We're so f'ed up as a Nation we don't even recognize the difference between nationalism and fascism. They're not the same!!! TM **************
By Robert Kagan, May 18, 2016
The Republican Party’s attempt to treat Donald Trump as a normal political candidate would be laughable were it not so perilous to the republic. If only he would mouth the party’s “conservative” principles, all would be well.
But of course the entire Trump phenomenon has nothing to do with policy or ideology. It has nothing to do with the Republican Party, either, except in its historic role as incubator of this singular threat to our democracy. Trump has transcended the party that produced him. His growing army of supporters no longer cares about the party. Because it did not immediately and fully embrace Trump, because a dwindling number of its political and intellectual leaders still resist him, the party is regarded with suspicion and even hostility by his followers. Their allegiance is to him and him alone.
And the source of allegiance? We’re supposed to believe that Trump’s support stems from economic stagnation or dislocation. Maybe some of it does. But what Trump offers his followers are not economic remedies — his proposals change daily. What he offers is an attitude, an aura of crude strength and machismo, a boasting disrespect for the niceties of the democratic culture that he claims, and his followers believe, has produced national weakness and incompetence.
His incoherent and contradictory utterances have one thing in common: They provoke and play on feelings of resentment and disdain, intermingled with bits of fear, hatred and anger. His public discourse consists of attacking or ridiculing a wide range of “others” — Muslims, Hispanics, women, Chinese, Mexicans, Europeans, Arabs, immigrants, refugees — whom he depicts either as threats or as objects of derision. His program, such as it is, consists chiefly of promises to get tough with foreigners and people of nonwhite complexion. He will deport them, bar them, get them to knuckle under, make them pay up or make them shut up.
As for the claim that those loyal to Trump are loyal to the man, not the party? How bogus is that except to the snarky skeptics who really want to see fascism [and Hitler] in DT? Trump has a history that is an open book and if he ran his companies as a fascist the word would be everywhere! Besides, aren't Bernie supporters very loyal to Bernie and Hillary supporters very loyal to Hillary? It's clearly a non-sequitur!
Please, remind me again, who owns the Washington Post??? That's all I need to say, TM
******* "I need some muscle over here!" Melissa Click
My take from a quick read is that Robert Kagan, the author, is an internationalist, whose support for open borders, the oxymoron of 'free trade', regime change under the direction of the UN, manipulation of the labor market by flooding the country with illegal and legal desperate labor from around the world, and loyalty to the party uber alles.
Trump's ideas of running trade and immigration for the benefit of the US citizenry and the US not playing policeman for the UN are heretical to him.
Hence the hit piece on Trump and his supporters.
Illegitimi non Carborundum
During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.
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Thu May 19, 2016 8:22 am
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