Legendary journalist Edward R. Murrow, who had covered World War II from a bomb barraged London, later reflected on Winston Churchill’s sudden rise to power in 1940: “Now the hour had come for him to mobilize the English language, and send it into battle, a spearhead of hope for Britain and the world.” And he did. Churchill’s masterfully crafted speeches, defiant prose and wry wit inspired a beleaguered nation at a time when its defeat to fascism seemed all but certain. Western Europe is free today in large part because of the terrific tongue and pen of the United Kingdom’s remarkable wartime prime minister.
During times of crisis, nations need leaders capable of calming the troubled public and articulating an honest vision for victory. Statesmen who are capable of offering carefully composed words of resolve and hope can marshal their countrymen to do extraordinary things and overcome any adversity for the better. America has been blessed with such leadership before. We are not today.
Making the catastrophe worse
The COVID-19 pandemic is a crisis of historic proportion and would be a tall task for any president to handle. Our current commander in chief, however, has not only failed to create colloquy to assure an anxious American people, but his erratic and outlandish statements are in fact making this medical and economic catastrophe worse.
During his daily briefings from the White House, the President has offered an enormous audience of concerned constituents contradictory statements regarding the virus and efforts to contain it, bizarrely questioned the motives of states desperately seeking medical masks and ventilators from Washington, attacked reporters for asking him tough questions in tough times and pathetically attempted inappropriate humor regarding his former sex life with models.
President Trump would do himself and the country well to take a step back from the presidential podium and Twitter handle and review American history for the many moments when presidents, during times of great difficulty, have used their words to call the country to greatness.
[image_caption]Andy Brehm[/image_caption]
A seven-minute call to arms
When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, America was militarily unprepared for war and its people wanted desperately to avoid it. Nevertheless, President Franklin Roosevelt, in a simple and short seven-minute address to Congress, called the country to arms: “No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory. …With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph – so help us God.”
Most of us can remember firsthand the treacherous attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the fear we felt, and the uncertainty we had in our future. As a college intern working in the White House Press Office at the time, I recall the period vividly, particularly the national question of whether our inexperienced and inarticulate president would rise to the occasion. At the National Cathedral in Washington just days after the attacks, President George W. Bush certainly did: “War has been waged against us by stealth and deceit and murder. This nation is peaceful, but fierce when stirred to anger. This conflict was begun on the timing and terms of others; it will end in a way and at an hour of our choosing. Our purpose as a nation is firm, yet our wounds as a people are recent and unhealed and lead us to pray.”
Pettiness, vulgarity, dishonesty
President Trump was legitimately elected in a substantial Electoral College victory and took office with the prerogative to communicate to the American people in ways he sees fit. Thus far, he has chosen to continue with the same pettiness, vulgarity and dishonesty that served him well politically in 2016. If he wishes to have any useful role leading us through this current crisis, however, he should mimic the prose of effective presidents past and abandon his boorish style of speech now.
Winston Churchill once said: “History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it.” He did, and it was. President Trump will not be composing his own history; and, without an immediate course correction in his leadership, it will not be kind to him.
Andy Brehm, of St. Paul, is a corporate attorney, television and radio political commentator and former press secretary to ex-U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman.
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Nicely done.
Is there nobody close to the President giving such advice? Or is it that we chooses not to take it?
We can’t expect to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear: Donald
Trump lacks any empathy for people That makes him inept as a “presidential” figure, and more so in times of crisis.
Long long, long ago tired of the “pettiness, vulgarity and dishonesty” just amazes me how ~ 43% of the country and an entire political party thinks that along with un-bridled corruption is what makes a president!
I recently read an interesting article that attributes this to a change the Republicans/conservatives have been undergoing for some time. The premise is that there is no longer an ideology, per se, so much as just opposing anything proposed by the libs/dems.
We certainly see this in Trump, whose one consistency has been to dismantle anything done by Obama, regardless of merit.
Trump is shockingly inept, incurious, and self-centered. He lacks the cognitive capacity to review and learn from the historical speeches of other presidents, and even if that were not the case, his belief that he knows best shields him from any deliberation and mindfulness, and certainly precludes him from taking advice. Sure, he can kind of read from a teleprompter, but his delivery always betrays his boredom and impatience with a task set to him by his long-suffering staff. In any case, he will quickly go off script and devolve to name-calling and lying. There is zero chance of him changing.
A nice historical review, but when can we dispense with the tired conceit of framing an article as offering advice to Trump as to what he “ought to do.” Trump is an ego that never formed, a nullity. He isn’t capable of doing anything other than what he does, which is to scream his emptiness to the world.
And just as a small note, no, Trump was not “legitimately elected.” As would be said in your profession, “res ipsa loquitor.”
All well and good, but before going on about what Trump should do, reflect on what he is capable of doing. He is incapable of “calling the country to greatness” because the only “greatness” he cares about is his own. That greatness is measured by the adulation he receives, or by his TV ratings. It has nothing to do with what he can accomplish. As Mr. Holtman says, “He isn’t capable of doing anything other than what he does, which is to scream his emptiness to the world.”
As far as his style goes, “pettiness, vulgarity and dishonesty” are who he is. He cannot rise above those things, because they are an integral part of his being. Trump without pettiness, vulgarity, and dishonesty just wouldn’t be Trump.
Thank you for writing this. Its unpatriotic to not do all you can to support your country and its people in a crisis, including supporting the states and governors fighting for their people.
Long gone are the days when honorable men such as Dave Durenburger Rudy Boschwicz and others proudly claimed the GOP as theirs. Today’s GOP is full of an assortment of crazies from the fringe Evangelicals to the Fascists. Not the kind of people responsible people associate with.
History will not treat this moronic, narcissistic person well. I guess we got what we paid for. But it’s a shameful record that the Republic Party establishment cannot support. The Lincoln Project of which KellyAnne’s husband is a member, has called for a Democratic Presidential win in November. The Senate won’t, so this push must come from outside the walls of Congress. I don’t predict an end to the Trump nightmare, but I do encourage it.
Does “Liberate Minnesota” count.
Yeah it does, and Trump should be held accountable for “yelling fire in a crowded theater”…anyone else doing that nonsense would be jailed for it.
DUMP TRUMP, his entire family and relatives, and his whole crooked ego infested administration!.
Actions matter way more than words, to logical people. President Trump shutting down travel from China early, drew harsh criticism from Lefties, his early action saved lives. President Trump said in 2015, our dependence on China for necessary goods was too high and needed to be reduced, again harsh words by Lefties, new agreement (actual action) will remedy that. Governor Cuomo screamed “no ventilators” , Trump got private companies involved (action), harsh words by Lefties, results, Cuomo is shipping ventilators to other states.
Words mean very little, especially in politics, actions mean everything, especially in politics!
If words mean so very little, why the reliance on “Lefties” in your post? Three times no less! Almost makes us feel unwelcome here. By the way, the shutting down travel from China argument has been shot so full of holes I’d think even the most ardent would drop it by now. A whole lot of people from other countries brought the virus into the United States, including all the non-Chinese nationals allowed in from China.
Try as the cultists might, they can’t wipe away their great leader’s words in January, February, and into March where he is telling the nation that this is no big deal; he’s got it under control. (non-action). A time when testing could have been ramped up which would make us that much closer to end of this crises now.
Fact is, this column was right on. At a time when we need a true leader, we’ve got a combination of a junior high bully, a buffoon, and a con man running this nation. One who struggles to read what is prepared for him and whose most sophisticated words are “tremendous” and “beautiful.”
After the dimwit “locked down” the border from China, there have been 257 flights with roughly 40,000 people coming into this country – but sure his action saved lives. you know what would have saved lives – not dithering and lying, but being presidential and doing his job.
Instead he committed treason and encouraged his followers to take up armed rebellion against the government – he’s a traitor, like his sycophants.
Well, some nice words from a sensible Repub. But the idea that our woefully unqualified, ignorant conman and partisan extremist could somehow “rise to the occasion” and rally the nation during ANY type of crisis is simply preposterous, and needn’t really be commented upon. Trump cannot lead, he can only fail (either spectacularly or catastrophically.)
From the day that Trump and his (illegal alien) third wife Melania descended the steps of Vulgarian Versailles to announce his absurd candidacy, it was painfully obvious that failed businessman and Potemkin billionaire Trump was suffering from a wide range of personality disorders and hadn’t the slightest business running for president. And after watching his excruciating campaign, the nation’s voters came to that exact conclusion, with over 3 million more citizens voting against him than for him.
Which leads to the real problem of this article by Mr. Brehm, which is his complacent reliance on the “substantial electoral college victory” that got us into this mess. The very constitutional device that the Framers set up to protect the nation from unqualified fools and demagogues instead forced one upon us. It therefore has now failed of its essential purpose.
But that doesn’t seem to bother Mr Brehm; indeed he feels a need to intone that Trump was “legitimately elected”, a “victory” which in any sort of objective appraisal can only be called democratically illegitimate.
The reality is that conservatives are now well aware that their extremist presidential candidates cannot possibly win the votes of a national majority of citizens, hence their 21st Century veneration of the electoral college, and the use of such nonsense phrases as “substantial electoral college victory”–which is straight out of Trump’s mouth, by the way.
One might think that today’s (sensible) Repubs, viewing the catastrophe of the Trump presidency and ruination of our government, might conclude that the logical answer was join Dems in their call to abolish this absurd, anti-democratic mechanism. But instead conservatives are willing to contemplate even more President Trumps than work for sensible constitutional reform.
Trump is the natural and logical endpoint of modern “conservatism”, Mr Brehm. Why don’t Repubs trust the people?