Over at Northern Reflections today, Owen has a timely reminder via Henry Giroux of what Donald Trump really stands for: fascism, hatred, bigotry and exclusion. I noted in my response to his post the following:
It is interesting to note, Owen, now that Trump has virtually clinched the nomination, his handlers are obviously busy reworking his public persona. While he still espouses the kinds of things that Giroux discusses, he does so with a more subdued, 'reasonable' tone.
Optics are everything these days, and one fears that those who paid little attention to Trump earlier will now begin to seriously consider him. To see what I mean, take a look at the interview he gave to Lester Holt last night:
You still have religious leanings, Lorne. Do you think Trump, with everything else going on in our world, is part and parcel of the "end times"?
ReplyDeleteWhile I may have spiritual leanings, Mound, if by "religious leanings" you mean institutional representations of the transcendent, I'm afraid I'm not your man. My take on the 'end times' is that, if anything, they are quite self-induced. Whether we are talking about environmental destruction or demagogues like Trump, the choices, as always, rest with us.
DeleteThat's disappointing, Lorne. I was actually hoping for Divine intervention to save us all from ourselves. I guess we're hooped. sigh
DeleteThe real power elite that runs the American government, once again stays safely in place. The exception to that is Bernie Sanders. He at least addresses the financial side of the power elite. I don't recall him challenging the military side though. What I find interesting Lorne is that even with Trump explicitly making racist, bigoted, fascist statements he has still won the Republican Nominee. Obviously some Americans like Trumps kind of hatred. The focus on who will become president, including the focus of the spectacle of Donald Trump, masks the reality that the voters do NOT choose who will be their president. The MSM going through the motions of asking Trump what he will stand for if he becomes President, a position he will have no say in what so ever is like asking a soon to be prisoner,what kind of changes he/she will be making to the prison system when he/she is put in jail. Hillary Clinton is backed by the power elite. She is fully aware of who really controls the Presidency. She desperately wants to be part of this small elite group. She wants the chance to show them that she is the one that knows how to exercise their power. "the choices, as always rest with us." Truer words were never spoken. The sadness is that the American people are not making the really hard choices, starting with, who controls their government.
ReplyDeleteI suspect that with enough years and thought, Pamela, people will inevitably see through the facade that western democracy has become. Those that still think government is there 'for the people' as opposed to only for the select elite, are either sadly deluded or unspeakably naive.
DeleteBoth Hillary and Trump will say whatever they think their crowd needs to hear. The difference is that Trump is, by far, the more-experienced marketer.
DeleteI agree. My guess is that given his lifelong hucksterism, Trump has the edge over Hillary when it comes to shameless and unrepentant prevarication, Mound.
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