Summary: Every election gives us the opportunity to shape America. We do not choose the specific national policies of the next four years, since Presidents often don’t do what they promised. Rather we give a nudge to the evolution of America; we influencing what we become. Those who vote make that decision. The choices, however unappealing, are unusually clear in 2016.
On September 22 Donald Trump attended at 45-minute long rally at Rochester, New Hampshire, speaking to about 3,000 people. Anyone who believes America is not in serious trouble should read these remarks as reported by The Hill.
“We have a problem in this country, it’s called Muslims. We know our current president is one — you know he’s not even an American. But anyway, we have training camps growing where they want to kill us. That’s my question, when can we get rid of them?”
Trump responded: “We’re going to be looking at a lot of different things, a lot of people are saying bad things are happening, we’re going to be looking at that and plenty of other things.”
A second man stood and made the same claim. “I applaud the gentleman who stood and said Obama is a Muslim born abroad and about the military camps, everyone knows that,” he said.
“Right,” Trump responded, before quickly moving to the next questioner.
… {A woman in the audience} told him that there is a “new holocaust” in New Hampshire and that people are being loaded into boxcars and beheaded by members of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. “I just wanted you to know that,” the woman said. Trump moved on without addressing the woman’s claim.
The remarks from the people are unexceptional; every society has people on the fringes with such views. Hatred of people different from ourselves is a sad but widespread phenomenon around the world and across history. It is an endemic “disease” that has errupted again in America, as reported by the NYT: “New Poll Finds Anti-Muslim Sentiment Frighteningly High“.
What should disturb us is that the leading Republican Presidential candidate accepts such views. Here we see him exploit ethnic and religious hatred of a small minority. But that’s nothing unusual in US history. Trump also proudly supports the “birthers”, still questioning if Obama was born in the US (although in 2011 Trump took credit for release of Obama’s birth certificate).
We can only guess at the reasons for Trump’s behavior. Cowardliness, afraid of the consequences of attacking the far right? Or worse, perhaps he shares such views. It does not matter. What should set off alarms is that tens of millions of citizens support this man, showing that the rot has grown deep in America. These people want to drag America back to the dark days of its past, away from the incredible potential of the 21st century.
That millions support Ben Carson, whose views are as or even more extreme than Trumps, provides confirming evidence that we’re in trouble. Fixing it will only grow more difficult the longer we wait to confront these people.
Recommendations
In tough times this political sickness could metastasize, assuming a more virulent form and spreading rapidly through America. If these people find a competent leader, not a clown like Trump, the Republic itself might be in danger.
We are the crew of America, responsible for its operation — not passengers who criticize its cuisine and maintenance. There are a thousand things we can do to reform America’s politics. At least, there are today. That window might not remain open for long. Time often inexorably closes paths to the future, narrowing our options so that those that remain are choices among ugly endings.
Other posts about the Right’s revolt
- The Donald Trump revolution, dismissed as all revolts are in the beginning.
- The numbers about immigration that fuel Trump’s campaign.
- Donald Trump leads us back to the future, to the dark days of US history.
- A New America arises, perhaps with Trump as its first leader.
- Look to the Left to see the force powering Trump and Carson.
For More Information
If you liked this post, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. See all posts about the right-wing in America, about the bloodlust released by war, and especially theses: