With Donald Trump riding high in the polls his opponents are frequently taking a page from his playbook – they are making their arguments against his candidacy personal rather than destroying his ludicrous policy proposals.
“Donald Trump by Gage Skidmore 3 (cropped)” by Gage Skidmore. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Donald_Trump_by_Gage_Skidmore_3_(cropped).jpg#/media/File:Donald_Trump_by_Gage_Skidmore_3_(cropped).jpg
I don’t think Donald Trump is a fascist, which has certainly been suggested, though I suppose he could become one under certain circumstances. I suspect many of his supporters would be quite happy to see a fascist state rise in America under the guise of security. People will choose safety over democracy – it’s a no-brainer for most.
After all, as Sinclair Lewis wrote, It Can’t Happen Here.
Fascism has its proponents after all. The Italians may not have been overly enamoured with some of the policies of Benito Mussolini, but as the story goes “at least he made the trains run on time.”
Actually they didn’t, but under a fascist government you weren’t safe pointing that out. (It’s been six years since I was last in Italy, and the trains weren’t overly punctual then either.)
Trump’s political opponents underestimate him when they write him off as a buffoon. He may be one, but if so then he’s a popular buffoon and personal attacks only make him more popular. The United States has had a seismic social upheaval over the past 70 years, and along the way someone has taken an axe to the roots of the American tree. Society is not what it once was, and a lot of people don’t like the direction it has taken or where they see it going. Donald Trump, with a willingness to blame societal problems on identifiable groups, be they immigrants, Muslims, women, homosexuals or Democrats, is feeding the American angst. Again I see comparisons with what happened in Germany’s Weimar Republic in 1933.
Certainly our society has grown more fearful. When I was younger it used to be a pretty simple thing. We knew the bad guys were the “godless communists” and our worry was ICBMs coming over the North Pole. We took what precautions we could and hoped for the best.
Now though the enemy is more indistinct and we are left with multiple fears. The Russians are still there and still have those missiles. But we really don’t expect them to use them. It’s the other agents of change that produce greater fears, especially those who claim their actions are being done in the name of Allah. Not all Muslims are terrorists, just as not all pro-lifers shoot abortionists, but it is easy to forget that when a suicide bomb has just gone off. We allow our fears to rule us and forget that terrorist incidents, both domestic and foreign, are relatively few. The United States has a much bigger gun control issue than a terrorism one, but the optics are different. You won’t see Donald Trump (or Hilary Clinton for that matter) advocating even the relatively modest gun controls we have in Canada.
Donald Trump is mining American fears for political gain. It’s an easy thing to do, though in the long run it is unlikely to pay off for him. He is very much he creation of this age, like Frankenstein’s monster, created in his master’s image, he carries within him a little bit of all of us, whether we want to admit it or not.
Unfortunately for public discourse in the US, Donald Trump with his over the top pronouncements has made it difficult to have proper dialogue on some topics. Is there a problem with Mexican immigration? Just build a wall. Are there justifiable security concerns associated with Islam (or any other religion for that matter)? Just keep it out of the country. If only it were really that simple then Donald Trump could be considered a viable presidential candidate. It’s not that simple.
random thoughts from lorne 
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[…] Trump’s political opponents underestimate him when they write him off as a buffoon. – December 16, 2015 […]
Islam, by law, is prohibited from US immigration
The Immigration and Nationality Act passed June 27, 1952 revised the laws relating to immigration, naturalization, and nationality for the United States. That act, which became Public Law 414, established both the law and the intent of Congress regarding the immigration of Aliens to the US and remains in effect today. Among the many issues it covers, one in particular, found in Chapter 2 Section 212, is the prohibition of entry to the US if the Alien belongs to an organization seeking to overthrow the government of the United States by “force, violence, or other unconstitutional means.” This, by its very definition, rules out Islamic immigration to the United States, but this law is being ignored by the White House.Islamic immigration to the US would be prohibited under this law because the Koran, Sharia Law and the Hadith all require complete submission to Islam, which is antithetical to the US government, the Constitution, and to the Republic. All Muslims who attest that the Koran is their life’s guiding principal subscribe to submission to Islam and its form of government. Now the political correct crowd would say that Islamists cannot be prohibited from entering the US because Islam is a religion. Whether it is a religion is immaterial because the law states that Aliens who are affiliated with any “organization” that advocates the overthrow of our government are prohibited
You make an interesting point and what looks like a correct reading of the law – but I suspect there are those who would say that Islam is not antithetical to the US. It would seem to me that under this interpretation you might need to also consider Muslim citizens to be treasonous. I wonder if US treason laws require action or just belief.
The Qur’an and US Constitution are clearly antithetical. Persons sworn to the US Oath of Allegiance found in violation of it should be tried for offences including treason.
The United States Oath of Allegiance, officially referred to as the “Oath of Allegiance,” 8 C.F.R. Part 337 (2008), is an oath that must be taken by all immigrants who wish to become United States citizens. The oath may be administered either by the United States Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) or in a federal court.
The current oath is as follows:
I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God.
Today’s Random Thought concludes that, “If only it were really that simple then Donald Trump could be considered a viable presidential candidate. It’s not that simple.”
Trump proposes constructive measures to real issues that compromise the American Fabric. Those who resent Trump’s self-starter independence were commonly weaned on the innocuous “hope” and “we can do it” campaign slogans of feel good politics – the Obama and Trudeau faithful. They mocked Ronald Reagan before he won the Presidency and restored American pride and self-respect.
Trump will not be easily dismissed by the empty “it’s not that simple” defeatists of the feel good conformity.
– Bradley R. Darbyson
Great post- it’s scary how popular Donald Trump actually is…