The Democrats Need a Fighter

What did Donald Trump have that allowed him to win the nomination of the Republican Party in 2016 and lead to defeat of his Democrat opponent?

One aspect of this candidate was his adversarial disposition.

That was evident at the annual charity dinner conducted in 2016 by the Archdiocese of New York.  That dinner celebrates the memory of New York Governor and very Catholic politician, Al Smith. In 1928 Governor Smith ran for President against Herbert Hoover and lost. That election was preceded by two Republican victories: Harding in 1920 and Coolidge in 1924 and memorializing Al Smith is a way to celebrate gains made in the civility of American politics visible in the social and political acceptance of Catholic Americans, repeal of “Prohibition” and the role of Catholic education in ameliorating elementary and secondary education in New York by the Archdiocese.

This is not the event where you may attack your opponent, but that is what Trump did.

After the election, the President-Elect called representatives of major media to his offices in Trump Tower, and attacked them. Then Trump opposed immigration of Muslims and illegal Mexican immigrants and called for building a wall along the border of Mexico with the United States.

That this new President was bringing real change to American politics was made clear in President Trump’s Inaugural Address. He portrayed his election as transformative and that he was bringing “a new vision” to American government.

“I will fight for you with every breath in my body – and I will never, ever let you down.America will start winning again, winning like never before.”

What? No successful American politician proposes so many new and controversial policies and that explains why so many Americans were and are attracted to Donald Trump. That raises the question whether any Democrat campaigning for the nomination for President in 2020 is a “fighter.”