"Make America Great Again!"
What a slogan. Supposedly, it says it all. I'm just not sure what it says. But it's not the first campaign slogan by any means. Slogans to promote presidential candidates go back to, at least, 1840 and the campaign of William Henry Harrison; "Tippecanoe and Tyler too." Some other memorable slogans endure, such as:
- 54:40 or Fight – James K. Polk's rallying cry over the dispute with Great Britain over the northern border of the U.S. in the Pacific Northwest.
- Don't Swap Horses in the Middle of the Stream – Abe Lincoln's plea not to change leaders in the midst of the Civil War.
- He Kept Us Out of War – Woodrow Wilson's reminder that he'd kept the U.S. out of the European War; at least during his first term.
- I Like Ike – Eisenhower was a very memorable part of the early 50s and didn't need much to remind mostly-veteran Americans that he'd led them once and wanted to lead them again.
- Hope – Barack Obama's simple plea.
In a quick review of campaign slogans, the first mud-slinging negative ad goes to Henry Clay in 1844, a simple question: "Who is James K. Polk?" Some other negative ads include:
- Blaine. Blaine. James G. Blaine. The Continental Liar from the State of Maine (1884) Grover Cleveland's slogan alluding to Blaine's corrupt dealings with big business and railroads in the state.
- Ma. Ma. Where's my pa? Gone to the White House, ha ha ha. – Blaine's rejoinder to Cleveland's slogan; an allusion to Cleveland's alleged fathering of a child out-of-wedlock.
- Government of, by, and for the people. Not the monied interests. – Ralph Nader's 2000 campaign try.
Now we have "Make America Great Again". While not negative on the surface, it begs further investigation. Make America Great Again. – Wow, this simple phrase is loaded. It presumes that America WAS great once (or more than once), that it is not now great, but that it can be – IF you vote for that particular ticket.
But wait! I have a few questions. I beg you not to ask these questions of a cult-member. The response will be evasive and vitriolic.
- When was America great? What made it great?
- For what portion of our population was America great? All? Surely, that is a stretch, even for FOX News.
- How did America fall from greatness? If indeed we did.
- What/Who defines the intended state of renewed American greatness? By what measure do they define the goal?
- What action is intended to return America to a state of greatness?
- For whom will America be great again? Every citizen? That's the same implausible stretch as the defined state of previous greatness.
If we're to make America great again, I submit that we should do it for all Americans, the great and the small, the rich and the poor, those of color and those not, those who worship not just one iteration of the Supreme Being, but all the faces of Creation. Those who spew forth the MAGA cry have too narrow a goal … as narrow as their minds.