Have you ever wanted something? I mean really, really wanted it. No, I don’t mean wanting the Red Socks to beat the Yankees. I mean wanting something really, really important.
Okay, for those of you who are Red Socks fans, beating the Yankees is really important. I get that. But, if you are not one of those fans, consider today’s national politics.
Ah hah, did you really think this essay would be about baseball? No way. There are just too many stupid things happening in Washington to ignore.
A disturbing trend has emerged in national politics over the past twelve years. Call it the “VAAP” syndrome. That would be “Victory At Any Price.” It is a disease for which neither Republicans nor Democrats have been immunized.
Look back to the early days of Barack Obama’s presidency. Some of my right-leaning friends would have been delighted to see some sort of tragedy emerge from his policies. Indeed, many gleefully pointed to rising unemployment figures in 2010 (9.6% with fifteen states exceeding 10.0%). Never mind that behind these numbers were many families struggling to get by. All that mattered was the narrative that Obama had failed to manage the nation’s economy. “VAAP.”
The trend continued unabated through President Obama’s second term. This time those opposed to Obama often cited his foreign policy failures. His “red line” ultimatum to Syrian President Bashar Assad against the use of chemical weapons. Decisive action? No, nothing but tepid pronouncements and indecision. Oh, and then Russia annexes the Crimean Peninsula and covertly supports a successionist movement in Ukraine.
“We told you so,” the Obama haters gleefully crowed. Never mind that thousands were either killed or displaced. “The record is clear,” they said. All they needed to seal the deal was a terrorist attack in the United States. Nothing big. Just images of a dozen, or so, dead and injured. Never mind that the victims of such an attack would have been fellow Americans. “VAAP.”
But wait. My friends on the left have displayed the same callus disregard for the very real suffering supposedly caused President Trump’s stumbling.
The coronavirus pandemic has provided a triple whammy for my left-leaning friends, allowing them to bask in Trump’s perceived missteps.
First, the Trump Haters focused on the obvious suffering that the virus has caused. Daily newscasts replete with images of weeping loved ones, stories of children unable to visit their grandparents in retirement homes, and exhausted doctors struggling to cope. Never mind that these were real people struggling to cope with unspeakable suffering. “VAAP.”
Next, at a recent White House press conference, one reporter asked, “If an American president loses more Americans over the course of six weeks than died in the entirety of the Vietnam war, does he deserve to be re-elected.” Never mind that those were Americans who died, whose loved ones grieved then and are grieving now. “VAAP.”
Third, my liberal friends are advocating for an extended period of national lockdown. Indeed, the twenty-four states that oppose relaxing the current restrictions are controlled by Democrats. Is this a manifestation of humane concern for the health and well being of those who reside in those states? Maybe. But there might also be the recognition that economic hardship and high unemployment would undercut President Trump’s strongest re-election argument, a booming economy and record low unemployment. Never mind that the unemployed were real people, struggling to pay the rent and put food on the table. “VAAP.”
How much pain are you willing to accept to achieve your desired outcome? Sadly, both Democrats and Republicans seem to be saying, “As much as it takes.” For a fantasy based solution, see my essay, “Magic Wand.”