The most revered politicians and civic leaders from American history understood that there is a poetry to our democracy, a sense of idealism, fairness and unity. Now we must remember that the reality of America has always been distant from our loftiest ideals, but whether you're talking about Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt, Kennedy, Dr. King, Reagan, and so many others, these people understood that America should be a place of hope and not fear.
In recent times,, Presidents Clinton, George W. Bush, and Obama rose in moments of tragedy to reaffirm in their own way the poetry of our national identity.
But Trump is incapable of this language. He plays to fear. That's all he knows. When he tries to read the words of hope, he's about as authentic as a Times Square Rolex. Go to his rallies and read his tweets to understand what he really thinks.
I think most Americans, and I believe this crosses the political divide, want someone to come and say we need to get along, we cannot forsake our morality or sense of justice. I haven't heard many of the Democratic politicians speak in this way yet. Yes, policy details are important, but the bigger, broader, more inclusive narrative about what our country should be, must be, is the most important rallying cry of our times, as it had been in other moments of crisis in our past.
