“America First”—We’ve Been Here Before

Our angst on how to react decisively to events in the Middle East can be tied to a profound fear of foreign engagements expressed by the America First populists. America First exposes the fracture lines among conservatives, with Firsters not questioning our country’s continued viability if isolationism becomes our primary concern. We must be respected and even feared internationally to be secure within our borders. Why? We have a target on our back!

America First implies that we won’t fiercely defend our interests if we can’t establish an obvious, clear, and present danger. How one measures that is difficult and subjective, to say the least. Protecting our nation has become too obtuse, leaving an opening for our enemies to attack our principles, land, and people by countries and now even groups of countries that have the capacity and intent to destroy us socially, economically, and eventually, militarily. To put this in perspective, how many reading this don’t believe Iran has sleeper cells poised to strike us right here, right now?

Isolation or Interest? U.S. Role on World Stage:-

The question of what is in America’s interest is at the heart of a pivotal challenge for an administration that abhors foreign entanglements. (I note that President Trump has given Iran two weeks to come to terms before potentially pulling the trigger on Iran.) Conservatives are split into factions, with the Lindsey Graham wing vs. V.P. Vance supporting our President, albeit with an obviously clenched sphincter. American conservatism has itself fractured as we point fingers at each other, decrying those who we think are Neocons and traitors vs. “authentic” conservatives.

We must strike a balance between the theoretical and the practical

Too many of us live in a bubble of our own imagination, seeing everything one-dimensionally. Many will look backward to find obvious failures in the past for otherwise sound policies that were poorly implemented, meddled with politically, or snatched from victory through feckless leadership as support of their America-First worldview.

The first question every American should answer is simple. Is Iran an existential threat to our country that, left to its own devices, will result in further loss of American lives and damage our economy? Iran has killed thousands of Americans since the return of the Ayatollahs. We must listen and believe them when they say the Great Satan must be destroyed. The obvious conclusion is that they are a mortal threat that must be dealt with. But, as to military vs. diplomacy and how expedient the threat is, 78% of Americans believe Iran cannot be allowed to possess nuclear weapons, and the best analysis says they are close, very close.

We must not be a prisoner of a single idea. We can be for America First and fight for our survival and essential interests simultaneously.

America First misses the importance of bringing about desirable outcomes that don’t necessarily fit into this or that slogan. Four terms especially underscore the divide well:

• No forever wars
• America is Not the World’s Policeman
• No More Regime Change Wars
• Put America First

There have always been those who have had a Fortress America view of politics and to hell with the rest of the world. I’ve met some of those people, and they are as strident as some of the Dems who insist that our country is inherently corrupt and irredeemably racist. Both sides are wrong.

America First or Far Left— AThreat to National Stability:-

America Firsters are just as dangerous to our country as Marxists on the left. Thank God the great American silent majority is more level-headed and intrinsically suspicious of extreme positions from either side.

We must look to the past and learn from history to understand the future. Modern American conservative thought coalesced during WWII and continued until about 2009. I’d argue that a fuse was lit during the Presidency of Barack Obama, who in many ways was prescience (evilly so)  when he gave his “American Dream speech in 2007:

“To stand up for these Americans, I don’t want to settle for anything less than real change, fundamental change – change we need – change that we can believe in.”

Obama did change America in incalculable ways, springboarding off these five issues:

• Affordable Care Act(ACA) – Commonly known as Obamacare, this law expanded healthcare coverage through coercion and the commencement of government-subsidized healthcare for all, reshaping the healthcare system.
• Social & Cultural Shifts– Obama supported LGBTQ+ rights, including the legalization of same-sex marriage and an activist approach to perceived systemic racial injustice.
• Foreign Policy Realignments– His administration pursued diplomatic engagement, including the Iran nuclear deal and normalizing relations with Cuba.
• Economic Recovery– He led efforts that led to the beginning of never-ending stimulus packages, free things, and onerous financial regulations.
• Technology & Climate Initiatives– Obama promoted the idea that we were doomed unless we adopted clean energy and climate change policies, signing the Paris Climate Agreement.