OPINION: Big stick energy

"Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far" — Theodore Roosevelt

We are witnessing in real time the “Trump Effect” where the implementation of Trump policies began the night of the election. It is almost as if Trump became the president Nov. 6 and Biden nearly evaporated from reality.

Why? There are likely several reasons that are combining to create this once-in-a-generation alignment.

Humans are emotional beings. We make most of our decisions based on emotion and then use reason and logic to justify those decisions. Economists may tell you that markets are driven by factors like supply and demand, interest rates, money supply and monetary policy and while these may have effects to varying degrees, the overarching driver of an economy is emotion. Emotions like hope, fear, optimism, greed and trust will have a huge impact on the prosperity of an economy.

Remember, during the first days of the COVID scare there was a run on toilet paper. Someone thought that toilet paper would be essential to fighting the virus so they loaded up their shopping cart with bales of toilet paper. The shoppers in the vicinity saw this and decided they needed toilet paper before supplies ran out, which resulted in cart caravans of two-ply quilted softness drawing the attention of the news media. The fear of not having enough toilet paper spread nationally faster than any virus; all because of an irrational emotion outside the logic of economic analysis.

Charisma is the combination of empathy and power. As a real estate developer, Trump has had extensive and direct dealing with workers in the trades. This has given him the ability to communicate with the common man. He understands them and in return they appreciate his empathy and are attracted to his leadership. This is the foundation of his broad popular support.

People don’t like being lied to and they like being forced to lie even less.

Progressive Democrats have been telling people that men can become women, menstruate and even become pregnant. The say that men should compete in women’s sports, in violation of Title IX, just because they “say” they are women. They promote a modern version of lobotomization with the surgical mutilation of prepubescent children to treat the fashionable mental condition of “gender dysphoria.”

We were told that the border invasion wasn’t an invasion. We were told that inflation wasn’t an issue even though prices of basic essentials had nearly doubled. We were told that no one is above the law as we watched the weaponization of a two-tier justice system. We were gaslighted with a nonstop string of lies from the “Fine People Hoax” to “Trump is Hitler” to “Biden is sharp as a Tack” to “Harris will be a great president.” Anyone who dared argue against these fallacies was labeled, shunned and canceled.

Most of the nation knew the truth. They understood, even though they remained silent, that the Democrats were dealing in fantasy. Many prominent rational Democrats could see reality and abandoned the party. RFK, Rogan, Gabbard and many others had their fealty to the Democrat Party severed by the mendacity of the Democrat leadership.

But Trump lies too, you say. Yes, he does, as do all politicians. But these lies are generally hyperbola related to scale or size or quality. You can exaggerate the size or impact of something while still being directionally true. Trump claimed his 2017 inauguration was the “most watched” of all time, a fact impossible to prove due to the advent of online streaming. Compared to Obama’s inauguration in 2009, fewer attended in person on the National Mall but who knows how many “watched” worldwide on TV and the internet?

Trump typically does what he says he is going to do. Build a wall, move an embassy, lower energy prices, reduce regulation, etc. are all promises kept. He may not meet the timeline or scale but the effort is in the right direction.

Compare that to Biden forcefully stating that he believed in the rule of law, that no one is above the law and that he would definitely not pardon his son, Hunter. We knew it was a lie and so, no joke, he pardons Hunter. Not just a pardon for the gun crime but a blanket pardon for any and all crimes going back 11 years to the beginning of the Biden family involvement in Burisma. Nothing to see here folks, move along.

Democrats had built an entire edifice based on the moral superiority of Biden’s declaration that “no one is above the law.” After suffering a crushing defeat at the polls, the Democrats could take solace in thinking that at least they had the moral high ground. Now Biden has obliterated their refuge, leaving them gasping without leadership or a clear unifying purpose.

Many world leaders understand the consequence of a Trump presidency because they have witnessed it before from a perspective that was largely free of mainstream media propaganda. They know that when he talks about tariffs he’s serious. They know he isn’t compromised by shady political dealings with corrupt regimes. They saw the lengths his opponents went to try and defeat him, and failed. They saw the courage displayed during the first assassination attempt. They witnessed the greatest political comeback in the history of the greatest nation. They don’t need to be lectured or convinced or bribed or cajoled. They only need to hear a few words softly spoken.

Trump clearly has big stick energy, and everybody knows it.

It’s just common sense.

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Brent Regan is chairman of the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee.