Kimberley Strassel - 15 Oct

Political pundits learn early the risk of making predictions, but I will make one here: The reaction to this bookat least among some quarterswill prove its point.

The election on November 8, 2016, of Donald J. Trump to the presidency of United States unleashed many changes, though among the most enduring will be the rise of the Resistance. Loosely defined, these are the legions of Americans who were resolutely opposed to the election of Trump, and who remain angrily determined to remove him from office. They come in every shape and sizeDemocrats, Republicans, ardent leftists, moderate suburbanites, brainwashed millennialsbut they share one thing in common. They view everything to do with Trump in black-and-white morality. You either hate the man, or you are as bad as the man.

There is, in fact, a reason the subtitle of this book refers to Trump haters rather than Trump critics. Many thoughtful Americans, and many thoughtful political writers, have issues with our 45th presidentmyself included. But the critics have also worked to do that very hard thing of judging Trump via the same lens they have judged past presidents. They praise him when he gets things right. They criticize him when he gets things wrong. This is the usual and long-held method of political accountability.

But the haters cant abide nuance. To the Resistance, any praiseno matter how qualifiedof Trump is tantamount to American betrayal. And by extension, any criticism of the Resistance is equally heretical. If you are a Trump hater, this is an excellent way of shutting down challenges to your tactics or arguments. But its a rotten way of furthering public debate, and the ensuing vacuum of meaningful discussion has already led the Resistance to overindulge. It is now engaging in behavior that is proving far more corrosive to our institutions and rule of law than anything of which it has accused the president.

Indeed, the claim that Trump marks some new or existential threat to the United States is hard to make in light of history. America has had many presidents who attracted deep loathing while in office, even from members of their own party. Not a few historians have made the comparison between Trump and Andrew Jackson, the nations seventh chief executive. Jackson was combative and passionate, prone to fits of rage. He believed himself the peoples president, and that he was therefore justified in aggressive use of his powers. His criticswhich included a lot of polite society and the pressdecried him as a racist, of lacking the intelligence and temperament for office, and of engaging in patronage and personal enrichment. Opponents warned of the imminent demise of a young nation under a dictator and tyranta man they derided as King Andrew. Yet Jackson also remains one of the more influential presidents. And obviously, the nation endured. While Trump has certainly brought a new and impolitic feel to the office of the presidency, the claims that he is a despot are simply false.

Notwithstanding some of his more flippant proposals, his presidency has, in fact, been remarkably rule bound. Unlike his predecessor, he has not governed by executive orders. He has dramatically reduced the size of federal governmentnot expanded it. He has appointed judges on the basis of their fidelity to the clear language of the Constitution and law. Despite shrieks of a budding autocracy, the 2018 midterms resulted in a normal, peaceful Democratic takeover of the Housenary a tank to be seen in the streets.

It is instead the reaction to Trump that is new and alarming, and that threatens to leave enduring marks. The term the haters have chosen for themselvesthe Resistancesays it all. Throughout history, political resistance movements have existed to undermine occupying powers, as the French Resistance did in response to Nazi Germany. The very word suggests illegitimacya movement organized against an authority that has no right to rule. Yet whatever your views of Donald Trump, he won his election fair and square, under an Electoral College that has governed our system from the start.

The mind-set nonetheless explains how the Resistance has gone so far off the rails. Those who view their targets or their actions as illegitimate view themselves as justified in taking any action necessary to get rid of the occupier. Whether that be turning the awesome powers of the Department of Justice and the FBI against an unconventional presidential campaign, or ambushing a Supreme Court nominee with uncorroborated sexual-assault allegations, or using the impeachment process for political retribution, the Resistance views itself in the right.

But these actions arent right. In a poker match, one player might not like the look of the other, or his taunts, or his aggressive play. But that doesnt give him the right to cheatto slip an extra ace up his sleeve or mark cards. This has been the behavior of the Resistance leaders, and it has already caused harm to vital institutions. It is nothing short of alarming that huge swathes of the country no longer trust the Justice Department or the FBI to administer equal justice. Or that, according to a 2018 Axios poll, 72% of Americans believe that traditional, major news sources report news they know to be fake, false or purposely misleadingincluding 92% of Republicans and 79% of independents. Or that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has felt compelled to rebuke anti-Trump district court judges for exceeding their powers. Or that 2020 Democratic presidential candidates are campaigning on proposals to destroy some of our most basic aspects of U.S. democracyfrom the Electoral College to the Senate filibuster.

So back to that prediction. This is not a book about Donald Trump, per se. There are lots of books about the Donaldsome fawning, some reasonable, tons critical. Entire vats of ink have gone into analyzing his every action or non-action and predicting what each means for this nation. That area is well covered. Nor is this a book about the many millions of Americans who passionately, even understandably, dislike Donald Trumpbut who remain committed to rule of law, dignity in politics, and principled opposition.