In February 2008, in the middle of a tough fight for the Democratic nomination, Hillary Clinton was getting a little tired of Barack Obama’s bold talk about hope and change. In fact, at an event in New Hampshire, she got a little sarcastic about it.Mocking her rival’s vision as naive, Clinton said, “Now, I could stand up here and say, ‘Let’s just get everybody together. Let’s get unified.’ The skies will open, the light will come down, celestial choirs will be singing and everyone will know we should do the right thing and the world will be perfect.”The criticisms never struck me as altogether fair — Obama frequently acknowledged how hard change can be — but Clinton’s rhetoric nevertheless struck a chord with her supporters, who had no use for grandiose and unrealistic campaign promises.I’m starting to wonder if Clinton’s mockery may have been eight years too early.On the campaign trail on Tuesday, for example, Donald Trump told supporters, “We have 41 days to make possible every dream you’ve ever dreamed.” Oddly enough, it’s apparently part of Trump’s new pitch: NBC News’ Katy Tur noticed the Republican nominee make a similar comment a day later.
“You have 40 days until the election. You have 40 days to make every dream you ever dreamed for your country come true.”
Yesterday, Trump also reportedly vowed to supporters he’d “fulfill every single wish” they have for his presidency.He hasn’t yet promised everyone that we’ll get free ponies, too, but the election is still 39 days away, so let’s not rule anything out.The problem with Trump’s over-the-top promises isn’t just their excessive pomposity or their detachment from political realities. What the GOP nominee also fails to realize is the degree to which his rhetoric is at odds with his own ostensible principles.Conservatives aren’t supposed to tell the public they’ll “make possible every dream you’ve ever dreamed.” On the contrary, at a root, almost crude level, conservatives believe in telling the masses, “Everyone can’t have everything.”More to the point, the right’s core beliefs dictate that it’s ridiculous for the public to even look to the state and political leaders to fulfill their dreams.And yet, here’s a Republican presidential candidate, who has no real understanding of what he’s talking about, effectively saying the opposite: Everyone can, in fact, have everything, and a President Trump will make it happen.Or put another way, the skies will open, the light will come down, celestial choirs will be singing….
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Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."