Tuesday, September 13, 2016

I'm Glad She Said It

You know exactly what I'm talking about, don't you?  Mrs. Clinton called out the racist, xenophobic, White Nationalist rhetoric of Donald Trump and his admirers for what it is: deplorable.

It is deplorable that the Republican candidate for the Presidency of the United States, a person who will represent you and me to the rest of the world, can refer to a sitting United States Senator as Pocahontas and not be laughed off the stage.

"Sir, that is unacceptable language.  Racial slurs do not befit a candidate for the Presidency.

 No, do not try to justify yourself by bringing up a survey response from years ago...  that is not the point.  You are pandering to the basest, lowest, most cowardly instincts among us.  

That is deplorable, Sir."

If only I were in charge of everything.

I deplore the fact that David Duke sees Donald Trump as a standard bearer.  I don't care if Mr. Trump wants his support or not; the fact is, he has it.  The Donald is espousing policies which a former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan find palatable and endorse-able.  If Mr. Trump doesn't find that deplorable, then he's part of the problem.

He's not the whole problem.  The whole problem is the second half of Hillary's quote.  The part about those who feel disenfranchised and left behind, those who feel ignored.
(Do I wish she had started with them, and then moved on to the rest?  Do I wish she hadn't said half?  Again, if only I were in charge.)
I think Aaron Sorkin was right when The American President described Trump's strategy, in 1995:
(He is) not the least bit interested in solving (your problem). He is interested in two things and two things only: making you afraid of it and telling you who's to blame for it. That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you win elections. 
And the best way to make someone afraid is to define the enemy as the other, to call her names, to tell so many lies that the listener sees them as a baseline.  That is all deplorable.

And, I'm beginning to see Big Cuter's point.  I'm not sure how one can support Donald Trump and not see the deplorable pieces.  They're not just awkward (Mitt Romney's 47% comes to mind) nor are they harmless (I'm thinking Joe Biden on the campaign trail).  They are everything we tell our elementary school children to avoid - bullying, name calling, lying, judging by anything other than the strength of one's character.  If that is not deplorable, what is?

So, I'm glad Hillary called him out.  I'm glad someone is saying that these are not American values.  I'm glad she's using the right word - deplorable.

9 comments:

  1. ...It's hard to believe we are even in this situation, isn't it???

    ::sigh::

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  2. I don't like how she said it. What she needed to say is what we say to our kids-- those actions are deplorable. For me, to say half of those voting for him (in other words 1/4 of the country)are deplorable human beings showed her anger at this race not being in the basket for her. I know people who are voting for him who are not any of those words. They just want a change that they do not believe they are getting and it involves trade pacts, health care, and immigration with no controls. Some supported Obama but not her.

    I am generally avoiding political discussions especially that are partisan. I am more into the cultural issues that I feel we need to do something about. I am not convinced either of these candidates will improve a lot of what's gone wrong. It just makes me angry; so better to avoid it while it's not yet time to vote.

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    Replies
    1. I want to turn it all off (hard when husband is a talking heads junkie) and encourage those of like minds to vote against deplorable actions, deplorable beliefs... and yes they can have them but they can't have a President espousing them, too.... I just cannot allow it to happen.

      And as I type I get angrier and angrier, Rain. I won't blame you if you disappear for a while. And if you can figure out a way for the considerable, considerate middle to get some traction on this, I'm ready to jump aboard.

      I want 1970 back again- I want to feel empowered.
      a/b

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  3. Replies
    1. And I'm loving the conversations it is sparking (eg Thursday's post)
      a/b

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  4. I'm glad she said it too. For once she controlled the news cycle instead of the orange one. Apparently being a serious candidate with actual policies takes a back seat to outrageous comments. Trump knows one thing from his time as a reality "star." It doesn't matter what you say or do as long as it makes people talk about you. Hillary and other Democrats need to get better at seizing the news cycle.

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    Replies
    1. True. At this point, I think it's energizing the base and getting out the vote. And I'm so peeved I am almost energized, myself :-)
      a/b

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