In the latest issue of "Sieci”: So different and so much alike

A New York State millionaire had to remove a red hat with the slogan „Make America Great Again” from behind his car window. His son explained to him that he would lose the window. The hatred for Trump is similar to the hatred for Kaczynski. The level of negative emotions is not the only thing that these politicians share

— writes Łukasz Adamski in the latest issue of the weekly „Sieci”.

Although Poland and the USA are many kilometres apart, the policy of Jarosław Kaczyński and Donald Trump has a lot in common. A list of numerous similarities between Kaczyński and Trump can be started from a certain political inaccuracy of both men, specific and rare among politicians - naturalness.

We read:

They both saw strength in the „silent majority”, forgotten and then openly despised by the liberals. The turning point in Hillary Clinton’s campaign was to call Trump’s voters ‘basket of deplorables’. Polish liberals still cannot understand where the power of the Law and Justice party comes from and what causes their inability to break through the glass ceiling. This was best expressed by the graphics promoted by Polish celebrities, mocking the „mohair” Poles receiving the 500+ benefit and comparing them to the mongrels lying down in front of their master.

Mocking the so-called rednecks (a term derived from the tanned neck of farmers), carrying guns and driving pickups has a strong tradition throughout the American pop culture. The war among the opposition between the new wave of the left and the „fat cats” from the safe centre also resembles the positions of Kaczynski and Trump.

Poland boasts record low unemployment and high economic growth. The tax-decreasing Trump also moved the economy more than expected by the most optimistic analysts. Democratic supporters such as Bill Maher, the influential political-satirical HBO show host, say they wish America an economic recession to drive Trump out of the White House. The Polish opposition is eager to threaten the economic crisis caused by the social policy of the Law and Justice party (promising even greater financial transfers in this area). In Poland, a similar thing to Maher was announced by Ryszard Petru’s advisor and then Robert Biedron’s advisor Jakub Bierzyński. „Poland’s economic growth is no longer to be saved, let us try to save Polish democracy. The aim of the opposition should not be to take over power and, consequently, responsibility for the bankruptcy of its opponents’ policies, but to ensure control that would destroy their authoritarian plans” - he wrote in „Rzeczpospolita”, making it clear that it would be best if the recession affected the Law and Justice regime.

American journalists and opinion leaders are so focused on political correctness that they classify almost every Trump’s statement as racism and fascism. Polish liberal-left media of course blindly copy this fashion, but their motivations are more down-to-earth. The fight against Kaczynski has more environmental and party than ideological background. […] Polish and American liberal media, however, have one thing in common. This is a completely open cant and hypocrisy

— emphasizes Adamski.

Tłum. K.J.