Trump's Anger Is Not the Answer

In a recent Newsmax interview, former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee said, "People are angry. I think we're seeing nothing less than the overthrow of our government . . . It's a peaceful overthrow so far. We're going to do it by ballots, not bullets, thank God, but this is a revolution. The people are that upset with the ruling class, and frankly, they ought to be."

Huckabee added that he felt "nothing would be better for this country than to have an utter disruption of the ruling class in Washington."

Yes, but we need new leadership for a reason. Otherwise, a Donald Trump presidency will give us the same deals, corruption, high taxes, and bankruptcy we have endured for years.


Consider the American Revolution.

It happened because people were fed up with the English King, the high taxes, the violation of civil liberties and the intrusion of government in commerce.

It was not just a rebellion; it was a revolution.

People had the opportunity to fight for the rights of man, not just against the British monarchy. Today it’s not quite as clear.

People hate what the government’s doing. But do they want to get government out of the economy? Do they want lower taxes, meaning fewer government services? Are they willing to face the hard facts that Medicare and Social Security are beyond bankrupt and that some sort of privatization is inevitable?

I don’t hear Donald Trump or Ted Cruz talking about these issues.

Ironically, it might end up taking a Hillary Clinton nomination to force the Republican nominee, whoever it is, to finally start talking about them. Bernie Sanders, though deeply wrong on many levels, is at least willing to talk about them.

Huckabee says that it is Trump's unapologetic stances that have earned him the voters' admiration. "He has been the Teddy Roosevelt who's charging up San Juan Hill and there is no retreat," Huckabee adds. "Win or lose, he's going to dig in, and he's not going to ever pull the troops back."

People want a strong president. But strong to what end? Stalin was strong. Hitler was strong. No, I’m not suggesting that Trump is Stalin or Hitler. But these examples prove how strength is not an end in itself. You can be strong in defense of liberty, individual rights, freedom of speech and limited government, as Thomas Jefferson and James Madison were. Or, you can be strong in the opposite direction. To judge this, you have to know the candidate’s ideas.

Huckabee continues, "There are a lot of Americans who are so glad that if Donald Trump is president, he's not going to give an apology tour to the rest of the world. He's not going to go around and say, 'We're so sorry, we didn't mean to offend you, oh my gosh let's have a beer summit, let me sit down and weep and cry.' No, he's going to say what he said. America needs to win again and that is why he is rising."

This is the heart of Donald Trump’s support.

Psychologically healthy people love liberty and yearn for justice.

They become extremely angry when their pathetic leader tells their mortal enemies, “It’s OK, we know most of the problems are our fault.”

To hardworking, healthy and reasonable people, that sort of mewling behavior is infuriating beyond words. Donald Trump’s unapologetic comments about Islam capture and, to a certain extent, restore the basic sense of justice that healthy Americans still feel.

Unfortunately, it’s not enough. At the end of the day, we have to know why we’re angry.

It’s right to detest Obama, Hillary Clinton, and all the things they have done to undermine America.

But at some point, we have to name what we love, not just decry what we hate.

We still have the constitutional framework for a peaceful revolution.

It ought to start with a push for a constitutional amendment to outlaw the interference of government in private enterprise. It ought to require the separation of state and charity, as well as reaffirming the rights to free speech, to bear arms, and to have one’s private property protected.

Nothing less will do.

It won’t be easy, but it gives the political right a focus and a purpose. Without a purpose, all we’ve got is anger, and anger alone is not the answer. America needs more than a rebellion; it needs a revolution.

Michael J. Hurd, Ph.D., LCSW is a psychotherapist and author with a private practice in coastal Delaware. He is the author of “Bad Therapy, Good Therapy (and How to Tell the Difference).” For more of his reports, Go Here Now.