Failed state. There was a time when these words
conjured up images of faraway places like Somalia or Syria. Not anymore. Donald
Trump has made this phrase applicable right here at home.
Of course, America’s basic administrative
functions will continue more or less as before, but the nation’s moral
leadership is gone. Because now, at the heart of the Trump presidency, instead of valorous virtue, there festers
an ineradicable foul and acrid stench, the stench of unapologetic racism.
Trump didn’t absorb his bigotry the way people
like David Duke did - that is, by coming of age in some benighted sector of the
old Confederacy. No, Trump identifies as a racist for the same reason he places
himself into any category: it serves his interests. He believes that a lot of
bigots were included among those who voted for him, and so he feels compelled
to throw those bigots a lifeline. If they hadn’t voted for him, he would surely
be denouncing them as “very bad people.”
In a way Trump is like the Tyrannosaurus Rex in Jurassic Park, the monster predator that
could only see entities if they moved. It was completely blind to stationary
objects. In Trump’s case, he seems only to be responsive to people who reflect
on him, for either good or ill. If you support him or praise him, you are the
most amazing specimen that ever walked the earth; if you oppose or criticize
him, you are a failing entity, a loser, a purveyor of fakery. Sad!
Anything that is neither for nor against him, he
doesn’t seem to notice at all.
T. Rex - Thanks, Science Daily
His Tuesday press conference was an exercise in barely
controlled rage. Apparently, he was frustrated at having been convinced on Monday
to issue a condemnation of the white supremacists that paraded through Charlottesville
over the weekend shouting slogans like “Jews will not replace us!” and “Blood
and soil!” So, seething with anger, Trump lashed out Tuesday in a furious
effort to bully the media into reporting the news the way he wanted it reported
– that is, in praise of him.
One thing that might come out of Trump’s bigoted
temper tantrum is an opportunity to test the mettle of hopeful politicians. Here
in Florida, for example, we have several Republicans who will be running for
governor next year, most prominently Agricultural Commissioner Adam Putnam. In
addition to this, current Governor Rick Scott is said to be eyeing Bill Nelson’s
senate seat. What our media should be doing is probing these politicians,
finding out whether or not they support Trump’s pro-white supremacy statements.
If nothing else good comes of Trump’s moral
failure over the Charlottesville tragedy, at least we might be able to see who
among Florida’s Republicans has the courage to do the right thing here. So, what
do you say, Orlando Sentinel, Tampa Bay Times, etc.? Isn’t it time to
step up and find out where these leaders stand?
