Friday, August 26, 2016

Trump v Clinton: who is a bigot? Their supporters,the candidates themselves? Updated

Hillary Clinton presented a lawyer- like case using Donald Trump's own words that he was reflecting the racist, hateful views of the alt right and that  she charged the alt right was now running his campaign. In advance of her remarks, Trump tried to turn the tables by claiming she was saying  that all of his supporters were racists and that Clinton was the real bigot. Clinton was careful to pin Trump to the racist right, not to his supporters as a whole. Of course Trump's supporters have other reasons to support him, control of supreme court appointments, party loyalty, personal dislike of Clinton, political philosophy, fear of national security, and a desire for change of "a rigged"  political system, and they prioritize those worries ahead of concerns about whether Trump is racist or not.

Trump's attempt to call Hillary Clinton a bigot is in keeping with his  tactic of  accusing her with the same charge that makes himself vulnerable then or in the future. His calling Clinton as crooked was one way to counter charges he is a con man supporting  the practices of Trump University. His painting Clinton as untrustworthy ignores that his poll numbers are even worse in that same category.  His calling Clinton a liar is one way to counter fact checkers documenting that Trump himself is the one who made far more claims that were rated as lies and exaggerations.

 Clinton did not use the word "bigot" in her speech but  connected Trump  to racism using his  own words , praise from the his white supremacist supporters,  and his  campaign manager's association with the alt right web site, Breitbart, that promoted conspiracy theories and racist, sexist,  comments. That is not  Clinton's using that particular B word, but instead she provided the definition and showed how he fit into it. 

 Who is Trump fooling?  If Trump hoped to appeal to minorities  or even moderate, inclusive desiring none  minority people with his bigotry charge based on the failure of Democratic mayors  to solve the problems plaguing urban African Americans, he is likely to get a guffaw from African Americans and others who know better. They know Clinton's forty years of her public life. and the role the GOP has played in stonewalling or proposing  legislation that would  help those in urban areas, attempts  from reducing nutrition support ,and subverting  public education,  and even opposing the mildest gun control  legislation.   They also know that there has been a concerted effort by the GOP to make it harder  and more inconvenient for minorities to vote or about  abusive police practices,  issues ignored by Trump.. 

Trump's attempt to paint Hillary with the sins of her husband may also realize that many of those in the African American community consider Bill Clinton the "first African American president" because of his closeness to the Black community. In contrast, Trump was the most vocal  American voice in trying to de-legitimize President Obama's citizenship with his claim Obama was born in Kenya. His propensity to attribute all minorities to the actions of a few,  including claiming  a federal judge could  not be objective in a law suit against him  because he was Mexican, was not gone unnoticed by Hispanics.  Neither unnoticed  has  been Trump's his continued  and most recent support of expelling all undocumented. (prioritizing the first to go as the bad guy criminal law breakers and  implying eventually expelling  all  "good" people , too,  depriving them of any sort of legal status or citizenship).

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/transcript-hillary-clinton-alt-right-reno-227419

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/27/business/media/breitbart-news-presidential-race.html?emc=edit_th_20160827&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=33304952&_r=0

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/lists/people/comparing-hillary-clinton-donald-trump-truth-o-met/

http://www.salon.com/2016/07/06/the_disturbing_data_on_republicans_and_racism_trump_backers_are_the_most_bigoted_within_the_gop/

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