When CNN political commentator Van Jones, a staunch liberal and Democrat, called Trump's speech to Congress "extraordinary" and "presidential," it reflected the president's popular proposals for rebuilding America that are embraced by at least half the nation. Despite the noise from left-wing media such as The Washington Post and New York Times, trump's policies are striking a chord with Independents and many Democrats. Here's why.
Trump's speech addresses middle-class concerns
"For too long, we have watched our middle-class shrink as we have exported our jobs and wealth to foreign countries.
We financed and built one global project after another, but ignored the fates of our children," said Trump in his speech to Congress.
Over the years, the Democratic Party has gradually taken for granted support from labor unions and blue-collar workers. And during the election season, Wall Street gave far more money to Hillary Clinton. This has alienated many liberals since Democrats are supposed to be the party of the common American.
In Trump's speech, the new president outlined plans to make allies, such as members of NATO, to pay their fair share of the burden of defending Europe against ISIS and Russian aggression. Doing so would allow the United States to spend more of its resources to rebuild the country's ailing infrastructure.
Domestic spending at home creates jobs in the steel industry, mining, construction and other sectors that employ blue-collar workers.
Trump's speech implies lower spending abroad
"And we’ve spent trillions and trillions of dollars overseas while our infrastructure at home has so badly crumbled," said President Donald Trump on Tuesday night.
Liberals have long complained that America spends too much of its wealth in foreign wars such as Iraq and Afghanistan, and that's a big reason why the left hated George W. Bush's hawkish policies. It's hard to argue when trillions of dollars have been spent and thousands of American soldiers killed or wounded since 9/11. And there's still no end in sight to U.S.
military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In Trump's speech, he called on Congress to help his administration rebuild the decaying urban areas across the country, including Chicago, Baltimore and Detroit. For decades, these cities have been managed by Democrat politicians, and the stunning failure of liberal policies seems to provide an opening for political change. Keep in mind that Trump has never held political office until he won the presidency, and many voters are hopeful that a billionaire executive can implement actions that can fix Washington, make government effective and improve Americans' way of life.
There are 94 million people out of work, and nearly 50 million Americans are relying on food stamps.
When Trump says he'll bring back jobs, that message gets heard despite the media's filters and fake news. Steel workers, coal miners, plumbers, technicians, construction workers, loggers, unemployed vets and others hear the message. When you want to make America great again, who can argue against that? That vision should cross party lines, and that's why some Democrats support Trump even if they can't admit it in public.
