Host Rachel Miselman unpacks Trump's election victory, the current state of politicians, what Trump represents, the source of division in our country, takes a call concerning Trump insulting Kamala Harris, & more.
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Bostonian Rap
The following commentary does not necessarily reflect the views of the staff and management of WBCA or the Boston Neighborhood Network. If you would like to express another opinion, you can address your comments to Boston Neighborhood Network, 302-5 Washington Street, Boston, Massachusetts, 02119. To arrange a time for your own commentary, you can call WBCA at 617-708-3215 or email radio at BNNMedia.org. Well, he represents something that's different. He represents something that is what we should be seeing at all levels of government. And I'm going to say that if maybe we have this at all levels of government, and please understand listeners, I'm trying to speak deliberately and very thoughtfully because there's so much that needs to be said, but I want to present it in a very dispassionate manner because I'm thrilled, I'm overjoyed that he won, but I don't want to get lost in emotion. I want to present not a narrative, but I want to present the reality that exists for so many of us that support him. I'm going to say that if more people, if more people actually in politics paid attention to the people, I'm going to tell you quite frankly that there would have been no opening for Trump, or maybe there would have been, but people wouldn't have felt such a need and people wouldn't feel such a loyalty toward him. Whether it's local level, state level, federal level, people just don't feel like they matter to the politicians, to the elected officials that are supposed to represent their very interest. When Trump talks, and this is another reason why people are so crazy about them, why they love them, why they're so loyal to them, why they support him. When he talks, people feel like they too have a voice. He is expressed what so many people have felt have been feeling, but they feel helpless. Look, I see the need just as much as anybody else to be nice, to be respectful, to be tactful. It's important. One of my favorite little books is Talk to the Hand by Lynn Truss, and it's all about if we can't get the niceties right, common courtesy, etiquette, then nothing else really matters. But of course, the reality is those little things aren't so little. They're actually huge, right? Being respectful, being diplomatic, being civil. I understand the need for all that certainly, but there's also a need to be heard, there's a need to be acknowledged, and all this political correctness, and I want to say it got started when I was in college back in the very late '80s, early '90s, I think it was very harmful to our discourse. I think it did a tremendous amount to really disrupt honest conversation because people got to the point where they were afraid of what to say. They were afraid to express themselves. They were afraid of hurting people's feelings. But at the same time, this movement or this push, this push, that's a better word, this push for political correctness was taken place. There was some hypocrisy that was creeping in, and it became ever more prominent as time went on, and this hypocrisy was that while most people had to watch their peers accuse, other people were allowed to say whatever they wanted. Maybe it was because of their position, maybe it was because of their demographic, but whatever the reason or reasons, some people were entitled or made to feel like they should be entitled to say whatever they wanted while others included myself had to shut our mouths. And over time, resentment began to build. And I think that a lot of politicians, a lot of elected officials, very much let their constituents down because, again, they weren't representing the interests, they weren't representing the needs, and they weren't speaking to all the societal ills that really prevented us from coming together and being a country and being a place where we all had the chance, however big or small, to fulfill our promise as members of the United States of America as citizens, right? When Trump came along, it was this momentous moment. It was this thunderous, like this guy opened because it was this collective sigh of relief. It was this collective pumping up the fist. People felt heard, felt acknowledged, but they also had a voice again. Now, does that mean that I support what some people have done with their voice? Of course not. Again, there is a need to be diplomatic, there is a need to be tactful. That has nothing to do with political correctness. That's just about being a decent person and being thoughtful and being compassionate and being kind. So I don't necessarily, and in some cases, not at all respect or am I on board with what some people have done with their voice. But I think it was very important that people feel like they have their voices back. We talk about divisiveness or there's a lot of talk about divisiveness in this country. Well, what in the heck do we think led to that? Do we not think that silencing some while giving others a microphone? Do we not think that that was going to create division? Do we not think that that was going to create schisms between different groups of people? People feel, it's almost as if he's putting us all on his back and saying, I've got you. I'm not going to let you fall. I've got you. And this isn't about looking at him as a god or demi-god. This has nothing to do with him being a cult figure. This is about him being a hero who also happens to be an elected official. And that's why so many people are happy about his victory. That's why so many people worked for his victory. I hear a lot of people talk about how Donald Trump made everything essentially bad. Everything bad is because of Donald Trump. Division is Trump. People's lack of courtesy, that's Trump. People's inability to feel compassion for his fellow man, his next door neighbor, the neighbor across the street, that's all on Trump. The time of day, if it's not a good time of day, if there are clouds in the sky, that's all Trump. It's all on Trump, it's bad. But again, these same people, I know so many people, they have really exhibited a complete lack of compassion, I'll use that word again, complete lack of compassion for other people. They have some of these people that I have in mind have really who are anti-Trump, who dislike Trump, have really displayed a really startling apathy toward the challenges that others face. I've listened to people be incredibly mean. I have watched people try to denigrate, belittle, just completely demean others. Why? Because. But we talk about how Trump is mean. Now, am I saying that I think that Trump is perfect or wonderful? I'm not saying any of that. And I'm also not asking people to see Trump the way I do and why, and the way in which so many others do. I'm also not asking for anyone's approval. I don't need anyone's approval. No one needs anyone else's approval when it comes to his or her political choice. Please, that's so insulting. I'm just simply trying to contribute to the marketplace of ideas. I'm trying to contribute to what I hope will eventually be a substantive discussion on differences and feelings and not as in, "Oh, you hurt my feelings, so you're bad and I can't listen to you, and you're just not someone who's very nice or smart." I'm not talking about feelings. I'm talking about how people have been made to feel because they've been told that they don't have the right to enjoy what is inherently theirs, and that is the right to express themselves. And the right to pursue happiness, and the right to fashion their lives as they themselves see fit. Trump is seen as a hero. I do think history will be kind, and I think another reason why people really like Trump appreciate Trump, or at least have a respect for me, even if it's a grudging respect, is because he says something that is different from what the rest of us are constantly being bombarded with. Now we see the only one, of course not, but to hear, to listen to someone who does present a different perspective from what we're constantly being met with, what we're constantly reading about, listening to on the TV, watching on the TV, listening to on the radio, hearing and discussions around us, forward to come from somebody in his position that's meaningful. I love how the left is always saying, "representation matters," well it matters here, and it matters in this respect. That is to say, it's not just about seeing someone who looks like you, it's hearing someone who thinks like you, and that's ultimately more important because we can have all the different colored faces in the world. We can have every color of the rainbow, but if everyone thinks the same, if everyone's singing the same thing, if everyone is picking the same issues or seeing the same issues and wanting to address them in the same way, how are we supposed to advance? There is no community, there is no society, whether it's local, state, federal, there's no context in which that is conducive to moving forward and change. So on that note, I'm going to go to a quick break, we're going to come back, we're going to pivot a little, I'm going to talk more about why I'm so happy today because it has been a good day, it has been, and again, I think it's important for now that we have our voices. Well, I don't think I ever lost mine, but I'm not going to lie, it's very nice and it's very good to hear someone who is so prominent in our country, the President of the United States, who is presenting, as I said, a different perspective, different perspectives. So certainly I am, like I said, I'm overjoyed, but I think it's important that people use their voices intelligently moving forward, or should I say more intelligently, more thoughtfully. I think that certainly enough people are doing that, but I think that maybe certain people could be better at it, now I'm being diplomatic. And I will say that I think that all of us, including myself, could maybe be more strategic, because I think that it's important, instead of just listening to why Kamala Harris lost, she was a horrible candidate, all right, she was a horrible candidate that never should have been a vice president, that never should have been a US senator, and that never should have been an attorney general, okay, period, there's nothing, I don't want to hear why she lost. I don't want to hear a thousand and one analyses, she was a horrible candidate, she's thick as two planks, she's not nice, and people out there might beg to defer, and that's okay. But I think she's calorie-free, there's not a lot of substance to the woman, really, and I just want to hear less about why she lost, and I want to hear more about why Donald Trump won. I think that's what we need, that's what we need to talk about. If we're going to move forward, that's what we need to focus on. So again, let's go to that quick break. When I come back, we're going to do that pivot, but I'm going to give you another reason why I am so happy today. Again, here's that song again for the hundredth time today. Here's that song again, it's going to be stuck in your head all day. Here's that song again, it will make you cray-cray. You love your kids enough to watch that TV show a bajillion times. Love them enough to make sure they're in the right car seat for their age and size. Show them you love them, keep them safe. Visit nhtsa.gov/therightseat, brought to you by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Ad Council. How serious is youth vaping? A reversible lung damage serious, one in ten kids vape serious, which warrants a serious conversation from a serious parental figure like yourself. Not the seriously know it all sports dad, or the seriously smart podcaster, it requires a serious conversation that is best had by you. No, seriously, the best person to talk to your child about vaping is you. To start the conversation, visit talkaboutfaping.org, brought to you by the American Lung Association and the Ad Council. Hello and welcome back to Bostonian wrap. You are listening to me on WBCA LP 102.9 FM Boston. This is Boston's community radio station. So before I went to the quick break, I talked at length about Trump's victory. And I did it by talking about what he represents to so many people that went out and supported him, including myself, but it's not just about what's going on on federal level. It's very, very important. But as a Boston girl, my home state of Massachusetts, I think it's also important to talk about what's going on state level. It's very important and I am so happy at how the Massachusetts Republican Party is performing. I am so very happy because people can throw stones all day, but if they're not willing to get into the arena and roll up their sleeves and put up their dukes, then does anything that they say really matter, I'm going to go with no. We have some people who want to criticize the Republican Party. So there was one person who, and I think this is hilarious, it's always these anonymous accounts, right? And I got to say something, if people have something to say, they should just say it. They really should. Oh, wait a minute. It looks like I'm getting, actually I'm getting a call. Let's see. Looks like I'm getting a call, because we can receive calls now. So let me just, let me just see. Hello? Okay, maybe not. All right. Is there? Okay, it looks like no. All right. No, it looks like I'm not getting a call. Sorry about that. I thought I was. So, oh, it looks like I am getting a call. Hold on. Hello? Hello? All right. Well, okay. I guess I'm not getting a call or it looks like I'm getting a call. I don't know. We in technology, I don't know, we're not the best friends. Okay. Okay. It looks like the caller had to hang up. I'm so sorry, caller. Well, try to call back in. Try to call back in. And I guess this is a good, at this point, I think it's good to remind people that yes, they can call in and the number is 617-708-3211. That is again, 617-708-3211. But as I start to say, or as I start to discuss the Massachusetts Republican Party, people want to criticize it, well, you know, for Pete's sakes, I'm going to run. Why are all these seeds, you know, going unchallenged? Look, we have had more serious candidates run for positions in Massachusetts since Amy's been in office and her term is not even up. It's a two-year term than we have had in the last few terms. So I for the last few years, so I don't even want to, you know, talk, you know, debate this. Okay. It looks like I'm getting another call. Okay. Here we go. Okay. Hello. Hi. Okay. People are probably listening and thinking, did you really have a call, caller? What is your name? My name is Mary. Okay, Mary. And what is your comment? Or what is the question you have? Yeah, I have a few comments. Okay. Yeah. One is that I so agree with your comment that we should use voices to be used more intelligently and more thoroughly and not both for everyone's voices. Thank you. I just, I just want to applaud you for saying that that's the people on the left and that's the people on the right because during this election campaign, that was not happening all the time, the people on the left and people on the right. So I just want to applaud you for saying that. If you remember, and you can correct me if I'm mistaken, that right person is how it's, which has elected to be a senator and then attorney general, or was she appointed to be an attorney, Senator? Well, that's to be a senator, exactly right. And she, she, look. She, she did, you know, she, she had, you know, it was a position that she had to run for. So the people who she was representing, they elected her, correct, and that is absolutely correct. And they said, the majority of them thought that she was the right person for the position is that poor? Oh, my gosh, I feel like a one trial for someone who, nobody, someone who trained as an attorney, I respect. I think you say that she was a horrible candidate, um, as a attorney general, and I just want it. I just want to understand that maybe I'm going to understand she was voted by folks who could vote for her, met people in Massachusetts, met people in, I don't know, Arizona, met people in New York, that people could vote for her, and they thought that the judge was in fact that she was the best person for that position. Is that not correct? It is absolutely correct. And I never said anything to the contrary. I don't agree that she was a good candidate. I don't think she was a good attorney general. I don't think she was a good US senator, but that's my opinion and, and, and even when I have, and I, and I, and I thank you, Mary, for asking these questions because, I'll please. I did. I did. Because I, I do think I, I don't think she's a person of substance. I really don't. And I do think that there were things that she did as an attorney general that were horrible. I do think that there were things that she did as a US senator, you know, and I think they were horrible. I just, overall, I just think she's someone and, and, and I, it's not because she's a member of the Democratic Party. It's not because she's in another part of the political spectrum. There are people, my part of the political spectrum have ours after their name. And I just, I think that in politics, unfortunately now, there are people who get in. They get elected. And once they, they're, they're in office, they have the name recognition and that can go a long, long way. And I think that people don't always realize the power of their vote. I think, I think, I think some people don't realize and I think some people, a lot of people do. Okay. Fair enough. No, I, I mean, I'm not, I don't want, Mary, I don't want you to come away from, you know, our exchange from thinking, Oh, well, I just think people are ignorant and, you know, I know better. You know, there, there are people who don't agree with my choice, right? And, and they think that Donald Trump is horrible. Okay. You know, just an example, whether they've been candidates whom I've supported besides Donald Trump, and they think that they're, you know, these people are not good. They can't speak to the issues and, and, and that's okay. But one thing I'm not doing is, is I'm not going personal, you know, I'm not, you know, I don't want to disrespect the offices that, you know, Harris undeniably held. But I think that her performances, and there are things that I can point to in each of these roles that she has held, that she has the Attorney General, the U.S. Senator, and then she was chosen by Biden and then, you know, part of that ticket. You know, Biden got elected President in 2020, of course, and then she, of course, was elected Vice President. I think that there are things in each, in the offices that she held, the things that she has done that, that make me say that I think she has a horrible record, that she's not a person of substance. Okay. Well, you're, you're entitled to your opinion, but again, I just, I, if I'm trying to understand and trying to understand, I'm trying to understand that these positions that she had, the force who became Vice President, were positions that she was voted into. No, and absolutely, and, and that's the thing that, and, and, you know, and, and I'm glad you said that because, you know, I started to say, I'm not. Going to disrespect, I can, I can be very pointed in my comments. I can be very blunt, very candid, but I'm only going to go so far, like, I'm not going to cross a line. I'm not going to disrespect the office that she held, that the offices that she has held. And I'm always going to base any criticism that I have. I'm not just going to throw out criticisms. There's always a reason why I have these criticisms. That's what, and that's what I'll leave you with, Mary. Do you have, do you, do you feel that I believe you made a comment that, do you feel the death that I can say that there are people, I was, well, I was also going to say that because people don't respect me and others who have supported Trump and they consider us stupid or they consider us not educated or not informed or lacking in compassion, I'm not prepared to attribute those same, any of those qualities or characteristics to people that support someone that I don't support. All right, sorry, if I remember collecting and I could be mistaken, go ahead, Mary. Many times, refer to other people as being stupid and dumb. Is that not, does he not say those things about people who were not exactly on the same page as he did that, I believe he referred to a parent, but I believe I could be mistaken and to correct me if I am a statement that he used words like that to a few people. I think that I will, I'm going to answer the questions. He has referred to people as not being very bright, or not being strong, or not being competent. But specifically the word stupid, I heard specifically the word stupid. Is that not something that you get said? If it took a technique in response to Harris and in response to Harris, I would have to, I would have to go back and look at what he said. I know that he has not been very impressed by what she has done as vice president, but what I am going to say, he, quite frankly, like myself, he's not going to just throw out comments. I haven't heard him throw out comments, whatever they are, different comments about people that haven't been positive. He hasn't just thrown them out without stating why. I think, well, let's just, I think that what word would you like Trump to choose? I don't have any, I can't think about, you know, I could never imagine, I have no, I don't know, but okay, but there was something else, I also, I believe I heard you say that you were very happy about today, you were feeling very happy, you were very glad and result, and you didn't want to hear any more talk about Harris more people, I don't know if you said people shouldn't be talking about it, but you didn't want to hear any more about that. And you were very pleased and happy and excited, although you might not have been excited, I do believe you said happy about what you saw, which is great, and I believe everybody is entitled to their feelings, nobody's feelings should be negated, I know that there are a lot of people who are not happy about what happened to those, everybody's feelings should be respected, do you not agree? Well, again, I feel a little bit respectfully like I'm being cross-examined, but I will answer, and let me actually just go back because I did look it up, so as much as I try to be unformed and on top of everything, you know, there's some things that I miss, I'm not always familiar with every single remark, every single comment, so I looked it up and it looks like he called Biden stupid and Harris dumb is a rock, so I'm going to, he called Biden stupid, it was at an Arizona campaign event and Harris dumb is a rock, but, okay, no, but I'm okay, but listen, listen, it's, these aren't, if I were on the stump, if I were campaigning what I use, what I deliver my remarks in such a way, I'm not so sure, I don't see myself doing that, I would focus on the behavior, I'd call the behavior stupid, but I also know that our president referred to, and I, you know, he is my president, he is the president until Donald Trump is sworn in, President Biden called me and other, other people who support Donald Trump called us garbage, so what I'm trying to say is I'm not excusing any, I don't think that that's very nice, I'm not trying to play what about is I'm not trying to excuse anything, but what about what I'm trying to say, but what I am trying to say Mary is that I do think that politics is rough, rough and tumble, and I think that on all sides, there are remarks that are made, and not just in a presidential campaign where feelings are running particularly high, but just in campaigns in general, people on the trail, because it can get very personal, and in, and I think it's, I think it's difficult to remain focused on the behavior and the records and the abilities of people. I agree with you, I agree with you, but I also just, one last comment I wanted to make, I say, to decide to clear it up here, and I'm saying here, and Mary, why don't you just, Mary, honestly, I can invite you all, we can do a co-show, so thank you. I know I personally have heard, I've never heard that, but I know I personally have heard, I've heard, Mary respectfully, and I don't mean to interrupt, but this is what I'm going to say. There are two and a half minutes left in the show, but no, I'm very happy that you called in because that means that people who don't necessarily agree with me are willing to at least listen to what I have to say, and that's incredibly important, but what I'm going to say to kind of wrap this up, and I really invite you to call back in again, is that there is, it's very important, as a Trump supporter, I'm more than happy to defend why I support him or explain why I support him, but I want to kind of move away from defending why I support him, and there's a difference. There are some things that he- I'm not asking you to defend why you support him. Right, and I also don't want this to turn into, well, you know, Trump said this because I can point to plenty of things that Kamala has said that honestly were not things that I think that she should have said, so what I'm going to say is, and now I have one and a half minutes left, is that, you know, to kind of close out is that things are said, and I'm not prepared to define people by what they say, speak in generally broadly, when emotions are running high, and when they're trying to do the right thing, and when they're trying to get their points across, and when they're trying to say what they hope and think is right, and that's what I'll kind of leave you with, but I do want to get out why people support him, and I want to, like I said, move away from defending supporting Trump to explaining, and I think that that will be productive to creating Trump starting a lot of substantive conversation. Thank you so much, Mary. So, that was really good, that actually took us through the rest of the show. I have to sign off now, but next week I will talk about the spectacular performance put in by the Mass GOP, so again, that's all I have time for now, but I look forward to hanging out with you next week. Thank you. [BLANK_AUDIO]