Now, of course I’m not speaking of all Trump voters here. Some are Republicans who will vote Republican because they always do and don’t give it much thought. Others are wealthy folks who will vote for their tax cuts and deregulation and don’t care about anything else. But those are not the groups that have fueled Trump’s rise. Make no mistake, Trump himself is not the cause of this disease. He is the culmination. It has long simmered below the surface of public discourse in the U.S. and, to be sure, many other countries. It has its roots in anti-immigrant nativism, in know-nothing anti-intellectualism, and in the racist spite of the Old South still bitter about the Civil War and desegregation (though it's by no means limited to Dixie). For many years, this hatred mainly expressed itself politically through the Democratic Party in the South due to the simple fact that their archenemy, Abe Lincoln, was a Republican. That began to change in the 1960s after LBJ supported civil rights and Republicans like Nixon and Reagan actively courted Southerners feeling disenfranchised by the newfound liberal dominance within the national Democrats. (I've written about this before.) Today the transition is complete, and this voting bloc is entirely within the Republican Party. Now, your "reasonable" Republicans like Paul Ryan, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, and the like desperately don't want to talk about this, even though they have relied on these votes for electoral success for 30 years. The mainstream media has done them the huge favor of largely ignoring it as well. But not only has Trump done us the favor of bringing the hatred to the forefront, by yelling at 100 decibels what was previously only whispered or spoken in code, he has also empowered these forces to a level that they have not seen since at least the civil rights turbulence of the late 60s. But even then they never enjoyed complete control over all three branches of government like they most likely would under a Trump presidency. We simply cannot allow that to happen. This hatred must be squashed.
What do I mean by this hatred? Basically, it boils down to hating anything that does not fit within a narrow worldview of white, male, heterosexual, and (usually) Protestant Christian dominance. Watch some videos of Trump supporters at his rallies. Do they want to have a thorough discussion of the intricacies of immigration policy? No, they want the damn beaners to speak English or send them back to Mexico. Will they listen to any African-American activist, no matter how articulate, discuss police brutality? No, they're all thugs that deserve what they get. Are they interested in learning more about Islam? No, they're terrorist camel jockeys that better not show up in my neighborhood. Will they accept a thorough investigation of Hillary Clinton that exonerates her of any intentional wrongdoing? Nope, the system's rigged, Trump That Bitch, lock her up without a trial, hang her for a traitor. Perhaps the most surprising in terms of newfound relevance is anti-Semitism - when Trump speaks of an international system rigged by bankers and the media, he is sending the loudest of anti-Semitic dog whistles, and his followers respond by yelling "Jew-S-A!" at the present media. It all boils down to hatred of the other, of that which they feel does not belong in "their" America. When they yell that they want to "make America great again," they want to return to an era of cultural dominance where other perspectives were relatively powerless. Trump gives them that dominance. He makes them feel like winners. He says "yes, you can take your country back from the others" - whatever others they believe to have wronged them. They don't want to hear that America is already great, because it stopped being great when others stopped shutting up.
Personally I am fortunate that I live in a diverse city in New Mexico where such feelings, if present, are kept under wraps and people of different stripes generally seem to mix well with each other. I wanted to believe that the hatred and bitterness seized upon by Trump was overblown, that it couldn’t possibly be such a powerful force in American politics in the 21st century. Certain events and trends I’ve noticed have soured this outlook. First, in 2015 I made a quick trip to Kansas with my then-girlfriend, now wife Maria. In less than 48 hours, 3 incidents really made me sad to witness the political culture consuming my home state. First was spying a gigantic Confederate flag (as in, on a flagpole) in someone’s yard along the highway in Lacrosse. Now, if you don’t know your history, not only was Kansas a free state, it was founded by abolitionists who fought a bloody conflict with pro-slavery settlers to make it that way in the years before the Civil War (look up Bleeding Kansas). Kansans have a lot to be proud of in their free-state heritage – I know I always have been. Granted, I don’t know the ancestry of whoever lived in that house, but to see the flag of treason flying above the High Plains was a depressing sight that really threw into doubt the notion that “it’s about Southern heritage.” In a restaurant in another town I overheard an older man loudly proclaim “that black son of a bitch isn’t my President.” Entitled to his opinion of course, but I guess I’m supposed to compliment him for only saying “black.” Worst was another incident where I don’t want to get into all the details but suffice to say it involved disparaging remarks about Hispanics being made to me with my (light-skinned) Mexican-American girlfriend standing next to me.
Remember, 3 incidents in under 2 days over a year ago and I sure wasn’t looking for them. I’m sure the feelings brought about by the rise of Trump have only made it worse – and we’re starting to see evidence of that – 3 apparent Trump supporters were arrested for plotting to blow up an immigrant-dominated housing complex in Garden City, KS; a black church was burned and tagged with pro-Trump graffiti in South Carolina; the KKK and other white supremacist groups are supposedly organizing to intimidate voters on Election Day, and a Trump-supporting dude with a beef against law enforcement shot two cops in Iowa (imagine the reaction from Trumpers had it been a black guy). Yes, I know other groups commit violence too. But this is from the “law and order” crowd specifically going after (except maybe in the cop case) people that Trump and his ilk have identified as targets, and have done nothing to dampen down the flames of hatred – if anything, they have added fuel to the fire. They all cheer when protesters are beat up and/or kicked out of Trump rallies. They are out for blood. I hope none of it is spilled by anyone on Election Day or the aftermath. I fear otherwise.
The other area where I’ve really noticed this hatred taking hold is online, where the cult of personality solidifying around Trump and his ideals is truly a depressing sight to behold. And lest you think this essay is mainly a screed against older folks, this is where I see a staggeringly large number of young people (my age or younger) fall in line behind The Donald. While there is a disturbing well of anti-Semitism (google images of Pepe the Frog), Islamophobia, homophobia, and other prejudices in this crowd, they are almost all men and their feelings of bitterness seem mainly directed towards women, which is where I want to focus. Here is where I say “there but for the grace of God go I.” A lot of them are nerdy types who really, really should know better than to jump on the bandwagon with the greatest bully in modern American history. They are the “nice guy” types who feel that women owe them their affections because they aren’t total jerks to them, at least to their face. While I understand the feelings of resentment that can come by seeing women you are attracted to going out with d-bags, these fellas have let those emotions take total control over their perception and treatment of women. “If she doesn’t like me she’s a total bitch.” While at first not overtly political and focusing on “controversies” like GamerGate and the idea of an all-woman Ghostbusters ruining their childhood, Donald Trump gave them a rallying point. He is their hero. If George W. Bush was the guy people wanted to have a beer with, Trump is the man they all want to be. He takes what he wants because he has the money, power, and fame to do it – and that’s especially true with regards to women. When the “grab them by the pussy” tape surfaced, they loved him all the more for it. The only problem was that he gave a half-assed apology for what they view as the correct way to live a manly life. It was a complete vindication of their way of thinking. What kind of message do we send to the women in our lives if we validate it on November 8?
The last disturbing trend among Trump followers I want to highlight is authoritarianism. That cult of personality I mentioned? Some of his diehards refer to him as “God Emperor” online. I wish I were joking. They worship him in exactly the way they have been accusing Democrats of worshiping Obama for eight years. He can do no wrong, he doesn’t need to apologize or make excuses or take responsibility because everything said against him is a lie or rigged against him. I haven’t seen such slavish devotion to a politician in my lifetime and it is scary. But I’m not surprised. I’ve studied authoritarians in my academic career, and Trump's followers are a perfect match They want a strong leader who “tells it like it is” meaning “tells us what we want to hear and sticks it to everyone else.” He must be of them and promise to make the “others” pay for how they have been wronged, and appear to have the gumption to follow through on it. Trump fits the bill perfectly – name any other politician who could get away with “I alone can fix your problems” in America and not be laughed into obscurity. If Trump is elected, these people will follow him to the gates of oblivion. Remember how the Tea Party – which is now the Trump Party - was supposed to be so concerned about government deficits? Trump could explode the national debt in his first year (which his tax and economic policies strongly suggest will happen) and they Will. Not. Care. American soldiers dying on the streets of Aleppo or Tehran? No biggie. We’re at the point where I’m pretty sure President Trump could cancel the 2020 election and the response from his crowd would be “HAHA, the God-Emperor got another one over on you stupid libtards.” This is not America. It’s not how we live, it’s not how we show respect, it’s not how we worship, it’s not how we govern. Why the hell should I bother getting a doctorate degree in Public Administration when public policy is decided by “who does President Trump declare that we should screw over today?” It goes hand-in-hand with the anti-science, anti-intellectualism that fuels the undying faith in a leader who can do no wrong. I fear for the future of the country if those lining up under the authority of He. Trump are allowed to lead the way.
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| But hey, at least we got to the bottom of Hillary's emails! |
So is this where I plead for you to vote for Hillary? No (unless you’re a progressive and having doubts, in which case get off your purity high horse and get it done – then I don’t care how much you yell about the corporatist warmonger for four years). I’m proudly going to cast my vote for her. But I understand that for some people that’s a bridge too far. So I have a smaller “ask,” as we say in government. Just don’t vote for Trump. Don’t vote for hate, fear, and the blinding obedience of authoritarianism. Don’t enable the forces I’ve detailed in this essay. Vote for Johnson, or Weld (my 2nd favorite candidate!), or McMullin, or write in your favorite Republican (even I wouldn’t vote for Jill Stein). Leave the presidential choice blank. I won’t even ask you not to vote for downballot Republicans you like – if it makes you sleep better, send Hillary a Republican Congress that will basically guarantee she doesn’t accomplish anything (though this Supreme Court business is a bit much). Just don’t vote for Trump. No matter where you live. Don’t vote for the guy that the KKK and every other white supremacist organization in the country has enthusiastically endorsed. The fewer votes Trump gets, the less powerful he and his followers will be after the election. This will give the Republican Party a better chance to excise this cancer from its soul and become the responsible counterweight to the Democrats that even I, as a progressive, deeply want. The dark forces of hate and fear have long been present in American politics, bouncing from one movement to another, but the forces of reason and respect have always won the day and carried us forward. Together, let’s banish the hatred once and for all and work to build a brighter future for every American.
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