There's A New "Make Space Great Again" Campaign Video From Team Trump
Keith’s note: Looks like we have another Trump space promotional video to enjoy on Trump TV. This video starts with some routine Biden bashing, followed by the “Make Space Great Again” campaign advertisement that the Trump campaign quickly pulled offline last week. At 4:10 the live chat begins. It is hosted by Donald Trump Jr.’s girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle who works on the Trump campaign. Her guests are former NASA Chief Financial Officer Jeff DeWit and former astronaut and NASA GRC Center Director Janet Kavandi who is now a Senior Vice President at Sierra Nevada Corp. Apparently the Trump family is really into space – Eric Trump’s brother-in-law Kyle Yunaska is the new Deputy Chief of Staff at NASA.
The video starts with Guilfoyle saying “with President Trump’s inspirational leadership the United States has officially made space great again”. She also mentioned that she was at the first DEMO-2 launch attempt. It is a little strange that political campaign people were on the invitation list when virtually no one else was invited. Oh well. Anyway, after a clip of the President taking credit for things that previous presidents initiated the hyperbole that follows continues that theme leaving one with the impression that before the President showed up NASA was closed for business or something. Oh and DeWit complains that the press does not give Ivanka Trump the credit she deserves for whatever it is she does. Like I said space is a family affair for all the Trumps.
– The First 2020 Election Space-Themed Campaign Commercial Flops, earlier post
– White House Post-Launch Commentary, earlier post
– Eric Trump’s Brother-In-Law Is The New Deputy NASA Chief Of Staff. Seriously., earlier post
I’m surprised at Keith’s seeming surprise.
1.) Like many Americans, Trump has little trust for academia outside the STEAM disciplines, and thus applauds something that is almost purely applied science, rather than anything else in more accord with the last 55 years of growing academic complaint against America. He makes the most of this applause, and like all politicians, seeks to attach something admirable to his own credit.
2.) Keeping the attention of the prospective voter focused on any credit Trump can claim is the whole point of a campaign video. It does little in line with that purpose to lecture people on the last 75 years of rocketry history in the US. That is irrelevant to the purpose of a campaign video.
3.) Expect more like this. This is what campaigns do to bring out voters that agree with Trump, because it works. If it doesn’t work, they’ll stop it. Expect that the family enthusiasm will be a continuing factor as well, to the extent it is actually there. Really, if the 2024 nominee is to also get the votes Trump looks forward to in 2020, then Pence or Cruz having a campaign flag in common with this campaign to wave about Space is far from a bad idea. After all, Space as an issue was Lyndon Johnson’s idea at the start of 1958, and that would have worked even better if Eisenhower had not “judoed” that issue by giving in and agreeing to start NASA by the summer of 1958.
4.) The worst problem *I* have with the whole idea, of Space as a successful political campaign theme, is exactly that it may slide over into re-igniting another several decades LBJian interference with resource allocations for spaceflight by politicians. That will inevitably slide into what we have seen in the last 50 years, … yet another several wasted decades by people paying more attention to politics than to gains in wealth from Space. The power of allocating funding is a tolkienesc “One Ring” problem, precisely because pols are focused on power, not on letting markets work to produce high levels of productivity. It matters little how much the first generation of pols really do like spaceflight, if the 50 years that follow them are filled with Richard Shelby-clones.
I am not surprised. I am just being snarky.
True.
However, I’m not sure that point 4 above would happen in the shadow of point 3…particularly if New Space and fixed-price contracting successfully uncouple space technology development from politics by 2026 or so.
I’m not sure, either. But I was cheering when I read in AV Week that LBJ’s staff was writing a Charter for a united US Space Agency in 1958. Once burned, twice shy.
I believe that was during the time that the US press and politicians were in a tither about the USSR’s lead in space somehow translating to a national security threat (as though a missile from an orbiting platform could somehow get anywhere faster than an ICBM from halfway across the world — with less warning). Johnson, as majority leader in the Senate, wanted to be on top of the issue for his 1960 run for the Democratic nomination for the presidency. By 1960, of course, it was a non-issue.
“I believe that was during the time that the US press and politicians were in a tither about the USSR’s lead in space somehow translating to a national security threat…”
The actual threat was the very successful Space Propaganda Campaign that Kruschev had put into motion within weeks of the launch of Sputnik. It was doing an excellent job of convincing people that “the socialist camp” was the most rapidly advancing portion of the world.
“By 1960, of course, it was a non-issue.”
It was a non-issue because Eisenhower had “judoed” the issue out from under Johnson by approving NASA’s start-up within months, and got it going by October of 1958.
When have the NASA budget and principal aims _not_ been a political (or geopolitical) tool used by the then current administration?
Given how few are into space advocacy, and even fewer that likely see it as a key issue to vote on, it seems they are spending a lot of effort on it. It will be interesting watching how VP Biden responds.
LOL!
Correlation is not causation, but no one on either side of the isle ever cares about that in an election year. Yesterday I lampooned someone on Twitter for trying to blame the Covid19 economy on Trump.
Anyone can make policy, but leadership is a different category of action. Obama is a very skilled persuader and IMO the best speachifier that has occupied the White House in my lifetime after Reagan. IF he had made space a priority instead of allowing it to continue to be seen as government’s high-maintenance girlfriend, Commercial Crew might have flown during his Presidency and given him and Joe Biden these bragging rights. I spoke face to face with many people about space during Obama’s Presidency around the time of the last flight of the shuttle and the cancellation of Constellation (because at the time I was working on a space-related promotions project of my own). Most folks I spoke with thought that Obama had cancelled NASA. I am deadly serious here. Others who read this thread who go around promoting space exploration to the general public probably experienced something similar.
A businessman like Donald Trump can’t possibly miss the financial growth potential of New Space that has already been recognized by the banking industry, investment advisors and venture capitol firms. I think that international marketing of U.S. based New Space firms has the potential to erase our country’s trade deficit within a decade. It can also be used to leverage a lot of diplomatic power as well, since U.S. businesses cannot as easily do business (particularly where it involves technology that dovetails into national security) with countries that the U.S. State Department does not like…especially the way Trump likes to throw economics and foreign relations into the same basket.
Trump sees an opportunity and is filling a leadership void in space…seizing it to capitalize on the nationalist fervor that accompanies any stretching of the envelope in human spaceflight. He will claim credit for the financial and diplomatic benefits of the entire package. The fact that he brazenly bends the rules (and the truth) as he does it should not even be shocking at this point.
Is it OK if I blame today’s stock market debacle on the president’s incoherent response to the covid-19 crisis?
To some degree. The stock market would have been in bad shape no matter what the President had done. But the stock market also responds badly to uncertainty. Mr. Trump’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic was not what I’d call a pillar of stability and consistency. That probably has made the stock market more of a mess than it might have been.
The stock market is not the economy. It is a twitchy, blurry overly reactive image of the average expert opinion on economic futures on that particular day.
Economic indicators are tiny windows into big variables of which there are hundreds and the POTUS is only one. In fact, most of his true impact on the actual economy (good or bad) has about a two-year lag time.
In other words, the economy is an elephant the size of a gray whale it takes a lot of energy to change its direction. One man (with low credibility) talking isn’t enough. The large number of companies shuttered and the huge number of people laid-off, furlonged, or with their hours cut because of the pandemic is just the kind of thing to move it.
To move it back quickly we need to get control of the pandemic and get folks back to work before they start defaulting on mortgages and before any more businesses fail.
He has to do something similar. If all a former VP does is address Trumps lies with “we did this” in reference to Obama’s accomplishments of the past, instead of “I will do something” in reference to his own policy plans, he surrenders the space high-ground to the Trump campaign.
“surrendering the space high ground” politically, even if true, is worth about 0.001% of the vote
Not with Trump running TV ads nationwide promoting it from now until November.
Isn’t there a danger that the more strongly the space program is associated with Trump’s brand, the more likely Biden’s “something” will be defunding human spaceflight and redirecting those funds to addressing “problems here at home”? And wouldn’t that be a popular position among most of his supporters?
The YouTube date on the video says “Streamed live on Jun 2, 2020” so not exactly brand new. But still notable in that it contains the objectionable campaign ad that they removed elsewhere.
I found it rather bizarre when at 8:50 Jeff DeWit heaped praise on Janet Kavandi, calling her a “legend among legends at NASA” for (in an exaggerated, astounded voice) being a “three time Shuttle astronaut”, having “over five hundred orbits of the Earth,” being “up in space for over a month; 33 days if I’m not mistaken”, and traveling “over thirteen million miles in space”.
I assume Ms. Kavandi had a rewarding and successful NASA career, but those flight stats are typical if slightly below average to astronauts of the time. Of the eleven NASA astronauts she flew with, nine had more spaceflights than she did (including Chang Díaz’s record 7 — jointly held with Jerry Ross) and the other two had the same number as she did.
Is Mr. DeWit always like that, or is he just speaking to the audience who has become used to and now expects such over-the-top praise.
As a NASA Glenn employee who worked at the Center when Janet Kavandi, Ph.D., was Director, I can say that, while her accomplishments as an astronaut, researcher and inspirational NASA executive for young girls and women interested in STEM careers are notable; she was IMO, a mediocre center director. She was rarely at the Center, limited meaningful employee engagement and didn’t participate in the local community or business leadership forums, missing prime opportunities to raise GRC’s stature in the local community. She did have a giant NASA Meatball painted on the roof of the center’s hangar to the tune of $300K. That’s an accomplishment, I suppose. Too bad it’s gonna be torn down in the future. What I find surprising is her participation in a Trump Infomercial that supports re-electing an individual who is devoid of the qualities Janet Kavandi championed at GRC in the John H. Glenn inspired “ 7 Expected Behaviors or HEROICS: (1) Helping All To Succeed, (2) Excellence, (3) Respect, (4) Openness, (5) Integrity, (6) Cooperation, and (7) Safety. The President fails to meet all of these qualities. Perhaps, she doesn’t believe these qualities matter anymore or she never truly believed them in the first place. Regardless, she gave a plug for continued human exploration of space and most likely helped inspire STEM interest among more young girls and women. As for Mr. DeWitt’s saccharin-rich, Pepto-Bismol inducing praise of Janet; she loved every second.
President Trump’s Inspirational leadership?
What a steaming hot load of garbage?
Issue I have is this could make NASA and/or space program in general partisan item for Trump. Some might not want to wear a NASA shirt as it may imply they support Trump.
“the President taking credit for things that previous presidents initiated”
It’s all he’s got. And that task cut for rich people.
So what’s new?
Well, it’s not an issue of caring. Once any politician says something publicly, and it is (or ever becomes) controversial…they own it. A very significant proportion of the population sees the money spent on space and think it would do better written on a check with their name on it. There is a segment of these people on each side of the isle. Any politician who does what Trump is doing will alienate those voters, and the margins are just so tight.
However, traditionally, Republican POTUS candidates need Florida more than Democrat POTUS candidates do. If Biden thinks he has a lock on that state, then he might just let Trump have the space narrative.
At least he supports the space program had constellation not been cancelled by the last administration the United States would be back on the Moon in 2020 not reduced to low earth Orbit . Would be very interested to see Joe Biden’s space policy ?
“We’ve been there before.” Can you, or anyone else, explain to me any benefit(s) of an expensive, crash moon program for an effort to land people safely on the surface of Mars and return them to earth?
No one knows more about space and .. well everything than trump
https://www.youtube.com/wat…
Pretty funny to see all of those put together. Now we need one for the “only I can…”
Never having been shy about my political sensibilities, I would be remiss not recognizing excellence in the opposition. It’s one hell of an excellent ad, just like the first; both have the simple goal of reelection, and are effective.
This morning I watched another one that directly targets Biden, beats the China drum, and links Biden with our rust belt. Again, a gut punch, effective.
The President also has an admirable signature 🙂
I said that it is. I did not say that it is ok.
And yes I did say, “Space Exploration” and not “Human Space Exploration”. I am very aware of the lack of concenus on that score.
Ok, I’d have to disagree. I don’t think campus demonstrations are complaints against America. Campus demonstrations are normal at least from my experience in college (always some group on the quad) and what I’ve read historically. Those demonstrations have a goal in mind of course, but I definitely wouldn’t categorize it like you did.
Trump brings a divisive, demeaning rhetoric to the space program that I have never seen before. He falsely claims President Obama destroyed the space program and that he, Trump, recreated it. These are lies, as anyone can see by looking at the funding for Commercial Crew, which began under the Obama Administration which repeatedly asked for a much more robust and adequate budget than the Republican Congress approved.
Trump laughs at science, gagging climate research because his supporters do not “believe in” global warming, and flagrantly ignoring the infection control measures recommended by his own experts because it makes him look strong to his supporters.
Most fundamentally he has incited a polarization of America unprecedented in my lifetime. This may be his most lasting legacy. It is hard to see how a nation so torn and fragmented can afford the luxury of human spaceflight.
I am not sure the size comparison argument appeals to people who cannot afford necessities. Perhaps Musk and Bezos can reduce the cost and find people who can afford to pay for the ride. Absent that I doubt the taxpayers will fund the bill for human spaceflight forever.