Trump is a demagogue by definition

The sudden rise of Donald Trump in the polls because of his remarks about undocumented immigrants (“ rapists”, “criminals” and “drug dealers” )  is more than disturbing.  He is by definition a demagogue because he appeals to a dark corner of American culture: prejudice and racism.  If we need a leader of our nation, we need one that appeals to our better nature, unifies the nation, and inspires us to promote  to the world  our national motto “e pluribus unum”, out of many, one.  Trump trumpets “e pluribus, pluribus”.

There are a variety of definitions of a demagogue, depending on which dictionary is searched. In ancient Greece it meant a leader of the people, but in current culture, it is defined as  “A politician who seeks to win and hold office by appeals to mass prejudice .Demagogues often use lies and distortion”  (American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy) or “a political agitator who appeals with crude oratory to the prejudice and passions of the mob”  (Collins English Dictionary) .   By those definitions Trump fits the profile.

Compromises were made at our very founding of the United States to accommodate the Southern slave holders. It took a  bloody civil war to end slavery. But  the Charleston massacre of church goers by a white supremacist who used the Confederate rebel battle flag as an symbol of  his hate filled  identity began to gel Southern opinion  that it was time  to take down that flag. Its original meaning had been hijacked by those defying the civil rights movement. It is in the midst of that controversy Trump raised his prejudiced voice.

Trump has a history of riding the wave of prejudice.  In the last presidential campaign, which he sat out, he used his media celebrity bully pulpit to become the voice of birtherism,  that President Obama was a Kenyan and for that reason  he should be removed.   After the release of the Obama original birth certificate, still 14 to 16 percent of the GOP still echoes  the” lies and distortions”, a little more than Trump is polling now (12%).

Is Trump also racist? Racism is a subset of prejudice, according to psychologists and common definitions.  Dictionary.com defines racism as“ the doctrine that one's own racialgroup is superior or that a particular racial group is inferior to the others.” Trump more than made the connection in his blanket characterization of Hispanic undocumented as rapists and criminals. However, Hispanics here for generations and with legal status  take offense of  such sentiments personally  and many have undocumented family members.

  Those sneering at the reaction criticizing Trump attribute it   to pressure to be “politically correct”. They  are missing important points. The GOP knows from their own analysis of why they lost the last election, that to win future ones, then must get around 40% of the Hispanic vote and hyping anti immigrant sentiment is bad politics.  The private sector also understands that for practical reasons they cannot alienate the Hispanic market (15% of the total; 22% of millennials).  It is not just a matter of PC. It is also bad for business. But “ from many,  one” is an American ideal and for that reason above all we should support those who support it.

 A version of this appeared in the Sky Hi Daily News July 10, 2015  www.skyhidailynews.com
Sen. Lindsey Graham called Trump a demagogue July 12, too, http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/lindsey-graham-trump-demogogue-gop/2015/07/12/id/654590/
Wall Street Journal also tagged Trump July 20 in an editorial as a demagogue, too:
http://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-and-his-apologists-1437345060?tesla=y&cb=logged0.9893790108617395
and Rick Peryy said likewise on July 22 http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/rick-perry-trumps-candidacy-cancer-conservatism

And if you ever wonder if racism, birtherism and kindred spirits, and ani immigrants were not factors in some quarters, read http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/the-americans-are-coming-texans-fear-obama-led-us-military-invasion/2015/07/04/58047fee-2001-11e5-84d5-eb37ee8eaa61_story.html?hpid=z1on

Perry's campaign takes a low road in questioning Obama's love of country

This 2012 campaign is off to a start and its new entry, Gov.   Rick Perry of Texas, is taking the low road already.  We should be having a debate on the advantages of one economic theory and plan to create jobs and reduce debt over another. We got some of that but we also got Perry questioning Pres. Obama’s love of America.   Watch out, Perry. If you want to campaign on that level, you live in a glass house and should not be throwing bricks.

Perry is the same guy who spoke to a Tea Party rally in April 2009 claiming it was permissible for Texas to withdraw from the union if Washington did not start paying attention to them.

Perry:“Texas is a unique place. When we came into the union in 1845, one of the issues was that we would be able to leave if we decided to do that,” Perry said. “My hope is that America and Washington in particular pays attention. We’ve got a great union. There’s absolutely no reason to dissolve it. But if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, who knows what may come of that.”

What sort of a loyal American is that?

Not only did the US  fight a civil war over that  attitude put into practice, the Supreme Court  in 1869 ruled Texas could not do that; it could, however, divide into states.

It appears that Perry, who hopes to carry the banner of the Teaparty, a group that pontificates over being the party of constitutional adherence, is selective in his support of its provisions.

Perry represents a popular attitude in Texas. There is a widespread belief there (and rampant in other southern states) that Obama is not a loyal American.  I know. My inbox has been flooded over the past three years sent to me from those quarters with anti-Muslim, birther viral emails. The “getting Bin Laden” and closer scrutiny and certification of Obama’s birth certificate had seemed to dampen that line of personal attack;   However, Perry’s remark may crank it up again.

In spite of that, polls show 16% of Americans still fall for the birther line.  Why? We can speculate in the same way Perry speculates about what is really going on inside a person’s head and the speculation could get very ugly.   In any case, there is something irrational going on there and Perry sent a message to that crowd.

Let’s get off both of these lines and get back to business…a rational national debate on the issues and policies.

Getting Bin Laden and birthers: trivia and profundity

My column appearing in the on line version of the Sky Hi Daily News yesterday (http://www.skyhidailynews.com/) appears below.

 

Today a more edited version appeared in its print version juxtaposed with my conservative counterpart's column, still birthering and calling our President by his middle name, Hussein. For your amusement, you can view the print page at http://www.skyhidailynews.com/, click the E edition and go to page 7. (May 4 2011 e edition)

 

My mother was from Missouri and she passed down to me a degree of skepticism. I confess that I am also skeptical of the skeptics.

“Show me” has always been the best antidote for skeptics, and President Obama gave us a high dose with history-making high drama that delivered the body of Osama Bin Laden and a birth certificate. Trivia and profundity exploded before our eyes.

I once served as head of an investigative unit in a district attorney's office. I learned that one “could make a case” for just about anything, but that proving a case “beyond a reasonable” doubt to a jury was a different animal. There is a great difference between speculating and proving what actually transpired

Lacking any proof that President Obama was born in Kenya and seeing a great deal of evidence he was born in Hawaii should have been a clue for most reasonable people that the “birther theory” was a work of fiction. Undeterred, the birthers became absorbed about disqualifying him by raising suspicions that he was not an American. Some insinuated he was even a secret dangerous Muslim and his Kenyan birth somehow made it true. Every time evidence surfaced that contradicted their fervently held beliefs, they concocted new plausible and implausible scenarios to explain it away and to make their case.

Later, politicians and journalists gave time to “both sides of the issue,” in itself giving equal credence to the theory, and many of them benefited from the increasing poll numbers and audience share. The movement spread beyond a core of ultra-conservative believers to the mainstream of Republicanism, and polls showed 38 percent of all Republicans believed in it to a degree. “Birther” legislation was gaining traction in many state legislatures, and even the Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer felt it went too far in her state, as she vetoed it. A Swift Boater was preparing to publish a birther book, most likely to lay the groundwork for another dirty tricks campaign in 2012.

The birther myth reached a crescendo last month. Donald Trump had embraced the birther line and he soared in the polls as he dominated media. Serious issues — Libya, Arab spring, deficits — were drowned out. He, like others, insinuated that Obama's failure to produce the long form of his birth certificate was the ultimate proof of his guilt. He must be hiding something, right?

The press and many in the public, had fallen for the glitter of Trump trumpeting Trump. Had anyone noticed Trump had put forth some cockeyed positions on foreign policy and delayed scrutiny of his fitness to be president? Trump advocated seizing the Middle East oil fields, and no one even questioned the wars that would result, or the legitimacy, ethics and impact on world opinion. Trump's lifestyle past is right up there in a class with Berlusconi of Italy. Dropping the F bomb at a rally last week was hardly evidence of a presidential temperament.

Last week, the president produced a certified copy of the long form of the Certificate of Live birth. It filled in the blanks the birthers used to bolster their case: the hospital's name, the doctor delivering him, the dates, and the signature of his mother. Certified copies have standing in court over any claims to the contrary. Proof such as this would be all a district attorney would need to feel confident he would have a winning case.

How trivial this all seems now in light of the president's announcement Sunday night that Bin Laden is dead. Our forces got him, and the president was deeply involved in getting justice done. Will this lay to rest the dark mutterings of those who questioned whether Obama was one of us and “really on our side?” Some will continue to believe what they want to believe. Facts never influenced them before. However, for most reasonable people it probably will. He showed us.

For more commentary, go to http://www.mufticforum.com/