The idea of American Exceptionalism — the idea that American is not just good, but exceptional and unique among all nations — is a hard-core Republican talking requirement. You must, must, must genuflect to that in your speeches, or you’re one of them, to be abjured and primaried. Yes, Democrats, hapless stooges that they are, bow in false piety when the question comes up, but this is almost entirely a Republican shibboleth.
To me, it always seemed one of the silliest religious tests among so many, but it’s been up at the top of the Republican political agenda forever, along with moving to the gold standard. (The 2016 GOP party platform is almost fun; reading it is like strolling through an “antique ideas” exhibit: surreal, and a little dusty.)
Back to my point. Trump’s 2018 budget is the most ideological, hateful, despotic budget we’ve seen out of any US party in quite a while. It cuts science, research, welfare, the arts and god knows what else, since Trump’s addition doesn’t come close to adding up.
The Department of Labor — the agency charged with protecting most workers — would be cut by 20%. Interior — the agency that protects our land — cut by 11%. State Department, the primary source of peace and diplomacy, cut by 29%. Education down 13%, EPA down 31%, Transportation down 13%. He proposes cutting anything that supports the poor, from jobs, to legal protection, to safe housing, to work safety. And if a program created jobs for working people, they cut it completely. It’s almost as if Trump wanted more poor, desperate people.
(That can’t be true, can it?)
Anyway, what did Trump called his homicidally miserable excuse for a budget?
“A New Foundation for American Greatness.”
Yeah, of course he did.
