President Trump ' Gets' Us
How does a New York real estate developer born to privilege build a multi-ethnic, multi-racial coalition of the working class as his base for a triumphant return to the White House.
So, what's his pull?
For this writer, the short answer is that he gets us, thanks to his uncanny ability to grasp what the working class stands for (and, by extension, the working poor).
He does this by appealing to what we may enumerate as give words, each beginning with the letter "F."
What drives the working class?
A spot of dignity, to begin with.
We find five pillars:
- Family
- Freedom
- Faith
- The Flag, and . . .
- Fortune.
Growing up in India around laborers — railway laborers, e.g. — I witnessed these five attributes rallying them.
This writer, a proud Indian-American can attest that the same five words, each beginning with the letter "F," have framed his life, always.
Family is the nuclear core of my being.
When a mother or father walks in after their second shift (or second job), they are looking forward to the same things I do every day: a roof over our children’s head in a safe neighborhood, food on the table, a good school the kids to attend, institutions preparing them for a better life, spare capacity for simple pleasures of life, and access to medical care for days when we have to depend on more than a prayer.
Family is about belonging, and hope — true for everyone, everywhere.
Freedom requires fidelity to the Bill of Rights, the Foundational script of our country.
We declared Independence to secure "unalienable rights" — "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." We wrote it into the Constitution of our nation to "secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity."
Freedom is fundamental to what we seek, no matter where in the world our journey has started. In this land of the free being unfree — especially in self-expression and in pursuit of a life with minimal interference — is the biggest insult.
Faith appears in the very first paragraph in the Declaration of Independence that seeks to restore "the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God."
In the very next breath we claim and extol "unalienable Rights" which have been endowed upon us by the "Creator."
Faith provides a refuge in their places of worship, no matter the denomination or religion, and creates a community of our own creed.
Faith supplies a prayer coin to hold on to in times of turbulence, so to speak, and these are the times of distress.
In my life and for people around me, faith provides a sense of purpose, a grounding in humble submission to the higher power in times of quiet introspection.
The American flag is not just a token, to me it's an identity which is infinitely superior to my being.
This writer waited 23 years after he landed in this country as a graduate student before becoming a citizen.
Every single month in between I was either working towards the next logical step to becoming one or waiting for the next decision.
When I crisscross the country, the U.S. flag on your front lawn becomes a refuge the same way this land was a refuge for an overwhelming majority of our ancestors.
The idea of America starts with a set of ideas, and not with shared ancestry or geography; therefore, it is needed that we rally to the flag, openly and fervently.
Fortune is an inadequate label, but for purposes of this column, let's stick with it.
Fortune refers to the American Dream, where the moral arc of existence curves towards a better life for self and the progeny.
For millions in and out of the country, the United States has been more just a refuge, it has also been a place where you can hope to be all you want to be.
"The shining city on a hill" beckons because the shine finds its way across the choppy seas. We may have different manifestations, but we are all in the same boat, working to reach a better tomorrow.
The genius of Donald J. Trump (now our 47th commander in chief) is that he made these the core of his appeal, using a language that gets to us, and cuts through the media clutter.
Democrats tried to hype a part they thought reeks of class animosity.
Only part of it is true. Much of Trump’s appeal was his reiteration of the five words, each beginning with the letter "F":
- Family
- Freedom
- Faith
- Flag, and . . .
- Fortune.
President Trump wins by appealing to the 5-F lives of everyday Americans.
Not only that, but he may also have changed the game forever.
From now on, every ticket will be judged on how they pledge allegiance to these Foundational doctrines.
That will surely be one of his lasting legacies.
All opinions ion the preceding column are those of the author solely, of the author alone, and do not necessarily represent that of any organization he may be part of. The author alone is responsible for any error or omission.
Partha Chakraborty, Ph.D., CFA is an economist, a statistician, and a financial analyst by training. Currently he's an entrepreneur in the field of water access, AI/ML, and wealth management in the U.S. and India. Dr. Chakraborty lives in Southern California. Read Partha Chakraborty's Reports — More Here.
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