Judd Gregg: Restoring the middle

Ok, enough.

Ok, enough with the anger.

{mosads}No one can govern with anger as their motivation. It leads, as history has shown all too often, to profoundly unfortunate results. It is also antithetical to the American dream. 

This is not a nation built on anger. It is a nation built by people seeking a better and more rewarding way of life. Anger has nothing to contribute to it.

Ok, enough with the politics of envy.

Envy never brings good results. When Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and his misguided minions rally to the banner of occupying this or that, or redistributing the fruits of others’ efforts, they do not speak to a good cause. They speak for the tired and failed politics of envy.  

This, also, has no roll in the tradition that raised up our nation and way of life. In fact, just the opposite is true. It is not envy that drives our culture. It is the belief in “the better” — a better way of life for all who try, and work, and believe in their dreams. That is what has made America the shining city on the hill.

Ok, enough with the politics of class.

Most Americans or their ancestors came here to escape the idea that society is divided by class. This is a European idea and a poor one. 

When President Obama attempts to divide this nation into groups mostly defined by wealth or way of life, he injects the idea of class — and class confrontation — into American culture. 

This is not our way as a nation. There will, of course, always be people who have disproportionate wealth. But what is unique about America is that people become incredibly successful usually through their own efforts, such as Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg. But people also lose all their money. 

The top one percent is not a stable, set group. Its membership is very fluid and, for the most part, it is determined on merit. We are not a class society, we are a society that in large part allows wealth to be accrued through effort and ideas.

The push to make us a class-conscious culture is a true disservice to our nation.

Ok, enough with the politics of hate.

In one of his many extraordinary books on American history, Paul Johnson, the Oxford historian, dedicates a chapter of thought to the politics of hate. His conclusion is that although it is often practiced in the American arena, it is not a viable approach to political success. 

Americans are not natural haters. The ways and philosophies that produce virulent politics of hate, such as Islamic fundamentalism or Nazism, are not our ways. We are very different. As a people, we almost always give other approaches the benefit of the doubt, and we rarely seek retribution. 

Ok, enough with the politics of the one-liner.

Everyone likes a good one-liner. But most one-liners are glib exaggerations. It is difficult to govern based on one-liners because serious issues like addressing the deficit, improving the economy or defending the nation are inherently complex. 

It is time to hear substance from presidential candidates. Where do these folks who want to lead actually plan to take us? How will they address the unsustainable cost of our government or generate an atmosphere where small businesses can grow and create jobs, or facilitate a healthcare system that actually delivers better care at an affordable cost? 

The serious issues are numerous  —  too numerous to be papered over with lines from “Duck Dynasty.”

Ok, enough with the politics of polls.

Very soon, within a few weeks, we will mute the idea that a president is chosen by polls and  pundits. It is absurd that, without even one vote being cast, the talkers believe they have divined the identity of the presidential nominees of the major parties: Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. 

This happens every four years. But then voters actually get involved. Real folks take time out of their everyday activities to make their point. Their preferences rarely track with what they have been told to believe by the purveyors of conventional wisdom. 

One wonders why this is so? It is probably because there is no other group in the country that claims so arrogantly to speak with authority on what Americans think and want than the everlasting Washington media establishment.

The actual message of Main Street will be delivered when folks start to vote. They will send whatever message they wish. It is very likely to be significantly different from the predictions of the polls and pundits.  

New Hampshire is a good place to start this real messaging by real voters.

Judd Gregg (R) is a former governor and three-term senator from New Hampshire who served as chairman and ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, and as ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Foreign Operations subcommittee.