Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address is one of the greatest political speeches ever. Its key phrase was “Government of the people, by the people, for the people.”
In the intervening 156 years, much has changed.
“By the people” has become “by the candidate who spends the most money” — 89% of representatives and 83% of senators in 2018.
“Of the people” and “for the people” then meant for the good of the majority. Both now mean “for the biggest donors or for the donors most willing to resort to political blackmail,” e.g. the NRA.
These distortions are upfront and center in the actions of President Trump. The benefits of his tax cuts and reversing Obama’s environmental protections all went to the rich — his biggest donors. (American top executives typically earn more than 100 times their European counterparts.)
His refusal to act on common sense gun reforms such as banning automatic rifles — as the U.K., Japan, Australia and New Zealand did to great effect after mass shootings — is popular only with his targeted constituency — the far right.
At one time America was “the shining city on the hill” lighting the path to democracy. Today, Trump is leading the world to government by dictators — Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Kim Jong-Un, Erdogan, Duterte, etc.
Perhaps never was a pro-democracy leader needed more.
Frank Fish, Park City
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