By Stephen Winham
Guest Columnist
Is President Trump’s promise to make America great again as empty as the promises made by “patent” medicine purveyors a century ago?
Hood’s Sarsaparilla was touted in 1918 as capable of “purifying the blood” and curing a variety of disorders including, heart diseases, dropsy, rheumatism and scrofula [TB?]. Traveling medicine shows hawked a variety of such cure-alls for many years, including the 1940s Louisiana-based “Hadacol Goodwill Caravan” promoting the marvelous elixir sold by four-term Louisiana State Senator Dudley J. LeBlanc – “Get that Wonderful Hadacol Feeling.” These shows offered great entertainment, but not much else.
Patent medicines made people feel good primarily because their active ingredients were alcohol and/or drugs that are illicit today. Some included poisons. A temporary euphoria was the typical effect, masking the underlying problems. They were not always as addictive as today’s opioids, but could be more insidious because of their patently (no pun intended) false advertising.
Donald J. Trump won the electoral college vote after he convinced enough people in enough places he was good for what ails our overall society – or, at the least, better than Hillary Clinton. He was elected President of the United States promising all manner of miracle cures. He would “Make America Great Again.” MAGA has become the war cry of many conservative bloggers.
I find it very hard to pinpoint when America was greater prior to Trump’s campaign. Was it when the pilgrims were starving and had to be rescued by native Americans who were subsequently relegated to the human scrap pile? Was it when our economy was largely based on slavery and we slaughtered one another in a brutal civil war from which we have never really recovered? When robber barons controlled commerce and viewed workers as ciphers and consumers as dupes? When pollution was completely ignored? During devastating world wars and other foreign military conflicts in which thousands of lives were lost and during which the country was sharply divided? Again, when?
The greatest thing about our country is its resilience. The continuing effort to hold to the principles on which it was founded, even as our society evolves, is what keeps us great. Our values brought us the respect of the world. We must guard against losing them or it.
So, what does MAGA really mean? I believe MAGA is a matter of personal interpretation. It is a modern euphemism for “the good old days” that never actually existed. It is a magical concept with no basis or grounding in time. Hence, it exists only in the mind of each person conceptualizing it, but it has inspired loyalty in a large segment of Trump’s hard-core base that any politician or huckster can admire.
For me, America was at its greatest in the 1950s. I lived in a stable, middle-class home with two parents and a mother who stayed home. The world was at peace as far as I knew, and we were optimistic about the future of our country and the world. It was a brief period of childhood innocence and I consider myself very fortunate to have lived it.
But, was my mother truly happy as a subservient housewife? Was my father content as an independent merchant in an unpredictable economy moving steadily toward domination by chain stores? Were our African American neighbors experiencing anything close to the same reality as ours?
I believe America is as great as it ever was, and probably greater, but it is also increasingly stressful. The world has become so complex it confounds even the most brilliant minds – and solutions to our problems are increasingly difficult. For those who bought into it, the simple concept of MAGA brought hope for a better life. If is for them to judge whether that hope is being justified.
No doubt some people looking for a cure from patent medicines believed they got one – or at least got some relief from their miseries. Some people whose lives weren’t bad before are obviously better off because of the Trump presidency. Others continue to hope the cure will come and believe Trump just hasn’t had enough time and unfettered opportunities to turn things around.
My best hope is that his opportunities for further change will become more limited. I have no faith in his ability to effectively unify and lead this country. Worse, I do not believe he is interested in doing so. He may have gotten a few things right, but far too few, and not necessarily for the right reasons.
I believe President Trump is a modern-day Hadacol salesman. Way too many people ignore harmful things for which they should hold him accountable with blind hope he can bring back their “good old days.” I don’t want to relive the past. I want to keep America at least as great as it is now and live to see it become even greater.
(Stephen Winham is the retired Director of the Louisiana Executive Budget Office, having service in that office since 1979 and as Director from 1988 to 200.)
Louisiana Voice 
Well stated. If a man’s thoughts are his reality, then I wish those that voted for Trump could and would be specific as to what they think we have lost that now makes America less than what it once was.
Very well said, Stephen.
I’ll bite. MAGA means taking care of this country, our people, and our jobs first. Immigration used to be about making THIS country better. The last decade it somehow morphed into making other countries better. It isn’t fair to make other countries better at the expense of our own. We are, afterall, living on a $20T credit card.
We’ve been told lie after lie by other administrations. We were told we’d save $2500 per family on healthcare. They knew it was a lie. Meanwhile, every family I know has had their premiums double. We were told the economy has contracted and we’d better get used to it. Those jobs simply weren’t coming back. Trump couldn’t simply wave a magic wand and make it happen. We were told that we’d no longer feel safe and that terror attacks were the new normal. We were told that we had to normalize mental illness and let Men into the women’s restroom or somehow you’re a homophone. We were told that if you opposed the immigration policy that has almost destroyed Europe then somehow you’re a racist bigot.
Yes..there was a time that was better than the last decade. It doesn’t mean anyone is a racist, bigoted, homophobe. It simply means we have greater expectations for this country. We expect good paying jobs and a better future for our kids. We can do better, and the last year has proven it. The economy is roaring back.
God Bless Donald Trump and America. #MAGA
Very well said. I agree completely with you.
Great reply! I’m sorry Mr. Windham seems to find darkness even back when he though America may have been great.
There is no “d” in my name.
I thought I had gotten on the wrong web site; Something was published that wasn’t far left and actually was positive for other than a Dem. I might stop deleting this blog and read it.
Interesting how the conservatives seem to be able to shoot down any opinions that don’t fit their constricted philosophy and narrow viewpoints—very much like a certain POTUS. As for Mr. Watts, if you are in a habit of deleting this blog without reading it, how would you know what’s in it?
Does “Hope and Change” ring a bell? The fastest and highest # of food stamp enrollees of all time! Highest debt of any president. ATF, DOJ, VA, in scandal after scandal. Fair is fair. Call “Hope and Change” the Obama’s Hadacol for the lower class. Because you know and I know, it was.
Well written article Mr.Winham, I concur with your statement regarding the resiliency of America and the founding principles of our country that makes us great.
However, I respectfully disagree with your thoughts about President Trump. As I read comments from both sides of the political spectrum I believe them to be healthy debate on such issues that make us Great as a country.
Brandon:
Does the bailout of the Wall Street bankers who robbed and pillaged under the banking deregulation of the George W. Bush administration ring a bell? I would much rather contend with low dollar welfare cheats (and, of course, there were, and are, many of those) than have to see the entire country’s economy collapse because of those greedy bankers. Who do you think has stolen the most, welfare cheats, or Wall Street bankers and hedge funds? Who do you think has dodged the most in income taxes, low-income Americans or the giant corporations who have teams of tax lawyers to do just that? Who do you really believe elects politicians, the people or PAC money?
I believe if you check your history, you’ll see that Obama bailed Wall Street out because he had no choice in order to save your retirement and mine. But he did commit the unpardonable sin of not following through and prosecuting those responsible. It was Obama, not Bush or Trump, who got Osama Bin Laden. I think if you check, you’ll see the Dow climbing steadily under Obama and has carried over into the Trump administration. I believe job growth was steady under Obama.
And check your history; scandals in ATF go back to Waco under Clinton, the VA scandals go back at least as far as George W. Bush administration (and it is no better today). DOJ? Not sure what scandals you refer to with DOJ, but I do know Nixon and LBJ used the IRS, part of the Treasury Dept., against perceived enemies.
And how about those WMD Bush claimed as justification for launching what is now officially America’s longest war? Why do we think we have such a high debt? It’s to finance military actions in Afghanistan, Iraq and God knows where else where we have no business. The deficit problem started under LBJ when he lied to Congress about the cost of the Vietnam war and it was never budgeted, which caused deficit spending which caused the worst national debt to that time. Clinton paid the debt down but Bush’s little war escalated it again and now it has grown to the point that we can’t even service the interest. And you lay that at the feet of Obama? Really?
So, bottom line, there’s plenty of blame to go around for LBJ, Reagan, both Bushes, Clinton, and Obama. I would challenge you to find anyone in Washington who isn’t there to advance his own agenda. So don’t try to single out Obama as your scapegoat….unless that’s your justification for just being your garden variety racist.
Angelo. I am not going to reply to the last sentence, because it’s a de-valued term these days, thrown around at random–liberals scream “racist” to the point where as a currency, it’s lost it’s value, and it’s real meaning, and folks on both sides know that it is being thrown to sensationalize issues.. That being said, I think the rest of your argument is well thought out and civil, so please consider this. My qualifier for Obama was “all time highest” for food stamp enrollment and for the deficit. Both numbers bear that out, so I don’t need to mention who came in 2nd or 3rd, when Obama came just before Trump. I feel it is necessary to respond to you because you were polite. I wasn’t happy with any presidential scandal nor any bailout, and Werner took the IRS into new waters–actually choking political group funding to conservative groups to steer an election (read her emails). Attributing motive to a bailout is not productive either. All of those big bank folks were major DNC contributors–as you well know–so we could just as easily argue that Obama was merely paying back a campaign debt or two, or helping Hillary later. And if you check your history, you’ll see that Congress was just as guilty at pushing sub-prime mortgages under housing laws, in an effort to show banks weren’t engaging in racist lending practices. So FanniMae took it upon themselves to do so. NYT article in 2008 said this: “Between 2005 and 2008, Fannie purchased or guaranteed at least $270 billion in loans to risky borrowers — more than three times as much as in all its earlier years combined, according to company filings and industry data.” These were folks with bad or sub-average credit. I will agree with you on one point. I don’t like wars in places that will never advance America’s interests, and I don’t like scandals nor corruption from any political party. Other than Nixon, I have never seen an Administration like Obama’s avoid FOIA requests tooth and nail, like his agencies did. If you don’t believe me, go read Judicial Watch and Tom Fitton, and look at the agencies that were found in contempt, or lied, (under Obama) to avoid public scrutiny.
Brandon you are correct. From 2003 to 2008 the Bush administration and Republican leadership repeatedly tried to push for significant reforms and oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac – to which Barney Frank, then the ranking member of the House Financial Services Committee consistently blocked under the premise it would disparately affect low income individuals from being able to obtain housing. That aside, Angelo is correct in that unbridled greed on Wall Street (and with American consumers who just wanted to believe in anything, much like the dot com bubble) continued to push these securities in tranches that were graded improperly and sold institutionally to both other financial firms and to major private retirement funds.
A perfect example of this was Goldman Sachs who while selling billions of dollars of these suspect tranches also had an entire floor of traders whose entire focus was to simultaneously try to find ways to short these very securities.
MAGA , like beauty will be found in the eye (or mind) of the beholder!!!
True.
Well said Steve
“I believe America is as great as it ever was, and probably greater, but it is also increasingly stressful. The world has become so complex it confounds even the most brilliant minds – and solutions to our problems are increasingly difficult. For those who bought into it, the simple concept of MAGA brought hope for a better life. If is for them to judge whether that hope is being justified.”
Well written, Stephen. I believe that Fairness and some of the others must have glazed over the above quoted paragraph from your comment. The world has become too complex for such a simple concept. So, if MAGA means getting back to the period when this country had the strongest economy, job opportunities were abundant, manufacturing and production were high in output, and we lead the world in technological and scientific advances. That’s not going to happen.
I find this article completely unsubstantive. It’s absolutely blathering. The only specific point I give credence to is his comment that we ignore some of Trump’s faults – to which I believe both liberals and conservatives should be less tribalistic and just focus on the truth and facts of all matters.
That point aside, the author completely ignores the concept that conservatives are absolutely more willing to give Trump a pass on many of his faux pas because of the unprecedented whining, crying, and down right absurdity of liberal responses to all events.
Forget Trump for a second, take him out of the equation. Look back to the election. The very reason Trump won, despite all pre election polls and even election day exit polls taken which said he could not win – is because every day conservatives are tired of the liberal agenda. Closet conservatives tired of being told that if we dare to say anything conservative whatsoever then we are racists, nazi’s, hate mongering rejects etc.
If you want immigration reform it doesn’t make you a racist. If you believe in smaller government and entitlement reforms and thus support less taxes in order to support the true life blood of our country which is small through large businesses it doesn’t make you a supporter of the dreaded 1% – it makes you a supporter of the people actually driving our country – middle America, people who work hard every day without finding any reason under the sun to declare themselves victims in some way shape or form.
Here is reality – the top 20% of Americans pay 70% of the taxes in our country. 45% of Americans pay no tax at all. Obama Care raised the cost of a family of four health plan from $2300 to over $5200 right here in Louisiana. That happened because of less competition among insurance providers, with a third of our country having states with only ONE option as a provider. So, excuse me when I laugh at the statement that killing Obama Care kills Americans. The individual mandate didn’t make more people enroll – the Congressional Budget Office missed by more than 50% the number of people who would voluntarily sign up – which of course should have been predictable – Obama Care simply transferred the cost of the commodity of health care to those working and providing for their families. This is the very reason my family’s insurance policy skyrocketed along with my deductibles.
The Obama Care individual mandate resulted in one thing for most Americans paying into the system – less coverage at more than twice the cost. I don’t believe millions of Americans will die with the Obama Care individual mandate gone – medicaid and charity hospitals will still serve communities and laws governing for profit hospitals also require treating and stabilizing critical patients before being transferred. I believe fully that in an open market competition will actually drive prices down. When people with folly continue to quote Canada as the model for socialized single payer health system I cry at the absurdity of it all – Canada, whose average wait time to see a general practitioner is now up to over 9 weeks wait time – not for a specialist – for a general practitioner. Canada, oh ye of the dwindling doctor supply. Canada, where virtually 100% of doctor compensation is from the government, and where they have an aging doctor pool (almost 40% of doctors are over 55 years old). Canada, where doctors are relegated to indentured servants, are under compensated, and have no benefits or retirement plans.
I’m a conservative. I don’t mind one bit paying my fair share of taxes. I feel those who make more should pay more – to an extent. I don’t mind support programs for those in need. I support programs to help education for those with historical disparities in their communities, and yes, I support truly caring for those Americans in need who can’t support themselves – but in a responsible fashion which means entitlement reforms.
Most of all I’m fed up with the entire liberal victim status whining and the never ending attacks on conservatives which always result in any plan presented which involves making real change for the better being labeled racist etc.
I’ve said it prior. Liberals do one thing well. They adopt a generally accepted moral principle such as racial or gender equality or caring for poor people, adopts it as its own as if they invented it, and then goes on the never ending soap box to act is if they are the only ones that care and are the protector of these moral principles – all of which is absurd. Conservatives care about racial and gender equality and caring for poor people. All you have to do is look at the insanity of some of the soap box material the liberals will stand behind to see that they don’t care about true causes – they just want any cause to cry about which is why we have had Women’s marches led by Linda Sarsour supported by the liberal left and why we live in a society that the liberals will have you believe now consists of about 700 gender possibilities.
So Mr Winham, when some American’s say they yearn for traditional values maybe just maybe it isn’t code words for racism and elitism. Maybe it just means we want some logical reforms. Maybe we are tired of victim class totem poles and the liberal agenda which non stop attacks the very fabric of our country while pushing platforms which never considers the possibility that eventually liberal programs run out of other peoples money.
You have succeeded in writing your own guest column. It is not necessarily responsive to mine, but you have clearly expressed views that many people hold along with the frustration we all feel. Even if I agreed with everything you say (and, as you might guess, I don’t) I would not believe President Trump is the right leader for our country and, really, that was the point of my column. I frankly don’t know who would be the right leader – perhaps those capable of being effective U. S. Presidents aren’t willing to offer themselves up. Of the field in the last election, I believe Kasich was the best and I would have voted for him had he been the nominee of his party.
I’m not happy with many of Trump’s choices as I believe in the concept of being Presidential – that no matter what your party you are the President for ALL Americans and need to be respective of opinions that are different from yours so we can truly sit down and discuss and compromise to move forward.
That being said, it would be disingenuous of any open minded person to not concede that President Trump has been on the receiving end of an unprecedented attack by the liberal left since day one. I would dare say a less narcissistic and self absorbed person would have crumbled at the volume of attacks – thus some accept his many clear faults with the fact that he is at the very least moving forward with his promises – meaningful immigration reform, meaningful tax reform, and the repeal of the Obama Care individual mandate.
Basically I concede he’s a clear infantile egomaniac – but he’s moving forward with platforms that I agree with and I do believe he truly comes from a place of good in wanting to achieve these reforms.
“So Mr Winham, when some American’s say they yearn for traditional values maybe just maybe it isn’t code words for racism and elitism. Maybe it just means we want some logical reforms. Maybe we are tired of victim class totem poles and the liberal agenda which non stop attacks the very fabric of our country while pushing platforms which never considers the possibility that eventually liberal programs run out of other peoples money.”
First, Mr. Savage, I think you missed the point of Stephen’s post. Second, how do you translate “traditional values” into “logical reform”? Anyway, I do agree with you on the issues of immigration reform and entitlement programs reform. I think we differ on how the reforms should be accomplished.
By the way, I am an African-American member of the so-called middle class and I do not have a liberal agenda.
You are the voice of reason, Clifford – a very precious thing in this day and age – and I don’t use that old axiom loosely. Thanks for your comments.
I don’t think Mr. Winham has any specific point other than to question the Trump tag line of MAGA which is as generic as Obama’s “Change”. He waxes poetic about a few things but just mostly takes non specific pot shots with vague statements and conspicuously leaves out the fact that our nation is as polarized as it is not necessarily all from Trump actions but many would argue from the most insane liberal crying post election and their own child like responses and actions.
I also would never generalize as to state that all African Americans are liberals. My best friend of 20 years is African American – he’s just my friend, not my black friend. I believe fully that the worst thing we can do for any person is to teach them that there isn’t opportunity in America and that any one individuals plight is due to someone else – I don’t think you can change individual racism or combat it effectively, I believe what can be combated is institutional racism, and I do in fact feel that has improved dramatically. My own personal effort to fighting racism is to support educational programs which are devoted to improving inner city educational opportunities which I do feel are still disparately affecting African Americans – not just from racism but also very much from culture issues in the black community. So yes, I’m a white conservative who feels we very much need education reforms and also for that matter reforms in other areas such as our incarceration rates and prisons which is an entire conversation in and of itself.
Mr Winham states the point of his column was that he feels Trump isn’t the right leader for our country. My response to him is that in face of the unprecedented liberal just as childlike response to losing the election, it simply makes the case in point for why conservatives voted for him in the first place – absurd liberal disrespect and outrage that many in America are simply tired of – that’s all liberals seem to do is want to wave their outraged finger while exclaiming “Trump!” “the 1%!” “racists!” “xenophobes”, “mysogynists!”.
Yes, we are polarized for sure. my opinion is it is more the product of child like liberal outrage at anything that is conservative than the infantile egomaniac we elected. It’s that very backlash from people being tired of every single day being falsely labeled as being racist, nazi, alt-right, etc., etc., ad nauseum that elected President Trump and post election liberals have gotten worse, not better.
Mr. Savage: Your opinions are your opinions. I do not agree with most of them, but I will not stoop to your level by personally attacking you as a blathering idiot – the way you have characterized me. I added the idiot since you seem to think saying the same things over and over and over will finally make them sink into my thick skull.
I believe respect for other people is important, but I do not have to accept ad hominem insults. You attempt to paint people with a very broad brush just as you accuse others of doing. As we are no longer communicating (if we ever were) my attempt at civil discourse with you has reached its logical conclusion. Fini.
Sorry, one final comment: May you sleep well tonight in the belief that you have won yet another ideological battle.
I will sincerely apologize for poor word usage in the term blathering – I do agree that term is offensive. My discontent is that it is simply more of the same that is so typical – filled with innuendo and subtle insulting side swipes without much specific to actual debating of issues – well written I will give you that.
You compare our President to a snake oil salesman and infused throughout are your by proxy generalizations which definitively infer that anyone that supports him must basically be the type that would buy snake oil – which is a direct insult to any conservatives reading your column – which is what I attempted to convey to you – just because you cleverly insult doesn’t make it ok.
I took the time to give very point specific responses on actual issues and why many conservatives do actually support him despite many of his not so Presidential actions – and if you had read without being so offended I actually showed my own disapproval for many of his actions and my clear disdain for blind tribalism on either side.
Instead of giving us the courtesy of more detail in clarifying your positions you instead chose to focus on claiming my responses were ad hominem – as if I am more concerned with pillaging your name which is absurd – I clearly addressed the issues whereby you refused to do so…
Very good column, Stephen Winham, I wonder when America wasn’t great, i came to this country as a young married woman, in the late 60’s,amid social an d political change, I didn’t come here from a s$&thole country, and I wasn’t fleeing persecution of any kind, as one of my new relatives said, at our first meeting,”Oh, she looks just like us” I guess meaning I was acceptable.
I still thought America was great, until Donald Trump was elected,this vulgar, ignorant, greedy man is doing his best to wreck America, and he just might succeed. Governing on the fringes is never a good thing, and he has courted the hard right authoritarian types, and laced his administration with white supremacists, then denies he is a racist. he has decades of history that proves he has no honor, no integrity,no humility,he has left workers empty handed, he has not an ethical bone in his body, and would do anything to make a buck, when the money laundering scam is uncovered, when our coffers are looted, all I can say is I told you so!!!
Thank you for these comments. The basic premise of my column is that our President is ill-suited to be our President and that MAGA is a myth. Your comments support this in an excellent way.
I did not list specific shortcomings in my column because they are out there for everybody to see on a daily, sometimes hourly, basis. President Trump’s actions speak for themselves.
If people ignore the things you talk about, they will become the new normal – a real danger. The end does not always justify the means and even his supporters need to realize that truth.
Thanks, again, for making these comments here. I follow your comments elsewhere, as well, and am always impressed with them.
P. S. I grew up in Bossier Parish 15-20 miles from your town and my uncle had a supermarket there.
MAGA in action:
Transcript of Trump telephone call to the hosts of Fox & Friends on 20 September 2013:
“Problems start from the top, and they have to get solved from the top, and the President’s the leader, and he’s got to get everybody in a room, and he’s got to lead. And he doesn’t do that, he doesn’t like doing that, that’s not his strength. And that’s why you have this horrible situation going on in Washington. It’s a very, very bad thing and it’s very embarrassing worldwide.”
October 2013 interview with Fox News host Greta van Susteren:
“Well, very simply, you have to get everybody in a room. You have to be a leader. The president has to lead. He’s got to get [the Speaker of the House] and everybody else in a room, and they have to make a deal. You have to be nice, and be angry, and be wild, and cajole, and do all sorts of things. But you have to get a deal.”
Christina Wilkie, 1/19/2018, 11:12 p.m.:
“Trump just made history, many ways. First president to preside over a govt shutdown while his party controls the House, Senate and White House AND first president to preside over a shutdown on the first anniversary of his inauguration AND earliest shutdown ever in a presidency.”
I could not say it better than Ms. Wilkie if I tried. The art of the deal by the Chief Apprentice.
You nailed it. Dishonest Don is the 21st Century’s answer to the snake oil salesman