Trump & the White Nationalists

[Kad]

Posted: 8/28/15 at 3:11pm

This is a lengthy piece in the New Yorker about Trump's campaign- and his extremely ardent support from the burgeoning white nationalist movements in America. It's super worthwhile reading; while we debate the merits of Clinton v. Sanders, the support that Trump is stirring up is not something to discount. I see this as the inevitable decay of the radioactive Tea Party- its half life is over and this is what we're left with: growing wells of xenophobic white nationalism. And just as Tea Party support saw dozens and dozens of its obstructive adherents elected to state and federal offices, this growing movement could see the same support in the coming years. It's already happening in Europe, after all.
The Fearful & the Frustrated

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 8/28/15 at 3:45pm

I just finished reading it and the only words I can muster are 'Jesus F*cking Christ.'

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 8/28/15 at 5:19pm

^^^ Then do I really want to read it?  Or is it just going to piss me off?

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/28/15 at 6:09pm

 

Honestly? This article will make you go postal, Diva. I suggest you avoid all things Trump until he withdraws from the race.

 

[Kad]

Posted: 8/28/15 at 6:17pm

He won't withdraw. And even if he does, what he's stirred up won't go away anytime soon.

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 8/28/15 at 6:21pm

It's already happening in Europe, after all.

 

Sweden's fastest growing political party is the one with the closest ties to the Nazis. They campaign on refugees being the reason for anything going wrong. Sound familiar?

Updated On: 8/28/15 at 06:21 PM

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 8/28/15 at 6:32pm

It's way more interesting than Hilnernie. 

[Kad]

Posted: 8/28/15 at 6:43pm

JerseyGirl2 said: "Sweden's fastest growing political party is the one with the closest ties to the Nazis. They campaign on refugees being the reason for anything going wrong. Sound familiar?"

 

And the number two political party in France is the similar National Front- and number two by single digits. It isn't totally farfetched to imagine the National Front taking the French presidency in the near future.

 

Updated On: 8/28/15 at 06:43 PM

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 8/28/15 at 7:35pm

Over in Britain, the evil UK Independence Party got 12.5% of the vote in the general election earlier this year, but due to the system, only managed to snag one parliamentary seat out of 650. Wouldn't it be dandy if the US could conveniently ignore the far-right nutbags in the same way? Or maybe it just allows them to bury their heads in the sand for a while.

Updated On: 8/28/15 at 07:35 PM

[dented146]

Posted: 8/28/15 at 7:36pm

Kad, I read the entire article and the most interesting statement is the one that exaggeration(lies) is great for promotion. Trump is the very model of narcissism yet he is great at saying what many people want to hear and sometimes he strikes a chord with the truth. For instance, he talks about losing jobs to Mexico and China. In fact, since the NAFTA agreement in 1994 our trade with Mexico has gone from a surplus of 1.35B to a deficit of 53.8B. The best liars are the ones that tell the truth most of the time. Trump fits that profile. He could never ever deport 11 million people. I'm sure the vast majority of his supporters know that fact. They just like hearing it because they are incensed that we have done practically nothing to stop people from coming over the border. I cross the border frequently and I have talked to many of the agents. They hate our policy but like people in the military, they must hold their tongue. The birthright law within the 14th amendment is clear and it is settled but to people who are upset  we are doing very little to stop  illegal crossings, it is simply not logical due to the vast numbers involved.  And many of them see our immigration policy as a Democratic Party conspiracy to increase their numbers.

I live in San Diego. A new study estimates that our city has 209,000 people without papers.( How they came up with that number is a mystery). However, that is about 10% of the population. They are good people here to work and do better for their families. But when people like Jorge Ramos of Univision suggests that it does not hurt taxpayers it is utter nonsense.

Thank you for posting that article. It's a close second to the one PJ posted from the Atlantic. A Trump Presidency is a seriously chilling thought.

 

Updated On: 8/28/15 at 07:36 PM

[Steve C.]

Posted: 8/28/15 at 8:54pm

Kad is right; this NY piece is absolutely chilling. I simply can't understand how in this one year 2015, after years of bigotry, intolerance and prejudice, I'm finally at-long-last-legally married to my husband while at the same time such hateful speech is still being championed and celebrated albeit at others in our country and society. I don't know if Trump is going away any time soon, but what he is preaching as entertainment is being interpreted as truth by a lot of disillusioned angry voters. Hopefully they don't have their loaded guns with them when they go to vote or shoot to kill.

[sabrelady]

Posted: 8/28/15 at 9:31pm

C'mon "Yankees" sing along-

The babe in his cradle is closing his eyes
The blossom embraces the bee.
But soon, says a whisper;
"Arise, arise,
Tomorrow belongs to me"

 

And people still wonder how this "stuff" happens...

 

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 8/28/15 at 9:41pm

The article points out that uneducated white men's earning potential has been plummeting for decades and without education they have no critical thinking skills to figure out that they're being played by Trump and his odious narrative of the "other" -- who is a threat.  

 

Seriously, fascism just creeps up on ya.

[South Florida]

Posted: 8/28/15 at 10:16pm

Unfortunately the people who hate Obama the most are exactly who Namo said they were.  What a strange, uneducated, country we are, considering how great we're supposed to be.

Immigrants blow away our kids in academia, This anti immigrant twist of the GOP is going to cost them in the long run.

[Kad]

Posted: 8/29/15 at 12:21am

Of course it'll cost them. This is a nation of immigrants. The Right can't win a presidency anymore without Latino votes. And right now the subtext is, "Well, **** the Latino vote."

[dented146]

Posted: 8/29/15 at 3:18am

Except the Latino vote is far from a monolithic block. It is human nature that once you have yours, you don't necessarily want more people coming to take it away from you.

I'm sure the vast majority of Latinos would vote against Trump just because he has been so horribly offensive to them. But most Latinos are a hard working, tax paying, conservative lot. Their sympathies are traditionally with Democrats but they go to church every Sunday and do not believe in abortion. Vocal pro-immigration groups get a lot of publicity but do not represent many in the community.

Talk about having a secure border does not offend them. Calling them murderers and rapist does. To the extent that Trump's vitriol rubs off on the other candidates or makes them sound more like him, it is a huge help to the Democrats, no question.