Symphony – Page 29 – Pacific Daily Times Editorials

And then, the TV numbers came in.

Trump’s low-turnout rally in Tulsa melted down the media. 8 million viewers on Fox News eclipsed some 2 million on rival networks CNN and MSNBC. It was the highest-rated Saturday night for Fox News ever and, with advertisers, it was the most valued. Numbers don’t lie.

This supposed “White power” retirement rally in Florida is a rouse. The man’s words were sarcastic, as a provocative, comical comeback against some venomous parade trolls. At the pro-Trump golf cart procession, the anti-Trump crowd hawked and jeered. One lady jumped in front of an oncoming golf cart to force a collision, then demanded to see “the officer”, who never showed, until her own peers pulled her back and let the man pass. He stuck out his tongue at her. What evil!

Adding to last week’s list of reasons Trump will be reelected—mainly that he has neither defied campaign promises nor shown gross incompetence nor negligence—the opponent is boring. Joe Biden stirs the suspense of a sloth, much like Romney and McCain, whose lack of anything tellable successfully reelected Obama.

More than that, the anti-Trumpists seem histrionic. They don’t show the overly-dramatized performance of a group that is not losing. There’s more to proving a lack of minority support than someone convincingly saying, “Where are the minorities!?” But, anti-Trumpists don’t think so. If, indeed, minorities didn’t support Trump, those emphatic, emotional, convincing performances wouldn’t be necessary. Over-done theater from the Left isn’t the strongest cause for a Trump re-election, but it is the most convincing evidence this week.

In Cadence

Cadence of Conflict: Asia, June 22, 2020

SymphonyJune 22, 2020

China seems desperate for war. America has typically been the infamous provocateur. That’s how China paints things. That’s how Japan and Germany saw things. But, China has taken up a new role.

Buzzing jets into Taiwanese airspace is just one concern. China also sends fishing boats to ram Taiwan’s Coast Guard and sand ships just to annoy. These won’t convince the Taiwanese that China’s rule would be preferable to status quo. Taiwanese respond by demanding more money for military and more weapons purchases from America.

Hong Kong looks grim as Beijing closes its stranglehold. There’s no question anymore whether China held up its end of the bargain on its treaty that allowed Hong Kong to return. The question is whether anyone in the West cares. Hong Kongers have done all they can.

Meanwhile, Trump hasn’t forgotten. In America’s election, China “trumps” many topics, as it were—including the economy, the virus, Biden’s past, and even war. The only reason China hasn’t stepped up its aggression is unawareness: China doesn’t know how American elections work because China doesn’t understand the concept of democracy, as Hong Kong’s deterioration shows. To those who know, Trump faces a statistically likely victory. Holding out for November might prove too late.

In Encore

Encore of Revival: America, June 22, 2020

SymphonyJune 22, 2020

The Left is desperate and the Right is getting even moreso. With Chief Justice Roberts casting the deciding vote with Liberal justices, kicking back Trump’s move against DACA, Trumpists will lean in more than ever to fill upcoming Clinton-appointed vacancies with Conservatives.

Why would a million people reserve seats for a rally, then not show? Tump’s Tulsa rally seemed small, but there was more going on. Democrat-voting “influencers” are reported to have mocked the event—an act of desperation. How did they know? One doesn’t need to chide a president who is losing on his own. The social media platform TikTok was also reported involved—another act of desperation, and they are owned by the Chinese.

Surprisingly low turnouts are rare for Trump events. Mischief from the Left is suspect, squatter reservations and virus lock down policies among them. Low-turnout Tulsa won’t be overlooked in the Trump chronicles. And, it will rouse Republican voters while setting Democratic voters at ease to think the election is stacked in Biden’s favor.

While state and city police deal with protests, Trump steps back to allow local governments to work, yet he introduced some of the most sweeping police reform policy ever. Congress also is pushing for police reform.

As the looming election casts its normal shadow of question and concern, we are finally forced to deal with old problems which never should have been, just as much as no one found a way to escape them, let alone end them—until now.

In Cadence

Cadence of Conflict: Asia, June 15, 2020

SymphonyJune 15, 2020

The West and China just won’t back down from each other. China will no longer try to work through former Mayor Han of Kaohsiung to reunite Taiwan against the will of 23 million people. America wants to put new missiles in China’s back yard and every ally has turned down the offer except Taiwan, who hasn’t had the chance. Australia is putting out the word on China, it’s not the best place to study and coercion won’t work. Now, North Korea is selling sand—illegally, of course, since selling anything has been deemed “illegal” by the West.

The sad part about the predictability of this conflict is how many were surprised by it. China never wanted to Westernize, otherwise it wouldn’t have injected so many “Confucian” centers to indoctrinate other countries with their ancient Chinese ideals. All those students and propagandists from China were welcomed to teach Chinese or learn from the West, but when their Confucian-Communist colors shown, it all unraveled in a flash. Both professors and businesses that received Chinese money are sent packing.

But, we were always headed here. When ideological differences spread too broad, irreconcilable differences are destined to break whatever scaffolding temporarily binds us together. To those who saw it, they haven’t been affected by the divide. For the rest, the damage hurts to much not to blame and rage. And, that will only build.

In Encore

Encore of Revival: America, June 15, 2020

SymphonyJune 15, 2020

America faces a new kind of reconciliation. Democrat voters in Seattle have decided that government can be overbearing. Usually, that was a patent held by Republican-voting Conservatives. A group of citizens expected the government to obey their desires, another idea Conservatives faced opposition for. And, the news media falsely claims that this group in Seattle wants to become a separate nation and erase all borders. Usually, slander from the media was an honor reserved for Conservatives.

Things have reversed.

If a group of people have bad beliefs, the best way to survive those beliefs is to have those beliefs known so they can be rebutted fair and square. Listening is a vital part of proving someone wrong. The nation has a lot of growing up to do.

Democrat voters and Republican voters hold this in common more now than ever: refusal to listen. Republican voters believe that if a group in Seattle has an opinion, they are automatically wrong and therefore shouldn’t be heard nor should any claim of what they say be confirmed. Likewise, Democrat voters think if Trump says something, he is automatically wrong and anyone who says otherwise should be ignored without checking facts.

We have much more in common than we thought. But, the mutual refusal to listen tells us that fighting will only increase. Peace only comes to those who want it. Perhaps, the troubles our voluntarily deaf ears create will drive us to want to not fight more than we want to not listen—maybe.

In Cadence

Cadence of Conflict: Asia, June 8, 2020

SymphonyJune 8, 2020

If The Chinese think poll numbers looking low or that the unrest in America means the Xi doctrine has a widening path on the road ahead, they should think again. But, being Confucian Communist, that’s hard.

Trump actually may be ahead of where he was when he ran against Hillary. And, if the one president who could stand up to China were really on the outs, the last thing America’s government would want is for the news media to report on it. It’s a rouse. America and Trump are far better positioned to take on China than anti-society new media would have us think.

Mayor Han of Kaohsiung in Taiwan just faced a recall election and he got spanked. In a vote of 939k to 25k, the China hopeful from the grand old KMT-Nationalist Party faced a humiliation that the rest of the party might never overcome. The Kaohsiung city council speaker reportedly jumped to his death. Mayor Han had challenged Taiwan’s president in the general election and lost, now his own constituency dumped him. It wasn’t just a reprisal on him or his party; it was a reprisal against China. He ran on a platform of reuniting with China. These days, China is unpopular because of decisions within China’s power to change.

Hong Kong is another hot spot for bad press. While Hong Kong could never stop China alone, Hong Kongers have been a platform on which China showed the world how China does things. And, the world isn’t having it.

We’re past the point of common sense and diplomatic shuffles. Nothing China even could do ever would change anyone’s opinion. The world already has its mind made up.