“It broke precedent by getting political, but ultimately Trump won using his nontraditional approach, so I doubt this will cost him many votes.”
The controversy of the day is Donald Trump’s speech at the Boy Scout Jamboree. He praised the Boy Scouts of America and pointed out how the values of the organization have influenced America, as well as how his cabinet is made up of Eagle Scouts. He also went off-script and repeated many of his talking points from the stump speeches he used to give. Turning a nonpolitical event into a political rally is rude, but what is more revealing is the freak-out from liberals who finally get a taste of their own medicine.
Liberal politicians, pundits, and celebrities often talk about their desire for “conversation.” Yet that conversation often becomes a one-sided lecture. In matters of food, the workplace, sports, television shows, and so much more, conservatives are bombarded with liberal messages about the environment and the supposed racism and sexism that surround us.
In this case, the children of liberal parents received some conservative messages. Trump repeated that Washington is a swamp, and perhaps people should use stronger words. He said that part of the Boy Scout oath is to be loyal, and Washington could use a bit more of that quality, and that under his presidency, more people would say Merry Christmas. He also made some swipes at Hillary Clinton and reminded people that he won the election.
Very little of his speech celebrated the Boy Scouts, and it was very unseemly to turn this into a political rally. One of the largest sponsors of the Boy Scouts is the very conservative Mormon Church, so maybe Trump was trying to give the audience what he thought they wanted. But mostly it seemed like Trump did what he does best—he freestyled on common themes that blasted Washington, politicians, and Hillary Clinton, while he made liberals incredibly angry. It broke precedent by getting political, but ultimately Trump won using his nontraditional approach, so I doubt this will cost him many votes. In fact, perhaps the liberals who are so angry over this speech might use it to have empathy for conservative parents whose children regularly face indoctrination from the liberal-leaning public education system.
I agree that politicizing a nonpolitical event is rude. But I enjoy how liberals finally get a small taste of what conservatives encounter on a never-ending basis and freak out over it. So as they enjoy their non-GMO, free-range, locally sourced chicken and wash it down with a beverage from a cup made of recycled material, then brush their teeth with toothpaste whose package celebrates gay pride month and watch pampered athletes kneel for the national anthem while the announcers try to guilt trip viewers about the racist Redskins, I hope they consider the irony of their outrage over Trump politicizing a nonpolitical space.
