Monday , March 18 2024
Trumpt tweets Happy New Year to all, including his "enemies." Just who are these "enemies?"

A Chilling Tweet from Donald Trump to His Enemies on New Year’s Eve

I’ve been pondering why, during a year of great professional success for me, I am looking ahead to 2017 not with joy and optimism, but with a pessimism that weighs on my shoulders like a huge (HUUGE) boulder. This morning, I’ve put my finger on it in the guise of a tweet from President-Elect Donald

Trump:

Of all the tweets and retweets Mr. Trump has posted at all hours of the day and night, why does this one stop me in my tracks? Why do I find this one tweet so very chilling only three weeks before he moves into the White House, becoming our (God help us) 45th President of the United States?

It is the use of the word “enemies” that has me struggling for breath. “My many enemies.” Whoa. And before you say, “well, we do have enemies here in the U.S.,” I want to point out the use of the first person, “my.” “My many enemies.” Let that sink in for a moment. When was the last time you ever heard a president refer an unknown number of the people he serves as “enemy.” Who does he mean? And what does he plan to do about them?

Is he talking about political enemies: Democrats? Liberals? The Clintons? Chuck Schumer? Bernie Sanders? Elizabeth Warren? These are not enemies; they are the opposition, crucial to any democracy or republic.

People of Color? Muslims? Undocumented Immigrants? Why? Because they voted for his opponent in huuge numbers?

The press? Saturday Night Live? Bill Maher? Stephen Colbert? Because (ineffective as it sometimes has been this past year) the media have begun to call Trump’s lies what they are…lies? Because comics satirize, and have been much more effective in calling Trump out for what he is?

All Americans should be chilled and a bit terrified of any president-elect (or president) calling anyone enemies. I would like to know just to whom Mr. Trump refers in his latest tweet. Whom does he consider enemies? And how further would need to travel to conflate them from his “enemies” to “enemies of the State.”

We are about to begin a new year, swear in a new POTUS. Like I said, for me, this has been a professionally rewarding year, including the publication by a great publishing house of my second book (and my first novel), The Apothecary’s Curse. But as half the country holds its collective breath, we must wonder how many of us are on Mr. Trump’s enemies list for 2017.

I’ll be offering my opinions of Trump Tweets all during 2017. You can follow me on Twitter @B_Barnett and visit my official page for news and information about The Apothecary’s Curse and other publishing projects.

About Barbara Barnett

A Jewish mother and (young 🙃) grandmother, Barbara Barnett is an author and professional Hazzan (Cantor). A member of the Conservative Movement's Cantors Assembly and the Jewish Renewal movement's clergy association OHALAH, the clergy association of the Jewish Renewal movement. In her other life, she is a critically acclaimed fantasy/science fiction author as well as the author of a non-fiction exploration of the TV series House, M.D. and contributor to the book Spiritual Pregnancy. She Publisher/Executive Editor of Blogcritics, (blogcritics.org).

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One comment

  1. Dr Joseph S Maresca

    The last time we saw enemy lists was with Potus Nixon. The thing to do is to have meaningful liaisons with your political opposition. Maybe this could best be done by having a Political Editorial Review Board in the White House itself.

    The Political Editorial Review Board would have fair representation across the political spectrum. For instance, Potus Elect Trump could start with two members on the team like David Garth and Bill O’Reilly and add to the team over time. The Political Review Board would serve as an informal screening mechanism to point out acceptable political discourse, as opposed to discussions that cross a line of journalistic norms.

    Potus Nixon began his presidency by peppering the White House Staff with like minded political pundits. He should have put into place a few liberal and moderate Republicans like Senator Charles Goodell, Congressman Gerald Ford or Senator Edmund Brooke. By the time Congressman Gerald Ford arrived on the scene, the damage had been done already and little could be hoped for to change things.

    The other problem Potus Nixon had was a proclivity to prevail in every argument by striking back mightily at every slight or perceived tidbit of disrespect. This human frailty deprives the person of psychological wellness by setting up battles with the whole world. Ultimately, this way of operating drains the emotions and can lead to considerable physical or psychological breakdowns.

    The other thing to do is to engage behavioral facilitators who can manage organizational conflict rationally and methodically. Facilitators are trained in the fine art of managing organizational conflict by articulating goal congruence, as well as, goal incongruence. With expert facilitators in place, much unnecessary conflict can be avoided effortlessly and indeed optimally.