The Dangers of a Single Ideology or Can a One trick Pony ever Change His Mind

I have fought the temptation to comment on the last month of the new America under Trump - yes I know that it has in fact been less than a week - but it feels like a month. I have lost that battle.

There is so much to say, and for a Canadian most of what I would say would be a waste of time. I am not too sure if Trump has any understanding of our history or our relationship with the country he now runs. In fact, I am not too sure if his understanding of that country is much deeper than the top 1%.  For Canadians to rant and rave what a buffoon he is, or how misguided his first few executive orders have been seems to be a useless expenditure of energy.  I find it absolutely mind boggling that people can defend some of his outrageous comments, that the phrase "alternative facts" seems to be accepted has being the same as the truth or that one person can undo so many things, so quickly. But those things are happening.

If his executive orders only affected citizens of the US, perhaps I would be less concerned. However,  his comments and his decisions may affect my life in Canada. That, I think, gives me the right and the responsibility to think about and to comment on occasion. It is not enough to sit back and say - not my problem.

Mr. Trump only has one set of skills - he knows how to negotiate from a place of strength. He does it by being bombastic, occasionally by bullying and in general, acting as if he is total oblivious to anything outside his narrow tunnel of vision. There is no sense that he knows how to compromise or that he is a team player. Any country that wants to/needs to negotiate with his government is at an extreme disadvantage because he assumes he is in a position of power. I suspect for Trump, negotiation only means how can I brow beat/manipulate you to give me what I want. As soon as that does not work - he throws a hissy fit, changes the rules or walk away from the table blaming the other party. That strategy might work when one is planning on building a hotel - I don't think it works when you are running a country. Unless of course everyone is too afraid to stand up to him.

It seems as if the "big" three American automakers might be among the first CEOs to stand up and salute their new leader. There might be some advantage on getting rid of the Japanese/Korean auto makers that have, for the last 30 years, consistently outsold the American car companies. If General Motors, Ford and Chrysler companies are told that they can only sell cars in the USA if those cars are built in the USA, but are given the right kinds of incentives including the breaking of unions and tax incentives that ensure greater personal and corporate profits - such a policy may make sense to them (but not to the thousands of Americans who work for Honda, Toyota etc.).  In spite of the fact that those CEOs know how complicated and how intertwined the three countries are (Canada, USA and Mexico) in the building of our cars, they are not standing up and telling the president that he is wrong. Perhaps the dangers of them disagreeing in public with the president may be deemed to be far greater than any benefits.

It is a slippery slope. If the first group of companies bow down - then it become increasingly harder for other companies to disagree. And who will want to? Oil companies will kiss Trump's feet if he limits or eradicates  any environmental standards, banks will praise him if they are deregulated, the far right will dance in public if gay rights, woman's rights and any other segment of society other than theirs, loses legal protection, both large and small corporations will sign up to be on his donations list if what little protection left for unions is taken away and the poor sot who voted for him will be thankful if life doesn't get any worse.

If change is going to occur, or at the very least if citizens of the US want to slow down the destruction of what they have, marching in the streets is not going to do it. Member of unions need to stand up and use what power they have to get the CEOs and stock holders to listen, employees of the federal government need to stand up and say what is happening to the health care or to the environment. People have only power when they are prepared to put their economic power on the line. That means the best paid people in the US, those who have good jobs need to stand up for others who are not so fortunate.

I am afraid however, that they too will be too afraid to voice their discontent. In the new world where the leader says that only his view and his beliefs are of value - it seems far more likely that people will act the same way.