The Dark Knight - WSJ editorial
Say this much for Donald Trump’s Republican acceptance speech Thursday night: He stayed true to the campaign he has run from the start. The outsider stuck to his dark, populist themes of an America under siege by crime, terrorism, corruption and illegal immigration. He offered himself and his business success, more than any coherent set of ideas, as the revival medicine. The speech was aimed at mobilizing an angry electorate to join him in storming the ramparts of Washington. It was a polarizing speech for a polarized era.
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Many American cities are seeing murders increase, and one reason is the progressive political assault on police and “broken-windows” policing. But we are a long way from 1968, and some voters may wonder what country he is talking about.
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Mr. Trump’s focus on the terror threat is more grounded in reality, and he will no doubt win adherents with his promise that “we are going to defeat the barbarians of ISIS.” We hope he means it.
But his program for doing so consisted only of “the best intelligence-gathering” in the world, a parroting of Hillary Clinton; no more “nation-building and regime change” in the Middle East, an echo of Mr. Obama; and suspending immigration from any nation “compromised by terrorism until such time as proven vetting mechanisms have been put in place.” Better border control won’t defeat ISIS in its safe havens abroad, but Mr. Trump the populist doesn’t want to tell Americans, any more than Mr. Obama does, that a greater U.S. military commitment overseas will be needed.
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Illegal immigration was far greater during the 1980s and 1990s when the U.S. economy was booming, and there is little evidence that it has reduced American wages. As for trade, the truth is that the U.S. typically has smaller trade deficits with nations with which we have struck bilateral or multilateral deals. Reducing immigration and trade would hurt the economy and reduce incomes, the opposite of what Mr. Trump is promising.
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Mr. Trump’s biggest idea is himself. His politics is personal, not ideological, and his main pitch to Americans is that he can be the agent of the change they want, details to be filled in later. “I am your voice,” he said, in the speech’s signature line. The messenger is his message. This has the virtue of being truth in advertising, but it also means that Democrats next week will do whatever they can to tarnish the Trump brand—business and personal.
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http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-dark-knight-1469206277
