OK, This Trump Thing Isn’t Funny Anymore

[Janelle2002 3,865]

Barrett Holmes Pitner

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THE F-WORD

08.27.151:00 AM ET

OK, This Trump Thing Isn’t Funny Anymore

When people are shouting ‘white power’ at his rallies and Trump is endorsed by the Daily Stormer, the joke is over.

It has been more than two months since Donald Trump announced his candidacy for president, and slowly but surely the entertainment factor as been on the wane and the fear factor has been on the rise.

As his poll numbers steadily keep him in a comfortable first place in the crowded GOP field, and he packs stadiums—receiving raucous applause in Alabama andalong the Mexican border—his fiery and divisive rhetoric has taken on a new meaning. His positions have now become the focal point of the GOP field and all candidates must respond to Trump before they can proceed.

What he and his supporters say can no longer be considered a joke. During his rally in Mobile, Alabama screams of “white power” could be heard from the audience. And last week, two white ex-cons from Boston beat up a homeless Hispanic man, and upon their arrest they told the police, “Donald Trump was right, all these illegals need to be deported.”

In response to the attack, Trump said, “I will say that people who are following me are very passionate. They love this country and they want this country to be great again. They are passionate.” He did not initially decry their actions, but laterstated on Twitter that he thought the attack was “terrible.”

The joke is over. The horrors of a Trump presidency should not be lost on anyone. His immigration plan calls for the deportation of the estimated 11-12 million undocumented immigrants who have entered via our southern border. This position has definitely stoked the fire of Americans who are not pleased with our immigration policies, but an America that rounds up and forcefully removes a race or class of people is most certainly a dystopian nation that encourages lawlessness and anarchy.

If these policies were enacted, what would prevent American citizens from destroying the documentation of legal Hispanic immigrants, and forcefully deporting them or using the threat of deportation as leverage for rampant abuse? Arizona already has the “show me your papers” provision of SB 1070 that essentially treats Hispanics as illegal until proven innocent.

Even his campaign slogan “Make America Great Again” stokes a nationalistic fervor that makes some Americans feel as though they are under attack.

This reality might seem farfetched, but in fact America has traversed this territory before. My forebears in South Carolina were free persons of color since the late 1700s and lived as second-class citizens, but in the 1860s prior to emancipation, certain municipalities started requesting that FPCs show their papers or be forced into slavery. Many FPCs had never needed papers before, so they regularly went about their lives without documentation.

But overnight this changed. Without papers you were assumed to be a slave, and white America would see to it that you were “returned” to a life of slavery. Additionally, it was illegal to educate blacks in the state of South Carolina, so some FPCs were illiterate, and therefore even if they had documentation it was difficult for them to prove the papers’ legitimacy. Many FPCs ran for their lives, and attempted to flee the state, but countless were rounded up and forced into slavery.

Essentially, even though 150 years may have passed, too many Americans are still advocating for oppressive, segregationist, and pre-Civil War policies. But this time these Americans may have decided to direct most of their hatred towards a different shade of people.

When you examine Trump’s unilateral and authoritarian foreign policy positions more red flags are raised. Invading a country to take its oil is something America has already attempted with dire consequences. Does he honestly think that he can force Mexico to pay for the construction of a wall along our border?

Concerning women’s issues and basic respect for another person he is equally troubling, and the rekindling of his vile and sexist war of words with Fox News’ Megyn Kelly shows this. He again called her a bimbo and demeaned her physical appearance. If these were merely the comments of a clown, we could brush them off and ignore them. But when it is a billionaire clown that is the GOP presidential front-runner; we all should be incredibly concerned. If this man had the authority to create and approve laws, what would his policies regarding women’s rights look like?

Even his campaign slogan “Make America Great Again” stokes a nationalistic fervor that makes some Americans—predominately conservative white Americans—feel as though they are under attack from ruinous anti-American elements that need to be defeated. Yet if American greatness existed prior to the 1960s, I am sure that countless other Americans would not want to return to that era, which sure wasn’t very welcoming for them.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/08/27/okay-this-trump-thing-isn-t-funny-anymore.html

His campaigns are looking more like KKK meetings without the hoods. And Alabama? Go figure. (sorry if you are from Alabama, still love you)

[Transborderwife 4,666]

I see nothing wrong with his slogan. People have been saying for years that the country is going down the tubes. It's not like his slogan is This:

As for the white power stuff...I think that he's being careful not to lose voters.

[Janelle2002 3,865]

I see nothing wrong with his slogan. People have been saying for years that the country is going down the tubes. It's not like his slogan is This:

As for the white power stuff...I think that he's being careful not to lose voters.

I've never agreed with the God Bless America and No One Else slogan either.

And again, his slogan makes people feel they are under attack on their own soil. This is not good.

Of course he is trying to be careful not to lose voters, but he is also creating Anti-American rhetoric at the same time. Some of these people will be turning on other Americans soon because they think the person isn't American. This is a dangerous game to play.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Trump's hair is funny.

[We Keep Receipts 9,238]

I see nothing wrong with his slogan. People have been saying for years that the country is going down the tubes. It's not like his slogan is This:

As for the white power stuff...I think that he's being careful not to lose voters.

His slogan is a loosely termed version of George Wallce's Stand up for America. And the message is almost the same.

Trump is, in essence, saying that once we get rid of the Brown people, this country will bounce back. Already some homeless guy was almost beaten to death because of his rhetoric. And now you got American citizens being told to get out of their own country because they don't "look" American(white).

[OnMyWayID 1,489]

Trump is, in essence, saying that once we get rid of the Brown people, this country will bounce back. Already some homeless guy was almost beaten to death because of his rhetoric. And now you got American citizens being told to get out of their own country because they don't "look" American(white).

Yeah that's what he is saying.. But then you would have gotten that had he or anyone else with a less than brown complexion said "I like waffles for breakfast."

Not sure why you are all so upset. The Republicans were actually in a good spot to win this next round and Trump is hand delivering and gift wrapping ammunition for the left spin machines to scare people away from all things right of center. We have yet another round of ignoring anything of substance and will spend the next year watching politicians spending their time either throwing or trying to dodge race cards..

He can't win, relax.

[Janelle2002 3,865]

His slogan is a loosely termed version of George Wallce's Stand up for America. And the message is almost the same.

Trump is, in essence, saying that once we get rid of the Brown people, this country will bounce back. Already some homeless guy was almost beaten to death because of his rhetoric. And now you got American citizens being told to get out of their own country because they don't "look" American(white).

That right there. He is creating a divide. As black people, we see this. Once the brown people are gone, next it will be other immigrants and then after that, black people.

He is creating a very dangerous and deadly divide in this country. He is making this a white people against everyone else campaign and this is not good. He will soon divide families (mixed race families), friends, coworkers, this is not a good game.

[We Keep Receipts 9,238]

Yeah that's what he is saying.. But then you would have gotten that had he or anyone else with a less than brown complexion said "I like waffles for breakfast."

Not sure why you are all so upset. The Republicans were actually in a good spot to win this next round and Trump is hand delivering and gift wrapping ammunition for the left spin machines to scare people away from all things right of center. We have yet another round of ignoring anything of substance and will spend the next year watching politicians spending their time either throwing or trying to dodge race cards..

He can't win, relax.

Sorry, but this country has a history with people of color, so I can't relax. The fact that Trump is the forerunner for the GOP should say volumes.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Sorry, but this country has a history with people of color, so I can't relax. The fact that Trump is the forerunner for the GOP should say volumes.

It's all self promotion. It's not a real campaign

[lostinblue 1,989]

That right there. He is creating a divide. As black people, we see this. Once the brown people are gone, next it will be other immigrants and then after that, black people.

He is creating a very dangerous and deadly divide in this country. He is making this a white people against everyone else campaign and this is not good. He will soon divide families (mixed race families), friends, coworkers, this is not a good game.

It is the Kenyan that has divided this country....Just look at that racist shooter yesterday .. Blacklivesmatter fanboy and a Kenyan supporter.

[We Keep Receipts 9,238]

It is the Kenyan that has divided this country....Just look at that racist shooter yesterday .. Blacklivesmatter fanboy and a Kenyan supporter.

You seem real upset about this. Tell me Lib, where was this concern when Roof went on his killing spree?

Also, where did it say he was down with BLM?

[decocker 7,198]

It is the Kenyan that has divided this country....Just look at that racist shooter yesterday .. Blacklivesmatter fanboy and a Kenyan supporter.

seems to me like opposing views on reasonable gun control is what is dividing the country.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

It is the Kenyan that has divided this country....Just look at that racist shooter yesterday .. Blacklivesmatter fanboy and a Kenyan supporter.

Speaking simply as an observer, i think comments like the bolded are what has divided the USA. So a politician was elected who you don't like or agree with, yet somehow you think it appropriate to deny the man his identity as an American citizen.

You might think plenty of people were unfairly critical of Bush, but what you can't say is that there was a concerted effort to make out that Dubya was some sort of foreign usurper with an foreign (a.k.a Islamic fundamentalist) agenda. You do.

I'm sure you think this Kenyan stuff is all very clever, but from what I see it puts you far out in the wilderness.

Edited August 27, 2015 by Venkman

[We Keep Receipts 9,238]

Speaking simply as an observer, i think comments like the bolded are what has divided the USA. So a politician was elected who you don't like or agree with, yet somehow you think it appropriate to deny the man his identity as an American citizen.

You might think plenty of people were unfairly critical of Bush, but what you can't say is that there was a concerted effort to make out that Dubya was some sort of foreign usurper with an foreign (a.k.a Islamic fundamentalist) agenda. You do.

I'm sure you think this Kenyan stuff is all very clever, but from what I see it puts you far out in the wilderness.

Sadly, I think the first comment invalidates the second bolded one. It's how he handles having a black man in the Oval Office.

[Janelle2002 3,865]

It is the Kenyan that has divided this country....Just look at that racist shooter yesterday .. Blacklivesmatter fanboy and a Kenyan supporter.

Hmmm, so hate crimes and laws were not around until Obama got in office because no one was committing heinous, racist acts against other people, until the anti-Christ arrived.