by Mike Smith It’s about time. I think that’s what many Vermonters were thinking to themselves as some Vermont Republican politicians finally spoke out against the outrageous comments from Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
With the exception of Lt. Gov. Phil Scott — who, in September, was among the first Vermont politicos to publicly denounce billionaire Trump as unfit for the office — it has been pretty lonely out here as I took Donald Trump to task in four separate columns for his frequently ridiculous, increasingly dangerous comments.
This week we finally saw more Vermont Republican politicians express outrage about Trump’s statement that, as president of the United States and leader of the free world, he would ban all Muslims from entering our country. My question to these politicians is, “Where have you been?”
Where were you when he promoted an unworkable plan to deport 11 million Mexicans?
Where were you when he insulted some of America’s bravest soldiers stating that prisoners of war—including John McCain—are not war heroes and he likes the soldiers who were not captured better?
Where were you when he threatened the press with lawsuits, mocked the disabled and denigrated women?
It’s foolish to think that by staying silent, Trump would temper his comments or moderate his positions. And what about the fact his Republican credentials are highly suspect. Didn’t that raise some concern?
I must confess, I wonder how much of this sudden concern from Republican politicians is the result of pure moral outrage and how much of it is the realization that Donald Trump at the top of the Republican ticket will have a profoundly negative impact on statewide and legislative elections, especially in the Northeast and especially here in Vermont?
In Vermont, Republicans are used to running somewhat against the national ticket and the extremes of the party. Former governor Jim Douglas was a master at this when he ran for re-election in 2004 beating then-Burlington mayor Peter Clavelle by a huge margin at a time when Vermont support for President George W. Bush was among the lowest in the nation. He did it again in 2008 when President Barack Obama was first elected and very popular in Vermont. Fast-forward to 2016, and we have a similar situation for Vermont Republicans only this time, the GOP front-runner is Donald Trump.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton must be loving this as she moves comfortably toward the middle, seemingly confident that she has shaken the uprising of Sen. Bernie Sanders while the Republicans struggle to manage a crowded and unpredictable primary battle with a guy who couldn’t care less about his impact on candidates at the local level.
What sets Trump apart is his mastery of the shock-jock attention-seeking game. It’s not a normal political campaign, and his primary opponents seem befuddled at how to handle Trump’s type of campaign and remain presidential. Sadly, getting the most social media mentions or sound bites is how he stays relevant. And to get ahead in today’s 24-hour news cycle, he must continually ratchet up his rhetoric. It is a classic reality TV mentality. Trump is the natural evolution of a pop culture, nurtured by a national TMZ-like media that is more interested in the antics of Howard Stern and the Kardashians than they are in covering the very real and complex global and domestic issues facing us. The result is Republican politicians are now forced to answer for the shallow, inflammatory opinions of Donald Trump.
With the party’s current frontrunner making statements such as he has, it’s no surprise Vermont reporters are pouncing on easy and provocative stories about whether Vermont politicians agree. It’s similar to being held responsible for what a distant relative says no matter how outlandish their comments may be.
A lack of a cohesive foreign policy in the Middle East and a dysfunctional immigration policy here in the United States helps make people such as Trump relevant. He’s capitalizing on a lack of leadership in these key policy areas.
Last Sunday, Obama missed the opportunity to articulate a strategy to defeat ISIS that was different than the current policy of “containment” that is clearly failing.
Now is the right time to take a leadership position and bring together a grand coalition to take on and defeat ISIS in Syria and Iraq and negotiate the establishment of stable governments in those areas. That would surely help to calm the fears of so many Americans. Instead, the president has chosen to stay the course.
In addition, Americans see no comprehensive immigration policy that prevents people from coming into the United States illegally and that will secure our southern border.
These two policy failures cause the American public to question the wisdom, and become immensely frustrated, and scared, by the inaction of the Obama administration. This frustration keeps many Americans from seeing how wrong, or how dangerous the overly simplified statements coming from Trump really are.
Trump has threatened to run as an independent if the Republican Party doesn’t treat him with respect. Republicans should say: “Fine, go ahead—run as an independent.” He will probably cost the Republicans the presidency, but at least it may save other Republicans seeking elective office.
So now Vermont Republican politicians are becoming aware of what a Trump candidacy can do to their party and their elective prospects in Vermont. Well, welcome; it’s better arriving late than never, I suppose. But what’s more important is to take a leadership role and convince others to understand what Trump really is and what his positions really represent.
We need a president, not a reality TV star.
Mike Smith was the secretary of administration and secretary of human services under former Governor Jim Douglas. He is the host of the radio program, “Open Mike with Mike Smith,” on WDEV 550 AM and 96.1, 96.5 and 101.9 FM. He is also a political analyst for WCAX-TV and WVMT radio and is a regular contributor to the Times Argus, Rutland Herald and Vermont Business Magazine.