away.
Jack in Wi.| 12.13.11 @ 7:48PM
Trump made his money by screwing his bondholders in th bankruptcy courts and operating a legal vice operation, gambling. I hardly call him a great role model with his 3 wives and flamboyant life style. I also think he hasn't got as much money as he says. Why would a guy worth billions be doing a reality TV show? I think he needs the money. I would love to see the list of charities he gives too.
TrueBlue| 12.14.11 @ 1:58PM
Umm, how did he screw his bondholders over? He filed bankruptcy, sold more of his company to the public, and turned the businesses around to pay off the debts he had acrued. The key here being HE PAID OFF THE DEBT HE OWED.
As for making money off a casino, what's wrong with that? They are a business same as anything else, the difference is that it's a business that anyone can legally operate so long as your state allows it. Unlike Congresscritters who make money doing things that would get every private citizen thrown in jail.
What exactly does charity donations have to do with anything anyway? Other than the fact that lower charity donations means he pays a greater amount in taxes on his income instead of getting the huge write-off that most billionaires do. Wouldn't that mean that unlike people like Buffett, who complains he should pay more in taxes, Trump actually IS paying more in taxes?
Who cares if he needs the money anyway, he's not broke, and is still successful even after all the failures he's had. How is that a bad thing? All I'm seeing from your statement Jack is, "Oh my god, he made lots of money off of something legal!" class envy that the liberals keep shouting.
Jack Winn| 1.20.12 @ 10:08PM
Bankruptcy is the ultimate in socialism, and Trump is a serial offender.
It's his American Dream - drop the bill on somebody else.
xtreemvisual | 12.13.11 @ 9:47AM
You know Trump will speak his mind....
VonMisesJr| 12.13.11 @ 9:59AM
The dream is what we call "American Exceptionalism." The Russian Sikorsky and British Burnett succeeded in America due to "Free Market Capitalism." We have also had Cisco and other recent internet successes by immigrants unleashed in the American free markets.
Einstein fled Nazi Germany, Hayek fled Austria-Hungary advancing statism and Von Mises fled Austria to found the "Austrian School of Economics." They fled statism for free market capitalism and made great contributions to mankind.
America has had more Nobel Prize winners probably than all other nations combined. And that was before it was trivalized with winners such as Algore and Obama.
Peppermint Tea| 12.13.11 @ 10:28AM
Mr. Lord,
Don't forget the other dreamers: those seeking religious freedom; the dreamers that would transform this mundane existence into heavenly reward; those dreaming of being left alone on 320 acres; those dreaming of hunting, fishing, playing ball, writing, singing, playing music, making great cuisine, loving, sharing, discussing, an so forth. Unless we are harming others directly, no government should take our liberty to dream.
Jeffrey Lord | 12.13.11 @ 10:33AM
Peppermint Tea...
Well said!
Anthony| 12.13.11 @ 12:15PM
Trump is a narcissist of the first order. He is using the R nomination process for his own monstrous ego and nothing more.
He entered the scene and has done little to advance the debate. After the debacle with the Obozo birth certificate, Trump declared that he would not be a candidate and that he had lots more work to do in the private sector. Of course it was a ruse and a lie. This man craves attention, like a junkie craves his next fix.
And now he's back, toying the the media and folks like Limbaugh because he has the money, power and the access to do it.
This joker has more baggage than a luggage store, as any person aware of his involvment in NY knows.
This election determines the fate of America and if we will remain a Constitutional Republic or surrender to Obozo's Marxist transformation. We don't need clowns like Trump playing games with our future for his ego.
Go away Trump!!!
Ken (Old Texican)| 12.13.11 @ 1:16PM
Hey Anthony
it's still a free country with freedom of speech....and freedom to have an opinion. See, you and Mr. Trump are equal.
Why don't you host a debate?
annie| 12.13.11 @ 2:10PM
nicely done Ken and Peppermint Tea......I loved the article and you nailed it on the head Jeffery......America is America because of our ability and freedom to dream.
Anthony| 12.13.11 @ 6:14PM
Ken, Sorry for the late reply, the TAS web page would not allow me to respond. I'm now on another computer.
I don't begrudge Trump's right to free speech, afterall, I am a conservative. However, Trump and I are most certainly not equal. I do not have his wealth or his access to the MSM, as he does. I am not able to have a PR firm manage to get me on TV 24/7.
What I take exception to is this man using his wealth and access to the MSM and playing games with a very serious issue,the fate of America.
This is no game.
I'd love to host debate. These candidates would get questions they would not be able to bs out of. Can you get me a gig with Obozo? If so, you will be pleased, as I'd slice and dice him as no member of the fawning media would ever do. I've done cross examination for 30 years, you'd love it!!
PolishKnight| 12.13.11 @ 2:47PM
My father met Leon Sikorsky while working at his factory. Mr. Sikorsky drove a humble car (a 5 year old Lincoln) and regularly talked with the normal factory workers. FYI to the author: Don't refer to Ukraine as "The Ukraine". Even as "The" may sound important, Ukrainians consider it offensive since "Ukraine" means edge and with The implies that it's still a territory of Poland (Don't tell my Ukrainian wife I said this, but that would probably be a good thing.)
Interesting observation about Ukraine and class warfare: Millions were starved to death in Ukraine not because they were wealthy but rather because they were traditional working class people who opposed atheistic socialism. Sound familiar? The Soviet troops took the grain out of people's homes and then shot their pets and then put guards on the fields to keep them from harvesting their own grain. Fortunately for my father in law, some of the guards were human enough to not shoot at small children making raids to pick food. To this day, he has to go the store everyday to buy something to feel safe. I could almost respect the socialists if they went after the rich but in the end, they go after the working class because they don't have lawyers.
I like Donald Trump but come on, the guy is NOT self-made. Most of us do not have a rich dad to put us through an Ivy League school and give us startup money. On his show where he had college graduates versus self-starters who had made their fortunes though sheer innovation and hardwork, he ultimately chose the one who got a head start in life, and a woman, because he said the show needed a woman to win (he gave her a job renovating his Palm Springs mansion or managing the Miss Universe contest. Gotta love his sexism!) And I have an issue with him similar to with Newt: When I married my wife, it was for life unless she did something really serious like drugs, etc. He dumped his first wife for a golddigging bimbo. Newt's personal life does impact his ability to comment on social issues and also provides a disconnect between himself and the mostly married, working class voters he wants to show up for the polls in 2012.
THKrupp| 12.13.11 @ 3:11PM
You are right what made this country great is the ability to make your dreams come true. That doesnt mean we have to honor everyones dreams. I dont particularly like Trump, but then I dont follow a lot of what he says. He is free to dream and to follow his dreams and I am completely free to ignore his pompus arrogance. Just as the candidate who were invited to his debate are compltely free to ignore or turn down his request. Just because he has a dream doesnt mean anyone has to listen to it. Just because he is rich doesnt mean he isnt a self serving ego maniac. There are plenty of poorer people who have much better dreams that I would follow rather than Donald Trump.
Cicero| 12.13.11 @ 4:39PM
The difference that becomes dangerous is between the egomaniacal PRIVATE citizen who can become wealthy in this ountry for merely being a celebrety, or a PRIVATE citizen who can fulfill his/her dream by providing something that someone else is willing to pay for, and the PUBLIC SERVANT who grinds money out of the citizens to bribe others with goods andd services that the taxpayers would never voluntarily pay for, to buy votes that put him/her in a position to make himelf wealthy beyond his/her dreams. (And all in one breath!)
I have no problem with Trump. I wish my dad had started me out on the road with the first $11 million. That having been said, I can still go as far as my talent and ability will take me, provided I can avoid the government and its minions.
Who Knows?| 12.13.11 @ 6:29PM
The Donald isn't exactly my kind of role model. There will always be those people with exceptional IQ'S as well as those who are able to work hard to make their dreams come true. So what that there exist super rich dudes?
The REAL wealth stems from revolutionary discoveries having to do with energy-matter--that is, science provides the verifiable and repeatable truths on which mere financial "wizards' or "deal makers" like Trump are able to succeed.
I've long lived my own dream. But then, I'm a wild and crazy guy, who never bought the rat race trip. Living through a childhood with a hard working entrepreneur dad, who had to work as a butcher, it was obvious to me that suffering like him was not to be my dream!
Making a great fortune or becoming famous is NOT the goal of being born as a human! It's amazing to me how most people become persuaded to join the rat race, but then, like the famous water torture---drip, drip, drip---society, aka older people, eventually break down most of the newbies.
Consider this---we all know and agree that from birth we humans EVOLVE through various stages, as we learn to "get" physical, emotional and mental. Well, guess what? Evolution doesn't stop!
We are Truthfully born to observe, understand, AND transcend each stage, not simply STOP at a Donald Trump-like "get rich as a way to fulfill your dream" fashion. Dicking around in this realm is like living in excrement, compared to the God world!
Ah, well---the USA and the rest of the "civilized" world are stuck in the third stage of life, with most people not even aware that there are seven stages of life. And, a "guru" is a bad word, when it should be good.
Peace!
POST American| 12.13.11 @ 10:28PM
---Well, '80's Show' franchise slum dreams
anyway...
tadcf| 12.14.11 @ 10:34AM
And what happened to Trump's debate?
Angelo S.| 12.15.11 @ 6:51AM
Like Jeffrey said, "It was all a dream".
Angelo S.| 12.15.11 @ 6:50AM
Wait! What? Trump?
The Democrat masquerading as a conservative?
Trump who has given hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign donations to the ultra-liberal, elite Democrats? $50,000 to gangster Rahm "Dual Citizenship" Emanuel for his mayoral campaign.
Please J.L., get help or go write for the Huffington Post.
Oh, incidentally, since you like to snipe at Congressman Ron Paul, I think it's worth noting that Rep. Paul was the only GOP presidential candidate who had the discernment, wisdom and guts to put Trump in his place regarding the News Max-Trump Circus. As usual, Ron Paul nailed it on every level for what it was and took the lead in nipping it in the bud. Now that's the kind of presidential candidate America needs.... and as polls are beginning to reflect, the kind of candidate America wants.
Next the headlines will read, "Jeffery Lord joins forces with Marx Levin to establish conservative think tank circus!" And the clown cars will pull up belching clowns of all kinds.