Monday, August 8, 2016

Who is the good American?

It looks like the speech by Khizr Khan at the Democratic national convention was a turning point in the presidential campaign. Here is my speculation as to why it was a turning point.

Trump likes to pretend he is the greatest at everything. Khan showed very specifically some ways in which Trump is a faker as a good American.

  • Khan's son was so patriotic that he joined the military, put his life at risk, and in fact lost his life. Trump was a coddled rich boy with draft deferments. None of his children joined the military. Most children of liberals don't join the military either. So who is the good American?
  • Khan had been married to the same woman, who has grown old and rather homely. She is a dedicated to her family, grieves for her son, and isn't vain, self-centered, and focused on her own appearance. In contrast, Trump is currently married to his third trophy wife, a former model who is over 20 years younger than him. So who is the good American?
  • Khan credits this country for his success and the ability of their sons to follow their dreams. He declares: "that with hard work and goodness of this country, we could share in and contribute to its blessings..." Contrast this with Donald Trump, who gives credit only to himself and his awesome abilities, and doesn't acknowledge the blessings that have come from others. So who is the good American?
  • Khan lists the people/groups Donald Trumps smears and disrespects: women, Muslims, other minorities, judges, and even the GOP leadership. So who is the good American?
  • Khan asks: "Have you even read the United States Constitution?" Trump, who doesn't acknowledge reading, but only watching TV. He probably doesn't carry a pocket copy of the Constitution in his expensive suits (and neither do most Americans, especially liberals). So who is the good American? 
  • Khan asks "Have you ever been to Arlington Cemetery?" All faiths, genders, ethnicities are found there. Trump has made no sacrifices. Perhaps this was the most scathing of the accusations. But it rings so true. So who is the good American?
Did Khizr Khan finally gets stalling voters/undecideds to see that Trump has no clothes, and is an ugly, empty, grasping fake? Perhaps he did. 

So who is the good American?

Image: abcnews.go.com



Extra. Backstory on how the Clinton campaign learned about the Khan family.

4 comments:

Dangerous said...

The most potent phrase Kahn used is that Trump "sacrificed nothing". Whether the Kahn family had experienced a huge loss or not, that critique is both true and damning. Trump doesn't give money to charity, doesn't give his time, doesn't promote good causes, doesn't serve the public. Any such results are tangential to serving his ego or his interests.

It was a turning point particularly because it grew organically. Mr. Kahn was intended as an interstitial speaker. The DNC didn't hype his presentation. He laid Trump bare and Trump showed his (twisted) soul in his counterattack, mostly because he could point to no sacrifice he made.

ModeratePoli said...

@dangerous, I think the response to Khan was mostly organic. However, I also think that the Clinton people recognized how powerful it would be as a very simple, stark speech. It was excellent that it was on the last night. Good on them for recognizing it.

Dangerous said...

Mr. Khan is a lawyer so he was ready with potent arguments and for any follow-up. He was all over the media for just the right about of time, and unlike that San Diego judge, Mr. Khan was in the position to push back strongly against the counterarguments Trump and his talking heads tried to put up. He beat them all and for more reasons that just being a Muslim Gold Star father. He had the better argument and presented it in a persuasive manner and with dignity and passion. Hillary could learn something from him, particular in defending the Clinton Foundation, which is a charity.

ModeratePoli said...

@dangerous, Khan is a lawyer, but so is Clinton. Possibly he's a better lawyer than she is.