We’re about to find out what kind of country we are.
Maybe as a whole, we’re smarter than we sometimes seem. Maybe, in our heart of hearts, we understand the complexity of our problems. Maybe, when we take a deep breath, we know that not all challenges require force and that force can be dangerous. Maybe, ultimately, we’re able to step back from our fear, override the urgings of our gut, and vote intelligently.
Maybe the delegates in Cleveland last week aren’t representative of the voters who will turn out in November. But the Republican convention and its angry, inflammatory speakers – and the delegates’ roars for their angry, demagogic nominee – were terrifying.
Well, maybe news from the Democratic convention will overshadow the Republicans’ dark vision. And maybe by the end of this week, we’ll see a Democratic Party pretty much united. I hope so. The complaints from Bernie Sanders’ supporters are legitimate, and they’re important, and not all of those supporters will move to Clinton’s side. But many of them need to, for the sake of the nation. Clinton will need every Democratic vote she can get to defeat Donald Trump.
Clinton’s shortcomings are large, but she is not dangerous. Donald Trump is. And at this point, everything’s breaking his way. It is already a tense summer, nationally and internationally, and it won’t be a surprise if there are more incidents like Dallas and Nice and Munich. And they will be tailor-made for Donald Trump’s Hitler-like message.
Trump’s angry face is now the face of the Republican Party – and that shouldn’t be a surprise. The party has been heading in this direction since Nixon and the Southern Strategy. The party chose this path. It chose it as it tarred Michael Dukakis with the Willie Horton ads, as it launched its attacks on voting rights.
It’s telling that the person who came closest to denying Trump the nomination was the equally angry, vindictive, know-nothing, anti-compromise Ted Cruz. This is now the Republican Party. (Curiously, after Cruz pointedly rejected Trump from the convention stage, several media commentators said that Cruz was brave, that he acted on principle. No, he wasn’t, and no, he didn’t. He didn’t turn his back on Trump over a concern for the principles of the country and his party. He did it because Trump had insulted his wife and his father.)
For the next three months, Donald Trump will travel across America, whipping up anger, stoking our fears, and telling us that he is the answer to our prayers – that he will be the voice of the frightened, disaffected masses.
The history of Nazi Germany should have taught us where that can lead.
Maybe the Republican convention simply lanced a boil. Maybe all that hot air and all that anger will dissipate. Maybe the folks howling out their hatred in the Cleveland arena will calm down now that they’re back home.
But I’m worried. It is hard to urge reason in the face of shouts and finger-jabs and appeals to the worst of our emotions and our nature. And what’s left of the Republican Party leadership will not object to Trump’s demagoguery during this campaign. We saw proof of that as Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell, and way too many others – who know exactly what Trump is – took the stage last week to urge a Trump victory.
I hope that Hillary Clinton can woo most of Bernie Sanders’ supporters. I hope she can survive the attacks Trump aims at her. I hope she’ll be able to pull the nation together. But at the moment, that seems a very difficult job.
Creating unity and restoring sanity may be up to all of us, one person, one interest group, one village, one city, one county at a time. But it won’t be easy. Because Donald Trump’s venomous spirit will be roaming the country, bent on frightening us and driving us apart.
Does the mob in the Cleveland convention center represent most of us? Is that now America?
This article appears in Jul 20-26, 2016.
Why was there not one single American flag at the democrats convention?
Does the author of this article realize that telling everyone to be afraid of Donald Trump is the same kind of fear mongering she is trying to blast the Republican party for?
This election is all about everyone’s fear, unfortunately. Issues are ignored to placate the angst.
Why do you accuse Donald Trump of attacking Hillary when he is merely pointing out the true facts concerning the deeds and actions of Hillary Clinton?
Hillary has proved to the country, by her documented actions and words, that she is a liar, untrustworthy and is incompetent. Being the first woman president is not a good enough reason to elect Hillary to the presidency of this country; I want more.
Donald Trump may be a risk but he’s a risk that I ( as well as others) would rather take to lead our country, rather than succumb to the extension of the Obama administration.
What’s so great about our political process, is that our voices will be heard and our votes will be counted in November.
No flags? Are you blind?
Republican Convention not dark at all. Economy is stagnant,Terrorism is on the rise, and violent crime increasing since 2014. Problems were acknowledged and solutions were proposed. Just being realistic .
I think the problem with Hillary Clinton is that she rambles on and on and no one pays attention. Trump on the other hand, has his symbolic attacks that have IMPACT. Clinton has to find her own sound bites and gimmicks to reach the less educated voters, or she may lose the election. She has to be BOLD and PERSISTENT…
For example, she can push the “W” woman’s card by brings both hands together with “V” signs. She can repeat this over and over for impact.
If we can put a man on the moon, why not a woman in the White House?
http://www.SavingSchools.org
NOTE TO MY ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES
Resolve the really important issues and they can no longer be used as decisive campaign issues.
This applies to Democrats and Republicans. Voters have the option to vote for a rude, crude racist who wants to build a wall, deport millions and ban those who identify with a certain religion. While this would ordinarily seem too absurd to gain traction, it is happening. The racist candidate has a surprising number of very hateful followers. Both Democrats and Republicans are to blame for this issue and the rise of Trump and his hateful followers.
Immigration reform has been a hot political topic for far too many years. Whether there had been sweeping changes all at once or a gradual development of immigration law, something should have been done. This issue should have been adequately resolved by now. Because it was not addressed realistically, we are faced with the possibility of a Trump presidency.
Shame on you for not taking action on immigration.
Dear Johnny: “Why was there not one single flag at the Democrats’ convention?” Because one single flag would not have even been noticed , obviously. That is why there were about a billion of them, everywhere.
Maybe this will help http://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/201…
Re: Mr Janlowski’s comments: If people are so worried about illegal immigration then they should stop eating fruits and vegetables and go pick them for $1/hour themselves. I do not fault the farmers for this. I fault the multi-million dollar food industry who gladly makes money off the backs of working people.
You would think that by now the democrats would have solved all the problems they “promise” to correct. For all of the things Hillary is “fighting” for have become worse under democrat and Hillary control. (where are the 200,000 jobs upstate?) The democrats want power over us. The republicans want freedom. The choice is clear–unless you’ve been brainwashed by the liberal media and liberal education system. The last few years have been a disaster for America. There is a better way.
I fear a Trump Recession!
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It’s the economy, stupid!
Yes, Trump is dangerous, and his presence in the White House could drive our stagnant, fragile economy down. This, in turn, could drive down economies all over the world for years to come.
On the other hand, a Clinton presidency might stimulate the economy by inviting more women into leadership positions, etc, etc. Perhaps some diehard Trump supporters will wake up to the possibility of a Trump Recession. Maybe, not. Time will tell…
http://www.SavingSchools.org
Mary Anna Towler urges us to embrace the message of” love” that her warmongering candidate has spread across the globe, resulting in thousands of innocent lives lost due to her neocon foreign policy agenda. Her top foreign policy advisor said just a day after her convention speech that her big plan for Syria was to go back to square one and concentrate on overthrowing its secular president. How many more will die if she gets her way? Clinton does not understand that a policy of endless interventionism has brought us to our knees and made us far weaker. Does she really expect us to be the policemen of the world with $20 trillion in debt? This election is an easy choice for me.