Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Donald Trump and the Rise of the Violent Demagogue



Donald Trump has claimed that he could shoot a person in the middle of a crowded street and his supporters would still vote for him.

And despite that statement it seems he's right.

But what also seems obvious is that with every passing day he is becoming even more of a dangerous demagogue.

And what happened when a demonstrator held up an anti-Trump sign at one of his recent rallies couldn't be a clearer warning.



And as this Slate writer points out, there is an undercurrent of brutality bubbling at every Trump rally. 

Trump’s entire appeal is built around aggression and, yes, violence. To call for mass deportation, for example, is to entertain and endorse state violence. To back waterboarding and recite violent fantasies of wartime revenge against Muslims is to do the same. 

Donald Trump isn’t just running as a man who “makes deals,” he’s running as a nationalist and a bully who will humiliate the nation’s adversaries—actual foes like Iran, as well as alleged ones like China and Mexico—and restore America’s symbolic manhood.

And the question all sane Americans  should be asking themselves is where would that bully lead them?

What happens if Trump begins to lose and starts to lash out against opponents? Or if he becomes the nominee and suddenly is met with concerted opposition from the people—Latino immigrants, Muslim Americans, even black Americans—who he has attacked and demogagued? Will the Trump movement restrain itself? Or, following their leader, will those backers respond with their hands in fists?

You know, I was sure that what happened at another rally when the lights suddenly went out, would convince most people that the man is mentally unbalanced.



So I was surprised to see some commenters on my blog defended him for being against such things as the TPP. Even though both Democratic candidates for President are also against that deal.

And the only question for progressives, as Glen Greenwald points out, is which Democratic candidate is best capable of stopping him. 

With a consensus now emerging that the real estate mogul is the likely GOP nominee, it would stand to reason that the most important factor for many Democrats in choosing their own nominee is electability: meaning, who has the best chance of defeating the GOP Satan in the general election? In light of that, can Democrats really afford to take such a risky gamble by nominating Hillary Clinton?

For those progressives who defend Trump should be under no illusions.

There is nothing even slightly progressive about Trump.



He is a dangerous demagogue who is leading the U.S. in the direction of fascism.

And for the sake of our neighbours, and our sake, and the sake of the world. 

He must be stopped, by whatever democratic means necessary...

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

If the liberal media is trying to use nouns as verbs, they must be getting desperate to stop Trump.

Don't worry; the Clinton's won't hesitate much longer before they resort to blowing up his airplane.

Anonymous said...

Unbelievable that he is still building momentum. You are right Simon, we need to pay attention and stop this fascist pig.

As the Deomocratic Nomination process has been unfolding, it is interesting to see that Clinton may be getting better by having a good strong opponent in Sanders. Kudos to the Deomocrats for running such an astonishingly different campaign.

Again, that Trump is unbelievable. Beyond words. I would not consider crossing the boarder if he were elected President. I simply could not. Reagan and George W. were hard enough, Trump would be impossible.

TS

Anonymous said...

The Republican party created Trump with their bigoted fear driven brand of politics that blocked any good the current administration might have accomplished had they worked together to help the average American. Trump just stripped the veneer of the imagery they all use and "telling it like it is" has become immensely popular with their base.If they can't stop him from receiving the nomination their only other hope is to back off on their extremely vigorous destroy Hillary campaign that's been on the go for the past year and let her win the Democratic nomination. Once all of the attack ads and disinformation has done its job Bernie will be viewed as just too far to the left for the Republicans that detest Trump as well as many of the Democrats.These groups will not strongly rally behind Bernie and Trump will just drive up the middle.
RT

Anonymous said...

Hundreds of dollars wasted on educating Trump supporters, which could have instead enriched the pockets of the rich or of war mongers, and have the same effect. Why is the World not talking about the dangers of having the World's Nuclear Arsenal at the beck and call of this madman? Remember the terror that Iran might MAKE a bomb? Trump may have thousand at his disposal.

e.a.f. said...

well it would appear the Republican establishment is getting a tad concerned. Romneys comments today regarding Trump's income tax returns was interesting. Expect to see more attacks on Trump from the party establishment.

As for who can best beat Trump? Clinton. Might like Bernie better, but Clinton is the best chance to defeat him. Of course who she has as her running mate will play a large role in all of this.

we do have to ask, who will be Trump's running mate?

We are not americans so we can do little to nothing to stop Trump, best to ignore it all, except for entertainment value and focus on our own country.

Hugh said...

Trump says the war in Iraq was a huge mistake.