By Joseph Bass

I learned about “diversions” while taking four courses in military science in undergraduate school.

I wonder how many Americans realize they have been witnessing political diversions during Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and in the months since he was elected.

A military diversion involves activities designed to get the enemy to think you are going to do one thing when you are really going to do something else. This creates a surprise attack in an unexpected location.

Dwight Eisenhower created a military diversion before the D-Day landing at Normandy. George Patton was the bait. He was stationed in northern England across from Calais, France. He made his location well known by making public speeches, some of which were politically incorrect (he said things that seriously upset our Russian allies). A lot of fake radio traffic was broadcast in the area.

The Germans, who thought Patton was America’s best general, were so deceived that even when the invasion was well under way, they still held back their reserves behind Calais.

During the Trump campaign and the transition period, we have been witnessing political diversions.

They included Trump’s inflammatory, sometimes politically incorrect, announcements made verbally or through social media and prominent Republicans declaring “Repeal Obama Care the first day!” And this is what many Americans, particularly Democratic politicians, are focused on.

This diversion will work, because many Americans, particularly Democratic politicians, look back only across short periods of history. These same people focus only on the political incorrectness of Trump’s campaign and threats made against what they consider to be Obama’s legacy.

Think about what has occurred during the last eight years. Progressively, Democrats have been losing state governorships, seats in state legislatures and seats in the Senate and the House of Representatives.

During this time, many Republican platform principles have been enacted at the state level. And nationally a “log jam” of Republican principles have been created through Obama’s vetoes.

Eventually Republicans will replace Obamacare with something more to their liking. But more importantly the “log jam” will be released and there will be a flow of enactments that will surprise many who were now focused on the diversions.
Democratic politicians can only drag their feet as they have been doing during the Senate confirmation process of Trump’s cabinet nominations.

During the campaign, there were some silly inflammatory pronouncements about the size of Trump’s hands. What Democrats should have noticed is that Trump has enough fingers to wield a pen and sign the many bills that will be passed by the Republican-controlled Senate and House of Representatives.

Joseph L. Bass is the executive director of ABetterSociety.Info Inc., a nonprofit organization in Hobson. Email him at ABetterSociety1@aol.com.