Why Trump could make racist statements and still maintain his base's support.

The question is why Donald Trump can get away with racist remarks and still keep his base's support. The reason, over 65% of Republicans do not believe his attack on a judge ruling in a case that affected his business interest was disqualified because of his Mexican heritage was racist.   Either they are in denial  out of loyalty to their party or support of Trump or they truly harbor racist feelings themselves and are reluctant to admit it or are ignorant of the Constitution.     http://hotair.com/archives/2016/06/08/yougov-poll-51-say-trumps-comments-about-judge-were-racist-65-of-republicans-say-

Even worse, they and Donald Trump have no concept of one of the basic premises on which America was founded, as Joe Scarborough so elequently pointed out today on MSNBC Mourning Joe, citing agreement by such diverse founders as Madison to Jefferson.  Trump's attack on the judge based upon his heritage buts up to fundamental provisions in the Constitution, freedom or religion and non discrimination based upon religion and the independence of the judiciary.

Scarborough owed the Muslim Ban proposed by Trump to his using fear of Muslims to advance his candidacy, playing on dislike of  1.4 billion practioners of their religion.  For that reason, the racist and prejudicial position could be explained, but the danger is that violating that principle allows those who dislike Jews, or even those who do not like Southern Baptists, or anyone else they disliked,  could ban them as well and disqualify them  or pass discriminatory laws against them.

The background of why freedom of religion was so important to our founders was that when given the opportunity to discriminate or persecute those who worshipped differently, was that the colonialists who came to America to escape discrimination and persecution themselves, were themselves practitionist of religious discrimination.  http://www.skyhidailynews.com/news/16324802-113/muftic-freedom-of-religion-so-often-misunderstood

For anti discrimination clauses in the Constitution, visit http://finduslaw.com/us-constitution-5th-14th-amendments

For the most conservative view of "religious tests" provisions in the Constitution, an argument used against the Muslim ban, see http://www.heritage.org/constitution/#!/articles/6/essays/135/religious-test

https://gma.yahoo.com/elizabeth-warren-call-donald-trump-loud-nasty-thin-090148066--abc-news-topstories.html

So now the GOP has become the party that tolerates racism

The reaction to Donald Trump's use of racism to divert attention from a class action law suit concerning Trump University that would verify claims that he was a con man leaves the Republican Party in a sad position. It is now the party of tolerance of racism. In reaction,House Majority leader Paul Ryan, highest ranking GOP official, refused to withdraw his recent endorsement of Trump, While Ryan was  admitting Trump's comments regarding the judge with Mexican roots in the case would be biased because of that, Ryan's rationale was that  Trump is the best bet to get Ryan's agenda enacted.  Much of the rest of GOP leaders have fallen in line, even while acknowledging that Trump's remarks were racist.

Some gave their excuse that was   similar to Ryan's. They expressed hope that Trump would retract his statements and start behaving. Trump's racism and bigotry, whether he believes it or not, have become the statements of record, For him to change his spots or apologize for such statements is neither part of his character nor is it possible to erase evidence of his real feelings with any credibility.

The message is loud and clear.  Even when admitting Trump's comments are racist and still maintaining their endorsements of him, they put winning their races or issues over the immorality of racism, the independence of the judiciary, and the anti discrimination clauses in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.  For the party, winning trumps those civil rights in importance  and in constitutional matters.  Added to the attempts to restrict minority and elderly voter access to the ballot box in  Republican coordinated state by state legislative efforts, the Republican Party  even more has  become the party that harbors and tolerates practitioners  and their fellow travelers of  racism and bigotry.

The GOP down ballot candidates need to be put on the spot about where they stand on Trump's racist statements and on racism in general.   That is a challenge their Democratic Party opponents can easily  make,  especially in swing states with large minority populations and a history of supporting civil rights.

www.washingtonpost.com/politics/pushing-racial-boundaries-trump-draws-rebuke-from-a-fretful-gop/2016/06/04/fbd298c8-2a6d-11e6-b989-4e5479715b54_story.html

http://www.cnbc.com/2016/06/07/house-speaker-paul-ryan-trumps-comments-on-judge-are-unacceptable.html

http://hotair.com/archives/2016/06/08/yougov-poll-51-say-trumps-comments-about-judge-were-racist-65-of-republicans-say-

Scrutiny of the Trump University class action law suits should not be buried in racist charges against the judge

Scrutiny of the Trump University  class action  law suits should not be buried in the flap over Donald Trump's racist charges against the judge hearing the class action suit who authorized releasing some of the court records.   It may tell a lot about his ethics and his sincere caring about those he promises to help.  The suit will not go to trial until after the November election, but releasing some of the court documents, as the judge did, could shed some light on why consumers sued and what they are charging.

My antenna is still  raised when I smell a con game.  Many years ago I was the director of a white collar and consumer fraud unit for local district attorneys .Later, I was the public trustee of Denver supervising foreclosures and even later as an executive with non profit Consumer Credit Counselling Services in Denver.

 I smelled a con game when I heard about this suit. The scheme of  holding seminars, charging big bucks, and marketing to those who were in need of additional income, not necessarily those who had the wherewith all to make use of the information in the seminars, has been around for a long time.  Trump University took this to another level, turning it into a major marketing opportunity to make a dime. High pressure sales tactics appeared to have been used to target lower middle income participants to max out credit cards and to buy extensive educational material, whether they were financially able to afford what the Trump U school taught or even to afford to participate.

 Is this a crime? Not all unethical business practices are criminal, but if  the participants feel they have been sold with deceptive trade or advertising practices, it could be criminal or civil. Promising blue sky high returns while knowing participants could never or were unlikely to realize their investments is an example of this.  Criminal prosecution may get the perpetrators in jail or fined, but the victims would probably not get their money back. Cvil suits are easier to prove than criminal charges and c ivil suits are the method needed to get restitution.  It is particularly sad when victims are lower income and could not sue individually, to get refunds. because of the cost of attorney fees, as they appear to be in the Trump case.   In the Trump University case, those who felt victimized have been represented in a class action suit which allows attorneys on their own dime to represent all of those who feel victimized, gambling if they win the suit and get compensated for their time and efforts, as well as getting money back for all in the "class".


  At the risk of embarrassing a good friend of mine, here is a story worth repeating. Over ten years ago and freshly retired,  she asked me about "investing" her money in a course to  learn how to get rich on real estate investing.

  There have been and are traveling conductors of seminars held in rented hotel rooms  that sound similar to the kinds of courses taught at Trump University.  Those travelers charge high dollars for the "secrets' that are mostly calling on their students to borrow money to pay for their courses that  then urge  them to  buy property, go into debt, and  flip it later for a buck.  Of course, that only works if a market  is on the upswing or if investors have cash or  the credit and means to borrow,  but she was not told that.  She was a single woman with few savings, living on Social Security and a small employer pension.  She maxed out her credit cards and showed me the material the seminar distributed.  It was mostly xeroxed newspaper clippings.  I warned her. Later she told me that when she was attending the seminar, law enforcement officials raided the class room and carted away the instructors in hand cuffs.  I do not know if she ever took such courses again, but her savings and cash flow went to the seminar and she never was able to invest or flip.   She is now in her late 70's and in her "retirement years", she is still working to supplement her  income. The only ones who usually  get rich are the seminar conductors law enforcement  or  civil and class action plaintiffs do not catch.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/judge-orders-release-of-internal-trump-university-documents/2016/05/28/2e960e5e-24f9-11e6-8690-f14ca9de2972_story.html

Our country's better angels appeared on Sunday, June 5. That should not be lost on the Muslim world

The irony of it all, yet the better angels of the US eclipse the dark, ugly messages of Donald Trump
 While Donald Trump doubles down on banning Muslims from the US and tells reporters yesterday, yes, he would not want hislaw suit to come before a Muslim judge, because the judge might possibly  not be objective, a mosque in Louisville, Kentucky was filled with people of all faiths saying goodbye to a Muslim, a devout one, the great and beloved Muhammad Ali.http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/packed-mosque-welcomes-muhammad-ali-home-louisville-kentucky-n586226

 On the same day,  President Obama issued a statement on the beginning of the Muslim holy days of Ramadan, leveling criticism of Donald Trump's advocacy of a ban of Muslims coming to the US without naming him. https://www.yahoo.com/gma/president-obama-swipes-donald-trump-ramadan-statement-132118601--abc-news-topstories.html

An interfaith service, attended by dignitaries of many faiths, including Jews and Mormans will be held Friday. http://espn.go.com/boxing/story/_/id/15993271/muhammad-ali-funeral-planned-interfaith-service

These services and attendees and Presidential statements are the real spirit of the United States and that  of   Donald Trump  represents  a minority that does not grasp what makes America exceptional nor do they have any concept of the provisions in our Constitution that protects this country from bigots like him and those who buy into his views.