More and more, I am convinced that the greatest threat to America is internal to our nation. It is that far too many American citizens do not see beyond their nose. Do an Internet search for “not seeing beyond the nose” and, among several responses, this is what comes up:
“The phrase 'can't see past your own nose' is a common English idiom that means a person lacks foresight, imagination, or broad perspective, focusing only on what is immediately in front of them or directly affects them. "
I recently distributed a column that was written by me and titled “Unpacking President Trump’s $5,000 Promise.” A reader sent me an email commenting on what I wrote. After some statements regarding what President Trump promised when campaigning but has not delivered, this was the concluding sentence: “It is time to realize that loyalty does not replace competency and experience.” I understand that comment to mean I am assessing Trump’s performance as president blindly due to my loyalty to him.
For about five years, I wrote a bi-weekly opinion column that appeared in a Fayetteville newspaper. In those columns, I tried hard to “see beyond my nose.” My doing so was not received well in some segments of the Fayetteville population. Many people were bothered because my views were and are conservative. A large number of black readers were outraged by my being black but not accepting the widely held view among black Americans that America is a racist country. I contend there is racism in our country, but it is far from the primary cause of the problems that plague black citizens today. Taking this stand is heresy for a black American.
Consequently, I received numerous emails, and the newspaper received correspondence, challenging what I wrote in various columns. I do not remember a single time that a reader, in detail and with supporting researched facts, countered anything that I wrote. As with the reader referenced in opening this commentary, there were general statements on the subject at hand and, often, some negative comment regarding me. The negative comments ran the gamut from people questioning my relationship with God to people asking, “How could I be black and write the things I write?”
My approach in writing is to, as thoroughly as possible, research the topics that I write about and seriously consider the results of that research as I write. I hope that process shows through in the Trump commentary mentioned above. It is 2,424 words and filled with references that I, hopefully, considered and spoke to in a way that reflected some rational thought. Although I clearly have not perfected the process, I contend that the Trump commentary and others on my website reflect my concerted effort to look and see beyond my nose.
Here is a brief exercise that will allow you, the reader, to assess the extent to which you look beyond your nose. President Trump is polling horrendously poorly regarding his handling of the economy. Search “polling on Trump’s handling of price increases.” One result is “65% blame Trump's policies for high prices.” Accepting that response as fair and accurate without further research and thoughtful assessment is “not seeing beyond one’s nose.” Looking beyond the nose leads to other considerations such as these:
1. According to analyses from the Washington Post and economic data tracked on Biden to Trump, roughly 80% of the cumulative price increases since 2021 occurred during Joe Biden’s term, while about 20% have occurred during Donald Trump’s second term.” (Obtained by searching “how much of recent inflation is due to Biden, how much to Trump?”)
2. I found several articles that reported President Biden created millions more jobs than President Trump did in his first term. I found that curious given the economic pain of the Biden years. However, I was prepared to accept that as a commendable fact. Then I came across the following as part of an article, dated 2 June 2023, titled “Fact Check: Biden Misleads on Job ‘Creation’ Statistics” at https://budget.house.gov/. It includes the following:
“The May jobs report showed alarming signs in the labor market. The household survey data—the part of the jobs report data that looks directly at American workers—showed that 440,000 more Americans became unemployed, a sign that the labor market may be beginning to deteriorate in the face of raging inflation and skyrocketing interest rates.
President Biden released a statement in response to the May jobs figures praising his Administration’s so-called job creation numbers. Biden’s White House tweeted that they have added more jobs under his watch than any President has in a single four-year term.
These claims are misleading. Here’s why.
Recovery versus ‘Creation.’ Nearly 72 percent of all job gains since 2021 were simply jobs that were being recovered from the pandemic, not new job creation. In fact, when looking at today’s economy compared to pre-pandemic levels, employment is up only by 3.7 million.
On the other hand, prior to the pandemic, job creation under President Trump was 6.7 million—3 million more jobs than the current President."
3. Search for “Republican and Democratic economic plans,” and this comes up:
“According to policy analyses from Investopedia, Republican and Democratic economic improvement plans rely on fundamentally opposing philosophies for driving national growth. Republicans prioritize tax reduction and deregulation, while Democrats favor targeted public investment and progressive taxation.”
4. Search for “How does illegal immigration affect employment” and the following comes up: "Illegal immigration affects employment by increasing the supply of low-skilled labor, which can lower wages and reduce job opportunities for vulnerable native-born and legal immigrant workers, while lowering labor costs for employers." Now search for “How do Trump’s efforts to stop illegal immigration compare with Democratic efforts,” and the following appears:
“According to policy analyses from the Migration Policy Institute, Donald Trump’s approach to illegal immigration emphasizes large-scale deterrence, mass deportations, and strict border closures, whereas the Democratic approach generally combines border management and enforcement with legal pathways and protections for long-term undocumented residents.”
This collecting of facts, of relevant information, could be continued. However, my aim is to demonstrate what it means to “look beyond the nose.” Again, the question is: do you stand with the 65% who blame Trump's policies for high prices? It starts with collecting facts and relevant information. Then comes an unemotional examination of what is collected. In the end, conclusions are reached based on that examination. I challenge every reader to start with the information that I have provided above, follow the steps outlined here and reach a conclusion regarding the question.