The first statement I am going to make is that MAGA people are from both parties and Independents. It is time to stop calling us MAGA Republicans and just say MAGA.
There are of course radicals, as there are in the Democrat Party but, in my opinion, most of them are the salt of the earth. They are true patriots and are the ones you can depend on in time of trouble. They proudly display our flag and stand at attention when the National Anthem is played. They love our country and over the Centuries have fought and died to defend. They were what have been descried by Tom Brokaw as the Greatest Generation. As a WWII veteran, at the age of 94, I am proud to be a part of that generation. I wasn’t in combat but did enlist as soon as I turned 18 and served three years.
Before I go on, I want to let you know that it was the public education we received that that led us to respect our heritage and the brave men and women who fought over the years for our country. That is not true today. Our children are told about how are founders were slave owners and therefore bad people, not to be admired. There will never be another Greatest Generation.
When Trump was campaigning in 2016 he was not running as a true Republican. He believed that by being a Republican he had the best chance of restoring our country. His philosophy was more in tune with the FDR type of Democrat. In prior years he had actually supported people like Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer. I am sure he reasoned that as an Independent all he would have accomplished would be the sure election of Hillary by splitting MAGAs and Republicans, as Teddy Roosevelt did when he tried to regain the Presidency. Trump was immediately hated by the Republican establishment His goal was to restore the vanishing middle class and provide good paying manufacturing and service jobs. I remember Obama stating that it was impossible, he having given up on America. Trump’s rallies gathered in the thousands proudly waving our flag. He struck a nerve long believed to be dead.
When Biden gives inflammatory speeches about how they are a threat to America, what he means is that they are a threat to the establishment. By that I mean both parties. Those who are enjoying the good life, no matter what everyday citizens have to struggle with.
We cringed, as did you, over Trump’s crudity. He struck out at all who opposed him, saying outrageous things that no decent person would ever say. We voted for him in spite of that, as we were tired of voting one party in then changing to the other party for decades without positive results. Each party was beholden to whoever gave them the most financial support. The result was that legislation to improve our lot was kicked down the road.
Until the Covid epidemic from China he made great strides. He unleashed the energy industry by reducing onerous regulations, approving drilling and supporting fracking. Within a short period of time for the first time since the fifties we were energy independent. Gasoline cost $2.00/gal., inflation was at 2%, unemployment 3.5% and the stock market reached record highs. Earnings rose for everyone including minorities, He raised tariffs on China to counter their unfair advantage. The most important part of the tax bill was decreasing the corporate rate from 35% to 21%, thereby improving the competiveness of producing in America. By increasing natural gas our environmental pollution decreased. Without fanfare he decimated ISIS. I believe by letting the military function without a strait jacket. He brought illegal immigration to historic lows. He accepted Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel and moved our Embassy there without exorbitant cost. He was able to get three Arab nations to make peace with Israel. He got us out of the outrageous deal with Iran and also the World Health Organization, who totally botched the epidemic. He demanded that the NATO countries pay their fair share of the cost to defend Europe.
I want to make the point that during his first two years in office he could not get the Republicans to help him. Most of what I wrote above he accomplished by the Executive Branch without the support on Congress. When those two years passed by, the Democrats resumed the majority and even with Republicans starting to give support it was now much more difficult. Then Covid hit and everything fell apart not only here but all nations.
The abuse that he has had to endure is without precedent in America. Even before his election the media, tech giants, sports and cinema all joined forces in trying to keep him from succeeding. There were spurious claims of Russian collusion, which after an expenditure of $40 Million dollars was proven false, two impeachments, the FBI’s refusal to release their findings of the Hunter Biden Lap Top, January 6 over and over and now being sued by Democrats over every aspect of his life.
Because of the intense hatred of Trump I do not want him as a candidate but do hope that someone else who believes in what he tried to accomplish will carry the torch and try to rebuild the Middle Class and all who are workers to regain what has been lost in just the last two years under an Administration and a Congress that has squandered over 4 Trillion Dollars by throwing money we don’t have without improving our lives.
Jack B. Walters
September 28, 2022
