The sandbox, tank, swamp

Metaphors for our day: Sandbox, Tank, Swamp. 

Think outside the sandbox, they say.  There is nothing more true than with the Republicans.  Indeed, for the Republicans there is a new sandbox of populism.  It is a genuine caring for, not assuming of, the people.  Trump, much to the chagrin of the traditional Republicans, has changed the sandbox in which they should be playing.  For Republicans, gone are the days of trying to relive the era of Ronald Reagan. What has evolved is a new party.

A tectonic shift of both parties has taken place.  The New Republican message is populism.  It places Americans first, with their aspirations, dreams, and hopes.

Yet, the Democrat sandbox has changed as well.  The New Democrats are now a party appealing to the very rich and supported by the poor.  The former gets the benefits; the latter gets the promises.

The big switch: The New Democrats are now a party of big money. The New Republicans are now a party of the people. In contrast, Bernie Sanders also offered a party for the people.  He was crushed under the treads of big money.

It is true, the “Sandbox” is a benign term.  Its imagery is just a place to play and have fun.  The more ominous term is “The Tank.”  The tank is not a good place to be.  Once there, you are assumed, bagged, tagged, and then ignored.  When there, what you believe is taken, and then you are forsaken.  The poor is there, the press is there, and the immigrants are there.  The diehards of both parties are there.  Remarkably, the unions were there but now are not.  Nor are evangelicals. Nor are suburbanites. Nor are business people.

The tank is not unlike a well for the owner to drink without compensation, without thanks, and without reward.  The tank is a place where occupants are used and reused – and assumed to stay there. No deviations allowed.  More promises or the pillory are given as the Rx to would be defectors.

A third term, “The Swamp,” images another undesirable place.  It portends a place dominated by alligators, snakes, leeches, and bacteria all quite willing to gobble up, consume, and reduce all inside to quivering, obedient occupants.  Avoid the gators and succumb to another form.  Resistance is impossible.