Trump is Riding a “Rising Tide of Discontent Within the U.S.,” But Can He Really Change Things?

This article was written by Brandon Smith and originally published at his Alt-Market.com site.

Editor’s Comment: The Donald pulled in a big win again last night, though Kasich won Ohio and the establishment GOP are vowing to take it to a floor fight. There is still a long road ahead, but the larger question is, what can Americans take home it all?

The reformer faces an uphill battle, at least in our current state. The election seems farcical and rigged, though it is well suited to Trump’s particular savvy with reality TV and game show formats. In that environment, he can clearly win, please and entertain both his supporters and detractors at the same time. But as far as making actual changes in the system, such a reformer much also face the entrenched resistance of the system and its players, and also face up to the cynical fact that the people are easily aroused on various issues, but they are rarely focused on the real problems at the right time, with the right sort of critical mass.

Though Trump’s candidacy is a sure sign that the people are ready for revolution and beyond tired of the lies and general shafting, the road to true recovery is still difficult and long ahead…

Will A Trump Presidency Really Change Anything For The Better?

by Brandon Smith

I want to start this analysis by stating that I fully understand the whirlwind of public interest in Donald Trump’s campaign. However, for those that don’t get it, let me break it down for you.

A sizable portion of the American population considers themselves “conservative.” More than 38% of U.S. citizens, according to Gallup, hold conservative political and social views. Only 24% of the public considers themselves “liberal.” Now, I realize that the term “conservative” means different things to different people, so I would apply a simple rule to categorize them — a conservative is easiest to identify by his or her distaste for normally liberal ideological views. Beyond that, different factions of conservatives disagree on a whole host of issues.

The goal of any conservative candidate that hopes to be publicly “popular,” whether he actually intends to follow through with his promises or not, is to appear to be all things to all factions; to avoid alienating one faction to appease another. After he is elected (or, after he is placed in the oval office by the powers that be), he may abandon any care for appeasing any of his constituents. Until then, he plays the game so that Americans can maintain faith in the system for at least one moment every four years.

Trump’s popularity is predicated on the fact that past Republican candidates have done little to make friends with true conservatives and have not sought alliances with the factions of conservatism that have been growing in momentum and power the past two decades. In fact, the Republican candidates presented to the citizenry in recent memory have ALL had characteristics more akin to liberal Democrats than conservative stalwarts. Mitt Romney, for instance, was essentially a carbon copy of Barack Obama in terms of political policy and voting record, with only slightly greasier complexion and equally mysterious religious background.

Election after election, conservative Americans have been offered one RINO (Republican In Name Only) candidate after another: politicians whose rhetoric sounds principled but whose record is littered with big government policies, constitutional violations, and a disregard for the intentions of the founding fathers. It is very difficult to call yourself a “conservative” in America unless you respect (or at least claim to respect) the tenets of limited government, constitutional law, and a regard for the heritage of our founding principles. U.S. conservatives have not had a candidate sharing their views for a long time.

Democrats may finally be experiencing a similar disenchantment with establishment candidates considering the surprising popularity of Bernie Sanders this election. The problem is, democrats are trapped in the big government mindset and are for the most part a lost cause. Their anti-establishment candidate is a self-categorized socialist, after all. The only hope for a constitutional small government candidate and a return to our founding principles in politics rests in the hands of Republicans, being that third parties are quashed before they get a chance to put their foot in the door.

So, you have most if not all Democratic candidates working for bigger more powerful government which leads to increased corruption and less liberty. You also have most Republicans working for bigger and more powerful government and less liberty. And you have few, if any, candidates that represent the majority of voters seeking limited constitutional government.

Those of us in the liberty movement call this the “false left/right paradigm”. It is the most insidious form of social control present in our nation and it makes a mockery of the election process. That is to say, elections are now nothing more than a way for international financiers and elites to keep the masses in line by allowing them to believe (falsely) that they have a “choice” and thus power to determine the future of our country. In fact, our choice is contrived and we have no political power whatsoever. The rest of America is finally starting to become aware of the false paradigm that liberty proponents have been warning about for generations. Is it any wonder that people are becoming fed up with the system?

The genius of Donald Trump as an election figure is that he has little to no political history. He does not have an extensive legislative or voting record that we can look back on and determine where he stands. His political affiliations have been all over the place with him identifying as a Democrat at one time, Republican at other times, and even independent. Most of us cannot really judge his potential based on this. Hell, I was a registered Democrat early in my life, so how can I hold it against Trump?

Beyond Trump’s rather disturbing past affiliation and friendship with the Clintons, he is otherwise a blank political slate. And as a blank slate, Trump can in fact present himself as all things to all people.

The other ingenious aspect of the Trump campaign is really who he is running against — Hillary Clinton, a rabidly liberal candidate even more hated than Barack Obama. A candidate with a potentially serious criminal record and a penchant for an outright communistic world view far beyond that of Bernie Sanders. Those of us who have been in the writing field for a long time and have dabbled in fiction know that in order to create a fantastic hero, you must first put even more work into creating a fantastic villain. The hero is nothing without the villain.

The unmitigated horror inherent in the prospect of a Hillary Clinton presidency is like adding jet fuel to the Trump campaign. (And yes, I am assuming according to the results of the primaries so far that the final election will be between Trump and Clinton).

Donald Trump appears to be the perfect antithesis to Hillary Clinton. He is loud and boisterous and a bit obnoxious. He trash talks and says whatever he wants to the torment of liberals. He stomps on the throats of the political correctness police and doesn’t care if they call him a racist or a sexist or a misogynist. And, Americans LOVE IT. They can’t get enough of it.

Conservatives are so tired of cultural Marxists, crazy feminists, the leftist domination of media, PC thought crime, forced immigration policies and the protection of illegal immigration, paying for social entitlement programs, etc., that they are ready to explode. They are, in fact, ready to go to war. I would even dare to say that a Clinton presidency would lead directly to guaranteed outright civil war. This is not an exaggeration.

So, the real question is, is Trump a reflection of the frustration and defiance of the conservative population, or, is he a clever ruse by the establishment to co-opt and placate the conservative population before we rebel?

Again, without much political background to examine and only rhetoric to go by, Trump is a mystery. If Trump is a legitimate anti-establishment candidate, then here are some of the actions he would have to pursue in order to prove it.

1) The complete reversal of every unconstitutional Obama Administration and Bush Administration executive order.

2) The pursuit of removal of the indefinite detention provisions and secret tribunals contained in the NDAA.

3) The removal of FISA, and the end of the invasion of privacy and other violations of the 4^th Amendment by the NSA against American citizens.

4) The end of secretive executive powers of assassination, including the assassination of American citizens without trial.

5) The dismantling of the Department of Homeland Security in light of abuses of constitutional limits.

6) The complete reversal of Obamacare.

7) The immediate end to all refugee relocation programs related to the Middle East and Syria.

8) The true enforcement of illegal immigration laws and border controls.

9) The encouragement of states to assert their right to protect their borders based on the 10^th Amendment.

10) An immediate call for an independent investigation into the immigration policies of the Obama Administration.

11) An immediate independent investigation into the Benghazi attacks.

12) An immediate independent investigation into the ATF’s “Fast and Furious” gun running program.

13) An immediate independent investigation into the involvement of covert intelligence agencies and the Department of Defense in the funding and training of ISIS.

14) An immediate call for an independent investigation of corruption within the election process itself, as well as the influence of international banks and corporations in the election process.

15) The removal of unfair restrictions that prevent third party and independent candidates from participation in public debates.

16) An immediate call for an investigative audit of the Federal Reserve as well as the pursuit of dismantling the fed and transitioning America back into constitutional sound money creation.

17) An investigation into U.S. relations with the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and the Bank of International Settlements with the intention of ending all ties to said organizations if and when criminal conduct is discovered.

18) An end to the revolving door of banking elites cycling through various cabinet positions within the White House.

19) An immediate investigation into the influence of international financiers and globalist think tanks like the Council On Foreign Relations and their efforts to destroy the national sovereignty of the U.S.

20) The end of globalization of U.S. foreign policy and economic policy which has weakened America, and the return to a more independent and self reliant American economic and defense infrastructure.

I’m sure that readers can think of many other potential actions that would help to prove beyond a doubt that Donald Trump is the kind of anti-establishment firebrand he presents himself to be. If Trump does take such measures during his presidency, then he may be a president worth supporting, or even fighting for. If he pursues few or none of these measures, however, we can be relatively certain he is just another establishment puppet playing his part in the false left/right paradigm leading America toward oblivion.

Whatever Trump is, his popularity does indicate a rising tide of discontent within the U.S. The insane circus atmosphere of election 2016 is no coincidence; it is a perfect representation of the overflowing tensions that permeate our culture and are leading to potential earth shattering conflict. Keep in mind that America’s economic situation was already decided back in 2008 and will only become worse as we move into the election season. Whatever tensions we see now will only multiply as financial crisis becomes more apparent to the masses.

The idea that a Trump presidency will change much of anything is a rather farfetched one in my view. Trump’s popularity only suggests that people are seeking alternatives. The damage to America has for the most part already been done, and there will be no avoiding the consequences. That said, how we rebuild can still be determined. No political leader including Trump will ever be able to heal the American system or the American psyche, but the efforts of millions of independent and liberty minded Americans can. We have a long and terrible struggle ahead of us, but to look at it from an “optimistic” perspective, at least Americans are becoming sick of the status quo. That is a start.

This article has been contributed by SHTF Plan. Visit www.SHTFplan.com for alternative news, commentary and preparedness info.