The most revealing aspect of Goldberg’s Atlantic Monthly article (and subsequent interviews) on the Orange One’s disrespect for fallen, injured, or captured military is Goldberg’s statement today on Morning Joke that “Trump seems genuinely puzzled at the concept of service, especially dangerous or risky service without monetary reward.” That’s the contrast on our ballot this year, being led by a serial draft dodger whose entire worldview is about personal profit and loss and who sees any motive other than money as foolhardy and anyone who sacrifices for a cause greater than themselves as “losers” and “suckers,” or being led by someone whose entire life has been one of public service, who lost his oldest son to brain cancer caused by military service, and who has always sacrificed for the greater good.
I have mixed feelings about the way this country usually all-but-worships the military. I think that is harmful to democracy and can lead to fascism. I come from a long line of military veterans, mostly in the Navy, and so does my wife. I served 4 years in the U.S. Army myself. But I became a pacifist and peace activist after that service (which ended in ‘84)—and found a surprising number of military veterans in the peace movement.
So, I am not saying that all U.S. presidents should be former military. But our presidents SHOULD be people who serve causes larger than themselves. We should have military veterans, but also peace corps and Americorps veterans, veterans of the intelligence services and of the state department and diplomatic corps. We should elect teachers and EMTs, doctors, public defenders (like Joe Biden), community organizers, social workers. We should be a nation of service and sacrifice for the common good. That would feed a healthy democracy.
Or we can follow the “Greed is good” and “what’s in it for me” philosophy of Trumpism and the modern Republican Party—and quickly descend into fascism.