Donald Trump’s presidential win is a vivid refutation of two adages: cheaters never prosper, and might doesn’t make right.
These are not just comforting words that parents say to their bullied children. They are, or at least ought to be, the letter of the law. From community ordinances all the way up to international agreements, the law is built around compliance (against cheating) and constraints on powerful actors (against bullying). So are many rule-based activities like professional sports. Just ask rule-breakers like the disgraced bicyclist Lance Armstrong or bullies like soccer player David Pratt who was kicked out of a game at the three-second mark for lunging at another player.
But politics is a different matter. Bullies and rule-breakers are in charge of many countries today, including Vladimir Putin in Russia, Narendra Modi in India, Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey.
And now Donald Trump has broken laws and punched down all the way to the White House.
American voters either ignored or celebrated Trump’s behavior of macho misconduct. There’s a long American tradition of honoring outlaws that dates back at least to the days of Billy the Kid. On top of that, many voters relished the prospect of putting …read more
Source:: Institute for Policy Studies
