By C J WaldronWhen it comes to listening to everyday Americans, MAGA and the Trump administration are tone deaf. For the average Republican, this is nothing new, but MAGA has elevated it to a whole new level. Despite a majority of the country supporting same-sex Marriage, a woman’s right to choose or stricter gun control regulations, Republicans have stubbornly refused to listen to the will of the people.
Now, with the government shutdown, they are continuing to ignore what even their constituents are demanding in favor of kowtowing to the will of one man. And this one man, the self-described master negotiator, has refused to end the shutdown, despite public opinion pointing the blame squarely on him and his party of sycophants. Instead, he is refusing to meet with Democrats who want to be assured that millions of Americans will not lose access to affordable healthcare in order to reopen the government.
This tone-deaf approach goes right down the line. There is the willful destruction of government property as the East Wing of the White House is demolished to make way for a garish ballroom that will dwarf the existing structure. In a blatant display of corruption, billionaire donors are financing this demolition and construction, not out of the goodness of their hearts, but as a means of gaining access to government contracts that will surely come their way because of their donations.
Meanwhile, needy Americans are being denied SNAP benefits, even as the holiday season approaches. Despite having emergency funding, and in defiance of a court order, Trump has refused to release these funds as a mean of attempting to force the Democrats to capitulate to his demands.
In another tone-deaf display, even as SNAP benefits were being denied, Trump and his minions held a lavish, Great Gatsby themed Halloween party at his Mar a Lago resort. Ignoring the novel’s message condemning the abuses of the wealthy, they partied in a decadent display of privilege as millions of Americans faced the prospect of going hungry. Instead, the administration had its own “Let them eat cake” moment.
After the trouncing they received in the recent elections, Republicans refused to give the people the changes they demanded in the voters overwhelming rejection of Trumpism. Instead, they sought to find measures to make it more difficult to vote by limiting voter access and the oft heard drumbeat condemning mail-in ballots. They are redistricting Democratic-led areas to their advantage while filing lawsuits against voter-supported measures to counter this illegal practice.
As the government shutdown continues, airports are beginning to feel the effects. Hundreds of flights have been canceled and thousands delayed due to the lack of air traffic controllers who are without pay as the shutdown drags on. In response to this, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy demanded that air traffic controllers “do their jobs” despite not getting a paycheck. He conveniently ignores the hypocrisy of his statement as members of Congress are being told to stay home and yet are being paid.
And, along with jetting off to Asia, Trump has been ignoring his role as Mr. “Art of the Deal”. He adamantly refuses to even meet with Democratic representatives in order to solve this crisis. He ignored their latest request to meet, possibly miffed by a letter sent by Chuck Schumer and Hakim Jeffries that closed with Trump’s oft used final statement, “Thank you for your attention to this matter”.
Instead, he is hosting parties, taking credit for the works of past administration despite opposing them at the time they were enacted and even giving audience to the person who Trump patterns his administration after: Hungarian strongman Viktor Orban.
It’s unlikely that Republicans will begin listening any time soon. Until they are willing to abandon their allegiance to one man and listen to those who put them in their positions, America will continue on its downward spiral. Until they abandon their tone-deaf approach, the shutdown will drag on, possibly into next year’s midterm elections, where they will surely face the wrath of their constituents.
It’s time they started listening.
Chris Waldron is a former public school educator in New York State and adjunct English professor in Conway, SC. He is co-author of Hijacked Nation, Donald Trump’s attack on America’s Greatness, published in three volumes and available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. He is a regular contributor to Lean to the Left and all of his articles are archived here.
