American Values In The Trump Era

Donald J. Trump was elected president after promising to “make America great again,” but what is it that makes America great? The message implies that America was great at one time but is no longer great. One can assume that Trump wants to take us back to a time when white men were in charge, when businesses went unregulated, and when a woman’s place was in the home. Jim Boeglin argues against those ideas in this political treatise, urging Americans to recognize that the true greatness of America comes not from its balance sheet but from having a democratic form of government, a history of moral leadership, and values and traditions based on ethics, morality, and spiritual principles. America was great before Trump arrived on the scene, but it’s in danger of losing its greatness as he seeks to redefine freedom, equality, opportunity, truthfulness, civility, and more. Just as the 1930s were not normal times in Germany, these are not normal times in America. Find out how we can hold on to what truly makes us great with the insights and analysis in American Values in the Trump Era.

Explores the cultural and political significance of the election of President TrumpDonald J. Trump's presidency has delivered a seismic shock to the American political system, its public sphere, and to our political culture worldwide. Written by leading scholars across a range of disciplines, as well as professionals in the field of political journalism, this collection of essays offers a deeper understanding of Trump and the impact that his rise to power has had both domestically and worldwide.The first section provides varied perspectives on the realignments of political culture in the United States that signify a paradigm shift, a radical disruption of fundamental beliefs and values about the political process and national identity. The second section of the book focuses on US foreign policy and diplomacy, taking stock of how the Trump presidency has disturbed the international system and US primacy within it. The third section of the book addresses the dynamics and consequences of what has come to be called "e;post-truth"e; politics, where conviction surpasses facts and the norms of political communication have been profoundly disrupted. Liam Kennedy is Professor of American Studies and Director of the Clinton Institute for American Studies at University College Dublin.

This book is a partial review of the shift in American politics to a more radical, ultraconservative, far-right posture, among both the people and Republican congressional leadership during the Trump era. There is also a corresponding shift to the left among Democrats, and a dramatic rise, as high as 40% among Independent voters. My theme is simple. The Trump presidency and the 115th Congress was an updated Confederate government enabled by Russia. Trump and ultraconservatives allowed themselves to be sponsored and endorsed by an autocratic dictator, Putin, because Putin and his obedient oligarchs gave Trump money and power to flourish and demolish at least two pillars of democracy-the role of government and the idea of an inclusive society, while also perverting our global alliances. Additionally, and apart from Russia, the ultraconservative and Libertarian aim has always been to reduce any new legislation sponsoring social services and to attempt to disassemble existing social legislation. Other major goals are anti-government regulations and the lessening of taxes. I will describe this tension throughout this book, demonstrate some of this history, and show how it is the central element in our political dysfunction. This book is also partially a chronicle exposing Trump and the Republication-controlled Congress for willful damage to the democracy, and, in the second part, a recipe for restoring lost or mislaid values and ethics to government and its citizen constituents following the exit of Trump.

Americans elected Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States because they wanted change. Tired of career politicians many Americans thought Trump would bring a refreshing change to America. Trump, a successful businessman, promised Americans he would boost wealth and make America strong but instead has increased America's debt by 2 trillion dollars, increased the deficit by 319 billion dollars, passed a tax reform bill which benefited the wealthy, started a trade war with our trade partners causing taxpayers 12 billion dollars to bail out our farmers, further divided our country socially and economically and befriended our worse enemies while berating our allies. In his 2020 budget, he proposes making huge cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and programs which assist the less fortunate areas which he promised not to cut. As Americans, we need to wake up, and realise our country is going down a terrible path and President Trump's policies and actions are destroying the very foundation and core values established by our country's forefathers. Most Americans work hard to try and make a living and a good life for their families. However, for many, this is a struggle with over 42 per cent of Americans making less than a living wage and have to work two or three jobs to survive. Over12 per cent of Americans can't afford health insurance for themselves and their families. Working Americans are not looking for a handout but a way to survive and improve life for their families. Americans want a fair, equitable system. American worker's wages have not substantially increased over the years while their benefits have decreased or eliminated. On the other hand, American CEO's incomes have increased more than 930 per cent since 1978. The system is broke; American workers should not be slaves to the wealthy and greedy. Americans workers should be paid a living wage, have affordable health care and not have to worry about being unable to retire. The majority of Americans would like a universal health care system which will guarantee health care for all Americans. It is sad that we are the only developed country in the world without a universal health care system. We need an educational system which will provide our children with the tools needed to advance in society. Educating the population and providing a working wage will reduce crime and welfare thus saving our country money. If our elected officials work together to cut government fraud, waste and abuse there would be sufficient funds for universal health care and free education for our citizens. We as a country need to work together as a nation with everyone treated equally. We need to get over treating individuals differently due to race, sex and ethnicity but treat everyone the same. There should be no government handouts to anyone who is capable of making a living wage. Our country is in desperate need for a leader who can unify our country not divide it. A leader who will be honest and not continually lie - a leader who has integrity and the best interest of our country and all its citizens. America needs to get back on track and return to the country the world admires and respects. As citizens, we need to elect officials who want what is best for the country and its citizens, not special interest groups. As citizens, we need to come together as we always have in the past to ensure our country remains a country run by the people for the people.

This book demonstrates the fragility of democratic norms and institutions, and the allure of fascist politics within the Trump era. The chapters consider the antagonistic cultural practices through which divergent political machinations, including white (patriarchal) nationalism, are staged, and examine the corresponding policies and governing practices that threaten the civil rights, security, and wellbeing of racialized minorities, immigrants, women, and gender nonconforming people. The book contributes to social theory on nation-building by delineating processes of exclusion, intimidation, and violence, with a focus on rhetoric, performance, semiotics, music, affectivity, and the power of media. Various chapters also analyze creative, restorative, and at times unruly practices of community building, which reknit the social fabric with expansive visions of the polity. This anthropology-led volume incorporates contributions from a number of disciplines including sociology, American studies, communication, and Spanish, and will be of interest to scholars across the social sciences and humanities.

Horror films have traditionally sunk their teeth into straitened times, reflecting, expressing and validating the spirit of the epoch, and capitalising on the political and cultural climate in which they are made. This book shows how the horror genre has adapted itself to the transformation of contemporary American politics and the mutating role of traditional and new media in the era of Donald Trump’s Presidency of the United States. Exploring horror’s renewed potential for political engagement in a socio-political climate characterised by the angst of civil conflict, the deception of ‘alternative facts’ and the threat of nuclear or biological conflict and global warming, Make America Hate Again examines the intersection of film, politics, and American culture and society through a bold critical analysis of popular horror (films, television shows, podcasts and online parodies), such as 10 Cloverfield Lane, American Horror Story, Don’t Breathe, Get Out, Hotel Transylvania 2, Hush, It, It Comes at Night, South Park, The Babadook, The Walking Dead, The Woman, The Witch and Twin Peaks: The Return. The first major exploration of the horror genre through the lens of the Trump era, it investigates the correlations between recent, culturally meaningful horror texts, and the broader culture within which they have become gravely significant. Offering a rejuvenating, optimistic, and positive perspective on popular culture as a site of cultural politics, Make America Hate Again will appeal to scholars and students of American studies, film and media studies, and cultural studies.

Trump is out of the White House, but American democracy is on the ropes and teetering on the brink of competitive authoritarianism controlled by theocrats and oligarchs. With its cherished institutions hobbled, political norms trampled, guardrails severely damaged, and body politic divided by chasms of race and geography, can the U.S. survive another administration dedicated to establishing de facto single party rule? In this compelling, comprehensive analysis, Brynn Tannehill draws on her expertise in studying the collapse of weak democracies around the globe and her previous research in law, political science, economics and right-wing populism to explain the trajectory of how we got here and the current threats we face. Most importantly, she analyzes what the characteristics of fascism are, if they are applicable to the base of the GOP today, and what that means for us should they succeed in establishing permanent minoritarian rule. American Fascism is a surgical analysis of 250 years of struggle for democracy in America and a prescient prognosis of what’s to come if we do not heed Tannehill’s warnings and advice.

Looking beyond the headlines to address the enduring grand strategic questions facing the United States today. American foreign policy is in a state of upheaval. The rise of Donald Trump and his "America First" platform have created more uncertainty about America's role in the world than at any time in recent decades. From the South China Sea, to the Middle East, to the Baltics and Eastern Europe, the geopolitical challenges to U.S. power and influence seem increasingly severe—and America's responses to those challenges seem increasingly unsure. Questions that once had widely accepted answers are now up for debate. What role should the United States play in the world? Can, and should, America continue to pursue an engaged an assertive strategy in global affairs? In this book, a leading scholar of grand strategy helps to make sense of the headlines and the upheaval by providing sharp yet nuanced assessments of the most critical issues in American grand strategy today. Hal Brands asks, and answers, such questions as: Has America really blundered aimlessly in the world since the end of the Cold War, or has its grand strategy actually been mostly sensible and effective? Is America in terminal decline, or can it maintain its edge in a harsher and more competitive environment? Did the Obama administration pursue a policy of disastrous retrenchment, or did it execute a shrewd grand strategy focused on maximizing U.S. power for the long term? Does Donald Trump's presidency mean that American internationalism is dead? What type of grand strategy might America pursue in the age of Trump and after? What would happen if the United States radically pulled back from the world, as many leading academics—and, at certain moments, the current president—have advocated? How much military power does America need in the current international environment? Grappling with these kinds of issues is essential to understanding the state of America's foreign relations today and what path the country might take in the years ahead. At a time when American grand strategy often seems consumed by crisis, this collection of essays provides an invaluable guide to thinking about both the recent past and the future of America's role in the world.