One of the many well deserved hits against Trump is his inability to perform the Presidential ritual of “bringing the country together” after a tragedy. I’d argue that this is what makes Trump the greatest civil rights President since LBJ.
Wait, what? Hear me out...
When President Obama led a church assembly in a tearful rendition of “Amazing Grace,” he was performing the expected role of Pastor in Chief, Presidential Mourner, and Compassionate Witness. He was helping the country’s wounds heal.
And that’s the problem.
When wounds heal, if they aren’t properly attended, they form ugly scars and can become infected. Presidential empathy is like a good bedside manner— it’s great, but if it isn’t accompanied by actual medicine, it can create a false sense of wellness.
Presidents from Reagan to Clinton (especially Clinton) to GWB and of course Obama have been very good at the Pastor in Chief leader shtick. And by being good at it, they’ve allowed the majority of Americans to think the problems of racial and social justice are being attended.
But those problems haven’t been attended to, and the scarred over wounds haven’t been healed. And now, thanks to Trump’s complete inability to perform the role of Empathetic Leader, the average American is seeing the truth that other Empathetic Leaders hid.
Imagine if the #BLM 2020 movement had tried to rise under Obama. He would have seen it as his duty to perform empathy, he would have addressed the issues poignantly and powerfully, and average Americans would have relaxed, assured that Something Would Be Done.
And nothing would be done.
Trump, on the other hand, by not performing empathy, lays bare the naked reality. He allows the wound to remain open. He lets everyone see the torn, bleeding tissue. The patient dying on the stretcher. No bedside manner, no comforting words.
That’s why Trump is the best thing to happen to the cause of racial and social justice in decades. He isn’t comforting. He’s letting America see that it’s bleeding out and the people in charge don’t care.
That’s a transformative President. #BlackLivesMatter #Portland #coronavirus #TrumpGolfsAmericansDie #VoteBlueToEndThisNightmare
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