By Sal Bommarito
Donald Trump is truly a phenom. No matter what he says, or doesn’t say, no matter whom he offends, millions of people are lining up to vote for him in the primaries. It’s uncanny that an incompetent self-promoter is leading such a large number of Republicans down the primrose path. His nomination, or the likely revolution if he is not nominated, will lead to a Clinton presidency and set the GOP back for many years.
Frankly, I haven’t spoken with anyone who supports Trump. But, it isn’t surprising really. His supporters are generally white males from blue-collar groups. Unfortunately, urban dwellers like myself infrequently interface with steel mills workers. I wish I could have a moment with some of these people to explain why Trump is such a bad candidate. Or maybe, they could tell me why they still support this guy after all that has transpired.
Really, I have an open mind because I’m so committed to ridding our political system of the Clintons once and for all. I’d like to like Trump and Cruz, but neither candidate works for me. I’m still searching for an alternative.
I do listen to what the candidates say very carefully. I’m against open-ended and illegal immigration, but moratoriums on vast groups of people are un-American; deporting those already in the county is ridiculous. I believe certain countries around the world have taken advantage of American generosity, but these issues should be addressed diplomatically, not with all-out economic threats. I believe our president should be tactful, truthful, modest, tough and able to work with world leaders while dealing with mutual problems such as terrorism. Applying hard-ass tactics and empty threats are Trump’s way of doing things and not a good course for America.
It’s impossible for me to ignore the rhetoric of candidate Trump. He discovered several themes that strike a chord with average Americans and repeats them time and again without details to stir up his base. He’s going to build an impenetrable wall, and Mexico is going to pay for it. China and Russia are making fools out of our leaders and will pay if Trump is elected. Blah, blah, blah.
These empty clichés are reminiscent of Nazi Germany in the late 30s and 40s. Uber-nationalists used discriminatory rhetoric to gin up their downtrodden citizenry. In these situations, leaders look to blame minorities, other countries and other groups for all their social and economic problems.
The U.S., under the leadership of Barack Obama, has continually insisted that unfavorable conditions and events are America’s fault. He singled out the wealthy, Wall Street and Republicans, somehow dismissing radical jihadists and rogue nations such as North Korea and Iran. This is a strategy perpetrated by a president who abhors exceptionalism. His tactic is to attack the most successful Americans, as if their hard word and ambition causes others to suffer. Trump has adopted Obama’s tactics. He’s targeting other groups within our society and outside of it for political advantage.
Our president must be the leader of all Americans regardless of their race, religion, sex or political persuasion. Obama has blackballed everyone who is not a Democrat; how has that strategy worked out? Trump alienates women, minorities, immigrants, business leaders, the media and anyone who dares to challenge his half-cocked ideas about how he is going to make America great. How will that plan turn out?
With the largest unfavorable rating in the history of presidential politics, Trump actually believes Americans like him personally. He’s dead wrong; he’s not likable. Many of us resent his idiotic proposals for the country. And, he’s incapable of explaining any of his major policy proposals. Even with Fox’s Bill O’Reilly (a supporter), Trump sounded like a madman, avoided questions because he could not answer them and fought back the suggestion that well over 50% of America dislikes him personally.
The good news is that Trump has no chance to win the general election even if he cajoles, whines and intimidates Republicans to vote for him. Hillary will destroy Trump, and he will thankfully be exiled to Fifth Avenue and Mar-a-Lago. The bad news is that Clinton will inundate America with her warped and untruthful politics.