Trump and the Republic I
For Republicans wondering whether or not to vote for an alternative to Trump on Super Tuesday or in a general election, here, in summary, are some of his positions:
1. He promises a surveillance state “beyond anything we’ve seen,” asking us wryly “Are you ready?!”
2. He enthusiastically supports torture, despite the fact that the CIA and the vast majority of studies — governmental and academic — on interrogation say that inflicting bodily or psychological harm does not yield results.
3. He wants to send agents (presumably into homes and places of business) forcibly to deport 11 million undocumented men, women, children, and elderly people in the United States.
4. He called Mexicans crossing the border “rapists,” conceding that “some” are good people. (In fact, 75% of those imprisoned for sexual assault in the U.S. are males that are not members of any ethnic minority — not Latino, not African-American, etc. Jarringly, U.S. citizens account for 80% of child sex tourists in Latin America and 25% worldwide: most American sex tourists seeking intercourse with minors are also males that don’t belong to any ethnic minority group.)
5. He has hesitated or refused to disavow his white supremacist supporters, even as they litter the internet with the most vile kind of anti-semitism. (See below.)
6. He wants to ban all Muslims — a quarter of the world’s population, including those from allied nations like Canada (which has many Muslims in high positions in government), Britain (which may elect a Muslim mayor of London), France, Germany, Turkey (a NATO member), and Egypt from entering America.
7. He wants to establish a “database” of American citizens of the Muslim faith. If you support this position, ask yourself: are you sure this database won’t be extended to other people in the future?
8. He has popularized, as a model for maintaining security, a false story that a hundred years ago American soldiers in the Philippines dipped their ammunition in pigs’ blood before summarily executing Muslim prisoners of war. (Incidentally: is this kind of political discourse about any other religious group even imaginable?)
9. He has countenanced and even advocated violence at his rallies, recently saying he wanted to punch a protester in the face.
10. He has propagated a malicious lie about Muslims celebrating in New Jersey after 9/11.
Those who don’t think Trump’s views are racially divisive should note that he has been endorsed by a former leader of the KKK and hundreds of white supremacist groups. He recently avoided disavowing the KKK (when directly asked to), presumably out of political calculation before Super Tuesday. Is that responsible leadership?
Our Republic depends on a two party system. Hasn’t our political system been defined historically by passionate opposition punctuated by occasional compromise? Doesn’t the latter require respect for the humanity of the people in opposition?
The hateful tribalism and invective powering the campaign of Donald Trump threaten the viability of the Republican Party as a partner in our democracy. Every American who doesn’t hate his neighbor because of his faith, skin color, or background should actively resist the notion that the Republican Party, much less our Republic, should be led by Donald Trump.
2/28/2016
