In two weeks Americans will elect a
new president. The last Presidential Debate is now in the history books and
both sides claim victory. The campaign for both Donald Trump and Hillary
Clinton continues to wallow in the mud pit and nobody seems interested in
important facts or the issues most urgent to the United States economically,
socially, or what is most important to the welfare and safety of its people.
According
to the pundits and poll takers it is all over for Trump so everyone should get
used to four years of extended Obama care in all its facets. Yet there still
may be a fly in the ointment; The Silent Majority.
Reviewing
history November 3, 1948 proved a historical landmark. It was on this date that
the Chicago Daily Tribune blazed the headline, “Dewey Defeats Truman.” Only one
problem—Dewey lost!
Harry
S Truman, a Democrat, was the incumbent president. He was elevated to the
office of President of the United States after President Franklin D. Roosevelt
suddenly died on April 12, 1945, during the later stages of World War Two. As
the 32nd president, he had been elected to his fourth term and the
burden of office finally took its toll. He died at his retreat at Warm Springs,
Georgia of a massive cerebral hemorrhage. Truman was his vice president and on
notification of Roosevelt’s death he found himself as America’s war-time
leader.
When
Truman took office he had no idea of exactly where the United States stood as
far as foreign relations regarding Russia, England, France or China, or
anything to do with the atomic bomb which was nearly ready for warfare. The war
with Japan was raging and the United States was preparing for a bloody high
casualty assault on mainland Japan following the invasion of Okinawa.
After
Truman was finally briefed on the atomic bomb he made no concessions; Japan was
to immediately quit the war or the bomb would be dropped. He had no intentions
of spilling American blood trying to invade the Japanese homeland. So, the
order was made and a B-29 bomber named the “Enola Gay,” piloted by Col. Paul
Tibbets, flew over Hiroshima and dropped the first nuclear bomb in history thus
opening Pandora’s Box.
A
few days later when the Japanese government refused to surrender a second B-29
piloted by Maj. Charles Sweeney flew over Nagasaki and dropped another atomic
bomb. The estimated deaths of those who died in the explosions rose to a number
of more than 199,000.
Truman
had no regrets about his decision to the use of atomic bombs. Military experts
believed that in order for America to invade Japan U.S. loses would have
reached at least a million causalities.
When
the bombs were dropped there was a sense of euphoria that quickly passed when
the number of Japanese deaths was reported.
And
that was when Truman started to lose the support of the American people.
Coupled with the ending of war thousands of servicemen returned home to an insecure
future. There was no housing, no jobs and no idea of where the nation was
heading in its post war years.
The
ironic thing was that in 1948 when Truman ran against Dewey it was expected
that this untried former vice-president who was never elected to the presidency
would be easily defeated. But something stirred the heart of the American
people; they were willing on going along with this brash, sometimes
foul-mouthed, stubborn man and trust him to continue to lead. With that
election history was rewritten when the “silent majority” showed up at the
polls and contrary to everyone’s expectation, Truman returned to office.
But things are different
today. In our present we have an elite group of politicians, an arrogant
self-serving media and an inbred system of corruption never before seen in
former times. There is no such thing as “America for Americans” anymore and
regardless of the scandals, lies and political double talk by Hillary Clinton,
our country’s citizens seem to hold to the old idea that “anything goes,” is
alright.
It seems that Americans
have little or no regard where the country is heading. Yet some 74 per cent say
that we are heading in the wrong direction but seem willing to continue down
the same old path even though the consequences may prove disastrous.
And there are those who
say they are disgusted with both candidates but still not sure where they stand
on Election Day. But there is a buzz in the background; in Florida early
Republican voters casting their ballots outnumber the Democrats. Trump who
gathers thousands at his events continues to be popular with the masses. How
many of these folks will show up on November 8? Most of them it is believed.
It will be interesting to
see if the “silent majority” shows up in enough numbers to make a difference. This
could be another “1948.”
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