Unity-- Is 'unity' in today's world only found in the eye of the beholder?
Can Trump’s call for unity lead to tangible steps and actions to reduce polarization? Shaking up some political assumptions to find out.
In baseball, sometimes a manager ‘shakes’ up his lineup if the team is in a losing streak. I think our country is at risk of the most serious losing streak I have ever lived through. "Is it possible for Trump’s call for unity to lead to tangible steps and actions to reduce polarization? As someone critical of Trump, while retaining a personal philosophy as an advocate for finding common ground, I am wondering how to constructively reconcile and evaluate past divisiveness with the current calls for unity following a significant event.
How can we measure the sincerity of Trump’s reported upcoming call for unity, and will similar expectations be placed on Biden? Are we being manipulated by Trump? I “hope” to see an abandonment in Trump's history of promoting division.
I read history. I have deep beliefs, if not predictions, that Trump and his allies may interpret 'unity' cynically as only when Democrats and Biden agree with them. The media and most Americans, including myself, are eager for unity; therefore, calls for unity will be well received. Proactively, Biden’s team needs to provide examples of unity. Unity may be demonstrated by Trump reversing course and 'freeing the US House' to support the Senate bill on immigration.
Last week, Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts made a statement indicating that the planned transformation of American governance will be peaceful 'if the left allows it to be' (the authors of Project 2025 are not pushing for unity).
Unity statements at the convention this week may follow a similar narrative, but that would not be unifying.
Considering our history with Trump, there's a possibility that the media could be influenced by his calls for unity. Mark Jacob, a former Chicago Tribune editor, expressed his belief that Trump will take advantage of the media in general. Unity speeches this week may turn out to be a national case of 'smoke and mirrors.'
I came across news stories about Trump planning to deliver a unity-focused speech at the Republican National Convention. Several major media outlets have reported on former President Donald Trump's plans to deliver a unity-focused speech at the Republican National Convention. According to these reports, Trump aims to draw the country together and address the changing dynamics of the election campaign, with a focus on national unity and promoting a sense of togetherness among Americans.
Chat GBT provided me with a summary that reflects Trump's strategic pivot towards a message of unity, acknowledging recent events and aiming to address the national audience in a conciliatory tone. According to a Trump spokesperson, all speakers have been asked to revise their speeches.
If Trump plays this country and media, I will suggest some ways Trump might incorporate the word 'unity' into his speech:
Healing Divisions: Trump may address the divisions within the country, emphasizing the need to move past partisan conflicts and work towards common goals, such as border security. On the other hand, Trump may also state that in the spirit of unity, all litigation against him, including the NY case, should be dropped.
National Security and Stability: Trump might emphasize the importance of unity for national security and stability. Additionally, he may state the US should call for a ceasefire in Ukraine, reduce military support for Ukraine, and participate in multilateral peace negotiations. Trump could also challenge Biden to hold NATO accountable and provide more support to Ukraine.
Healing Divisions: Trump could ask Biden and other Democrats to stop characterizing Trump as being a threat to democracy.
I still believe ‘we are all in this together”. I worked and lived for several decades in the public arenas. I am not naive about how today’s climate is different from 25 years ago. Most people may not even care about unity, since they are too busy living their daily lives. Yet, working with R’s and D’s, and leaders in the Republican executive branch and nonpartisan courts, 25 years ago, we created a successful bi-partisan leadership institution to find a common group between different political groups and branches of government. Today, I know people who say they are traumatized by the polarization in today’s politics.
With both Trump and Biden, what actions and statements do readers suggest they could proclaim to promote unity? If not immigration, or Ukraine, what then? If the threat to democracy is real (which I believe in), is there a window to promote de-polarization? I am asking you because the media and parties need your ideas and constructive criticism.
Great effort at explaining my concerns over 'unity. Read this piece from Anand Giridharadas of The Ink on 'unity. . I hope it’s not paywalled.https://the.ink/p/against-unity?r=9e9e3&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
More from Anand.https://the.ink/p/against-unity?r=9e9e3&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
His 'bill of particulars' on problems with the Trump Unity Statement needs to be shared. (I had just written my substack and now must tip my hat, multiple hats, to you on this essay. Here are the bills of particular, that I did not write about and should have:
1.BURDEN. It places the burden of healing the country on those not responsible for wounding it.
2. UNILATERAL DISARMAMENT. It asks well-meaning, earnest people to stop doing what they never were doing in the first place, while conceding that the people who are still doing it will not stop.
3. WEAK ON CRIME (if they are the defendants) It deplores crimes against the common good without being interested in perpetrators.
4. PAPER TIGER solutions. It substitutes a vague idea of “coming together” for the urgent and vital work of stopping an ongoing campaign of sowing hatred, disinformation, distrust, and enmity. As you wrote: " When you’re raising chickens, and they’re routinely being killed by hawks, you don’t need unity. "You need a scarecrow, maybe, and some mesh netting, and perhaps to hang up some flashy objects."
In conclusion. I, too, was looking for a way to deplore the history of political violence and call for a nobler, more dignified politics . Maybe I had the wrong timing. But Trump is the wrong candidate to be noble about; since his notion of America is a "war of all against all."