- Is it really necessary for Trump to unify the GOP?
We call ourselves the "United" States of America, but it hardly seems that way anymore. Between our contrasting views of politics, socioeconomics, religion and morality, it seems there is little to agree on. The media claims the Republican party is divided and that Donald Trump, as presumptive candidate, should take steps to unify the party, a party that tried to undermine his every step in the campaign. However, the Democratic party is just as divided, maybe more so. The ultra Left, as characterized by Sen. Sanders' campaign cannot stomach Mrs. Clinton, nor does she have any use for him.
This is not to suggest political unity cannot be achieved. For example, the differences between Jack Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson were substantial. Even though they despised each other, they teamed up to win the 1960 election. However, today it is less likely for such marriages to occur as the campaign language has become more venomous and the relationship between candidates more toxic.
Going beyond party unity, let's consider this; no matter who wins the presidential election in November, half of the country will not accept the candidate and violence will likely ensue, and, Yes, some people will move out of the country in protest. This is indicative of the intolerance we maintain for our ideological opposites.
People will inevitably blame one candidate or the other for the divisiveness of the country, but the reality is, we are no longer a nation willing to unify anymore. It is not in our nature to do so. Regardless of the institution we work in, we have been taught to be rugged individualists as opposed to team players. Companies still give preference to individual achievement over group effort, and nonprofits are run as "Good Ole Boy" clubs practicing crony capitalism. Only in certain team sports or natural disasters do Americans pull together. We no longer respect, nor tolerate, the values and opinions of others.
Why the push for unity in our political parties? It is the American media trying to create political drama for the purpose of raising revenues. The truth is, we haven't been a united country since the 1930's and 40's where we battled the Great Depression and World War II. All other times it has been facade.
Here is the reality of the situation, in 2008 and 2012, Republicans voted AGAINST Obama, not FOR McCain or Romney. This is unity by default, not because we were willing to fall in line behind a candidate.
So, when Donald Trump says he can win the presidency without a unified Republican party, he is probably right. Then again the party has never really been truly united, nor the Democrats.
Also published with News Talk Florida.
Keep the Faith!
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Tim Bryce is a writer and the Managing Director of M&JB Investment Company (M&JB) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com
For Tim's columns, see: timbryce.com
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Copyright © 2016 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.
NEXT UP: THE FAMILY DOCTOR - A dying breed.
LAST TIME: JOB TITLES - Do they really serve a vlid purpose?
I think the idea of job titles originally came from the military centuries ago when it was necessary to delineate the chain of command, such as generals, colonels, captains, etc. In business you were simply known by your profession, such as accountant, attorney, baker, doctor, laborer, etc. As big business flourished though we started to add titles like the military to denote the administrative hierarchy, such as president, vice president, director, manager, supervisor, etc. Today it seems like everyone has to have some impressive job title and the more obnoxious, the better.
Please note: This column was originally written on April 26, 2016 for News Talk Radio. Some changes have occurred wince its publication, but the point of the article remains intact.
Now that Senator Cruz and Governor Kasich have dropped out of the GOP presidential race following the Indiana primary, Donald Trump can now make plans to move forward as the presumptive nominee. Actually, Trump had it in the bag all along as he had a lock on all of the remaining primaries, contrary to what the media told us.
Back before I was married and lived up north, I had a good friend who I would pal around with. We were somewhat of a "Mutt and Jeff" team whereby I was the tall one and my friend was the short one. Nevertheless, he came over to visit my condo one day and as we were leaving he happened to notice a light switch in my patio area. It was daytime and he went over to see what the switch was used for. He turned it on and off several times, but couldn't see what it was doing. Unbeknownst to him, the switch was used to turn on and off an outdoor globe light which was located just three feet above his head, but from where he was standing he couldn't see anything. To me, who was standing about ten feet away, it was all rather comical as I watched the light above his head turn on and off several times while my friend grew more exasperated with the switch. I suggested we change places and I turned on the switch whereby my friend could finally "see the light."
I have always found it interesting how people formulate decisions. Actually, I believe there are two sides for doing so, the logical side, and what I like to call the wacko side.
Our firm has been in business for 45 years, yet it seems like yesterday when we started. We have had our share of ups and down, but perhaps the one thing we are most proud of is that we have never failed to honor commitments to our customers. This means we shipped our products on time, conducted our consulting and training services on time and professionally, issued reports promptly, and never lied to our customers. They may not have liked what we had to say, but we always endeavored to tell the truth. In other words, you can take our word to the bank.