When I took a government course in college, the class was sometimes split into sections. The teaching assistant leading our group asked us what we thought America’s future challenges would be. Students gave various answers. Then one student stunned the class with his concerns. First, he believed english would become a second language in our major cities. Second, that the faggots would take over the university. The other students were stunned. His answer did not surprise me then and the election results did not surprise me now.
Trump always managed to connect a particular ethnic or religious group to almost every problem. Savage undocumented Mexicans were raping and killing citizens. Global Warming was a Chinese plot to undermine American enterprise. Terrorists must be stopped by halting Islamic immigration and registering Muslim citizens. Stopping and frisking Black and brown people was necessary for the public order. In fact, those same Black and brown citizens should also be monitored when they vote to prevent fraud. But he failed to specify the ethnic identity of the oppressive establishment responsible for punishing the hard working middle class. Why? Because railing against the WHITE establishment would ruin the WHITE Nationalist narrative he was trying to carefully construct.
I am told many Trump supporters are not racists. Most may not be racists, but so what. These voters heard him demonize whole groups of fellow Americans, deciding they didn’t care. It wasn’t their problem. And I’m not just talking about white supporters either.
It is true the middle and working classes have been battered by negative economic trends for decades. Free trade deals and sending jobs overseas have been unkind to most Americans. Wages have been mostly stagnant. The costs of education and health care have skyrocketed. But these trends weren’t driven by Blacks, Latinos, and Muslims. They were mostly driven by white elites like rich, politically connected, trust funder Donald Trump.
When Hillary was nominated, I was not shy about saying she was a lousy candidate. Not because of the ridiculous conspiracy theories that have surrounded her and Bill since forever. Besides being an awful campaigner, she and her husband have the baggage of supporting unpopular trade deals, deregulating banks, welfare reform, and criminal justice reform. She had to stop supporting the now dead Trans-Pacific Partnership when Sanders nearly derailed her efforts. The Democratic party leadership, lead by the Clintons, sold out their party’s Liberal legacy for Wall Street cash. I am hoping this nonsense is now at an end, letting the Clintons fade into obscurity.
And then there is the American media circus. When the campaign began, they gave the majority of the coverage to Trump, a man no one thought could possibly win at the time. Why? Trump gave us the answer. Because he was entertaining, which was good for ratings. American media isn’t interested launching investigations and showing the results to the people. Conflict and sensation for the sake of entertainment is now the goal. His outrageous actions were ratings gold, giving endless opportunities for know nothing pundits to babble about his newest outrage.
What now? The midterms offer a chance if folks can get their act together. The Democratic party leadership may now change from weak moderate Republicans into actual Democrats ready to fight for Liberal and Progressive ideas. In the mean time, all of the branches will be controlled by Republicans, which means Bush III. The president will once again be guided by a devious Vice President. Taxes will be cut again. The deficit will explode again. Programs will be cut. etc. Senator Elizabeth Warren might run next time. I don’t see Bernie making another try. Otherwise, perhaps a Latino Democrat will bail us out in 8 years.