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Bill Owens: Anger 2016

There’s a lot of anger in the 2016 presidential campaign, whether it’s focused on the opposition, one another (intra-party), the electorate or government and politics. The latter doesn’t seem like a great strategy. Did the participants forget the adage about positive thinking and the glass being half full? Is it just an act to create a connection to middle-class, blue-collar workers who have been battered for the last 30 years by job loss, stagnating wages, and the perceived impact of immigration? Do they think that this creates a level of credibility that a smile and warmth does not convey? What happened to likability? Is everything all that grim?

There has been article after article about the divisiveness (anger) that the Republican party is experiencing, but when you look on the other side of the aisle, you don’t see much joy there either just a different focus for the anger.

I believe that when you analyze where the middle class is in our society, you can fully understand and appreciate the anger with government and with politicians. It seems to me politicians and the government are a reflection of our society. It seems we are seeing only the negative.

I’m also deeply troubled by statements that certain politicians have been making that they “will make America great again,” including the US military. Personally, I think that kind of statement is obnoxious and insulting, particularly to those now serving, those killed in action and those severely injured. Each of them has demonstrated America’s greatness. Equally compelling is an economy that has created nearly eight million jobs after the Great Recession. Recent reports indicate that car manufacturers are looking forward to a booming 2016, based upon year-end sales in 2015, all of these factors point to our continued greatness. The flip side is that we still have stagnating wages and declining purchasing power. Take a look around at the rest of the world—struggling economies, terrorist attacks, and a refugee crisis, to list just a few.

The discussion about immigration is also a source of tremendous angst and anger, but if we look back in history starting in the 1840s with the immigration of the Irish during the famine, followed by Italians, Germans, Polish, and Jews, they too were castigated by those already here.

One critical difference between then and now is that, back then, we had a vast continent to grow into. However, there will always be new employment opportunities for immigrants. For example, the aging population of baby boomers is going to create a great need for health care workers in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, long-term home care situations, etc.

The middle class does not have a real champion who can honestly describe a program that will bring back good paying jobs to their communities. Empty slogans without substance are horribly misleading to a middle class truly crying out for some rational approach that will stabilize their lives. This is not to suggest that I think there is some magical program to create an economy with good paying jobs.

The media focuses not on the substance of what candidates are saying, but rather, how good a sound bite it is. The majority of pundits on the right and left focus on the same vacuous rhetoric. Let us agree that the anger that is being demonstrated is, in fact, rational. The question is, can we frame a response that causes those running for president to lay out in detail how they will actually solve those problems?

If we want to change the tone, let us all lead by taking some small positive action. It takes courage for politicians to come forward with something of substance that will actually help us all and change the tone. If you want to keep America great, be positive and creative—there is no better leadership.

Mr. Owens is a former member of Congress representing the New York 21st and a partner in the firm of Stafford, Owens, Piller, Murnane, Kelleher & Trombley, PLLC, in Plattsburgh, New York.

The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.

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