There is a lot of talk in politics concerning the “Overton window,” the range of discourse that is acceptable to the mainstream population at a given point in time.
While a window defines a space, another key and related metaphor defines an object. A framework provides a central point or idea from which other concepts can hang (or, more importantly, collect). While a friend of mine said that the better metaphor would be a magnet, given that it “attracts,” the framework is better conceptually because it defines something that one consciously constructs.
Trump has shown himself to be a master at constructing new political frameworks that redefine the political landscape. He has been called crazy, but sometimes it’s crazy like a fox. His comments, often outrageous, shock the existing political system and allow new political movements to form and ideas to be injected into the political discourse. His promise to build a “big, beautiful wall” was not only to be both a deliverable and a symbol of his commitment to securing the southern border, but provided a new framework for how to deal with the problem of illegal immigration. Trump was reframing illegal immigration as something to be decisively stopped at the border rather than managed. The same with his “Remain in Mexico” policy which functioned as a virtual wall, enlisting Mexicans into stopping immigrants from approaching their aside of the border
Last night in DC, a commercial passenger jet crashed into an Army helicopter, killing 67 people. Earlier today, Trump stated at a press conference:
“We must have only the highest standards for those who work in our aviation system,” Mr. Trump said. And then: “We have to have our smartest people. It doesn’t matter what they look like, how they speak, who they are.”
Of course the Left and its media adjuncts quickly descended into high dudgeon. They criticized Trump for both casting blame and delving into politics at a time when they were still collecting bodies. Score a big win for the Left as they could point to the return of Trump 1.0, right? Never mind that if they could have, they would have immediately cast blame for the crash itself on Trump.
There is a method to Trump’s seeming madness.
From a story filed early this morning:
“Just 14 months before Wednesday night’s fatal mishap near Ronald Reagan National Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration received a safety expert report that warned America’s air traffic control system is suffering from quality control issues and staffing shortages that put safety at risk…
“…The November 2023 report also warned that personnel shortages among air traffic controllers were forcing people to work longer hours and make sudden last-minute changes to flight plans that increased risks. ‘Overtime is at a historically high level and increasing,’ the report warned. ‘High rates of overtime for extended periods introduces risk into the NAS. Several associated issues include absenteeism, lower productivity and fatigue.’”
And before the day had even ended there was a certain change in tune by the media.
“Washington Crash Renews Concerns About Air Safety Lapses”
“Control Tower at National Airport Understaffed before Deadly Collision”
This is what’s called a limited hang-out by the media. Admit there is a problem, but depict it as a condition and not a cause. Yes the control tower at DC’s Reagan National was understaffed and, well now, that shouldn’t have happened and who knows what it might mean, but what about Trump’s comments regarding DEI?
So let’s fast forward into the future by a day or so and ask the next question. Why was there a shortage of air traffic controllers at Reagan National, given that it operates in an important area with extremely congested air space? Why are there similar shortages nationwide? Now take it even further, why were there problems in hiring more air traffic controllers under the previous administration?
What Trump has done is not only set the frame for the debate around the issue of the air traffic controllers, but more importantly on the hiring practices for those controllers.
You may have heard that in the first 10 days of his administration, Trump has had a lot of things to say about the human resources aspect of the federal workforce, what with DEI and all of that. You might think that perhaps Trump could have waited a few days to start scoring political points regarding the crash that killed 67 people. However, that’s not the man’s style, and he is forcing an issue into the spotlight — the impact of federal personnel practices — that a lot of people on the Left would like to go away.
You can tell by the way the media is treating this that the Left is trapped and they know it. The media reporting in less than 24-hours that the air traffic control tower at Reagan National was understaffed is an acknowledgment that there is a problem with having enough air traffic controllers, which then raises questions regarding hiring, which then raises questions regarding personnel policies, which then… uh, oh.
The media has fallen into the trap of once again underestimating Trump, of taking him literally but not seriously. Trump is at heart a negotiator, which means his actions are about accumulating future leverage so that he can reframe the terms of the deal to his favor. However, he now is not negotiating with people so much as he is negotiating with the public space, and he is linking the previous fantasy policies of the federal government, and business as usual, with real-world consequences of life and death.
The media made the mistake of seeing where the ball is and not where the ball is going.
A Republican president is in his first year and the issue is air traffic controllers? History doesn’t repeat itself but it sure rhymes.