BEING “POLITICALLY CORRECT” IS NOT AS DONALD TRUMP SEES IT

…A painting of the Constitutional Convention in 1793

 

US history has shown what being “politically correct” actually means for all Americans.

 

I recently wrote an article where I expressed my disgust at some of the statements from the Republican candidates that were abhorrent and totally against what we are as Americans.  The horrible comments from Donald Trump about killing innocent family members of Muslim extremists and the deporting of the American born children of un-documented immigrants.  Then, as bad as that was, when these statements were being made during the national TV debates, only one of the 14 remaining GOP candidates, Rand Paul, the Libertarian, had the guts to object to these statements.

 

After hearing all the continued barbarism coming from these so called “potential national leaders”, how can we continue to call ourselves a benevolent nation?

 

It was truly disgusting to watch these candidates such as Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina, Chris Christie and Dr. Ben Carter stand there with Jeb Bush appearing to accept Trump’s dual propositions of death and unconstitutional endeavors.

 

A political theorist at Harvard University and a contributing columnist for The Post, Danielle Allen, has written a comparison of what is going on today within this Republican party, and what was done back when the US Constitution was in its formative stage.

 

She has compared these statements made by the current Republican candidates, to what was occurring way back in 1776.  This was when the British King George was found to be having his Red-Coat soldiers stirring up “merciless Indian Savages” against the colonists.  As with what the extreme Muslim terrorist are doing today in Syria and Iraq, these Native Americans had well known gruesome ways of warfare for the destruction of the American colonists of all ages and sexes.

 

But as history has also told us, unfortunately, the colonists later served a dose of their own barbarism against the Native Americans.  These extreme reactions ultimately brought about the near-total destruction of the indigenous American tribes.

 

Today however, much of the distasteful extreme rhetoric from the far right is being used in place of what they are calling the “politically correct” way of discussing what these right-wing politicians apparently feel is an acceptable, but disgusting dialog.

 

It is interesting that back in 1793, James Wilson, one of the leading authors of the US Constitution, used that same phrase: “politically correct”,  in 1793 regarding state’s rights as a member of the then Constitutional Convention,

 

Wilson had argued that the Founders of 1776 had erected a government based on the people, not the states. In fact, Wilson is the reason the Constitution begins with, “We the People.” He built on that idea that we should celebrate not “the United States” but the “People of the United States.”

 

He felt that this latter expression about “the people” was the “politically correct,” statement.  We ought, he said, to raise our toasts to the “People of the United States” as the true object of our efforts and affections.

 

To be "politically correct", in Wilson’s argument, one must understand this new project of a nation with self-governance.

 

So, why did he emphasize “the People,” rather than the “States”?

 

He continued: “A State I cheerfully fully admit, is the noblest work of Man: But, Man himself, free and honest, is, I speak as to this world, the noblest work of God.” His phrase, the “People of the United States,” was “politically correct” because it captured the right way of thinking about the relationship between the people and its government.

 

This is the true example of what beimg “politically correct” means.  Not the barbarism of proposing to destroy the families of Islamic State fighters or terrorists.  This is “politically incorrect” in the sense that it is totally wrong and against all that America stands for.

 

As Ms. Allen has stated, “If we are not up to the job of choosing our leaders judiciously, consistent with the core values of our form of government, we will lose our chance at public happiness. We, the people, can cure ourselves of our incipient barbarism only as we have done it before: by calling it out, contesting it and working hard for alternatives.”

 

Ms. Allen is absolutely correct.

 

When one looks at today’s poll numbers in support of candidates such as Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, it is obvious that the problem is within us, “the American people” for a specific slice of the American electorate.  And it’s not just with these despicable GOP candidates.  It is with those that support these individuals that spout beliefs that are against basic American values.  “We the people”, means we are the government and the vision, and this view of our government is on our shoulders, not the candidates.  The candidates that will eventually become elected are just a reflection those that will put them in public office.

 

If this previous statement about the elected individual being a reflection of the people is correct, God help the American people if any of these Republican candidates eventually reside in the White House.

 

Copyright G.Ater  2015