One of the ironies in Donald Trump’s elevation to something
more than presidential candidate – to a veritable Trumpope – is that he was the
best of the 17 guys vying for the nomination.
It is easy not to see this under the impression of misogyny
and racism that he naturally projects. But compare him to his rivals, and it
soon becomes apparent.
As Cruz astutely put it (in tones that would have made Uriah
Heep blush), Trump has long been a Democrat on the issues that tickle the cold
dead heart of the usual GOP constituency. Trump will be, in public, a horrible
misogynist, treating women the way, well, Cruz’s elbow treats his wife. But on
policy issues, Trump is actually much better for women than his rivals. His
opposition to abortion is a conversion of convenience; where his rivals talked
of shutting down Planned Parenthood and maybe lynching the people who work for
it, Trump doesn’t care.
On race, of course, Trump has shown himself to be the most overtly
racist candidate since George Wallace. But again, his rivals, the mealymouthed
Minis, whilst giving lip service to white Euphemism culture, have long been
fully on board the vote suppression policy. It is not Trump, but GOP governors,
who have been wildly promoting IDs for voters and cutting funds for voting. We
already know how Jeb Bush handled the voter issue when he was governor of
Florida – with exemplary corruption.
On immigration, Trump’s hallmark issue, he is of course a
fascist. But the temper of the fascism of his rivals can be measured by how
quickly they picked up on his proposals – from the Rubio who turned his back on
his only (little) achievement in Congress to Cruz, they have all pledged to be
hunters of the immigrant, expellers of the immigrant, and sworn enemy of “anchor
babies”.
Trump’s penchant for turning a dog whistle into a Bronx
cheer has turned the heads of the pundits, put them in a sweat. Many have written
that Trump represents a never before seen white nativist political phenomenon.
Hmm. I’ve actually seen this white nativist political
phenomenon before. It was both parties before 1965. And it has been the
standard and pundit accepted factor in GOP victories since 1968.
It is this that makes me think that Trump is playing a part
not in some Shakespeare comedy, but in an Ibsen melodrama, in which the
community’s repressed but vigorously pursued life is suddenly put on display,
for all to see. Ghosts. The GOP and a goodly portion of the Dems have been
racist and sexist for years – in fact, all those years trickling back to the
foundation of this slaveholding republic.
We can’t pretend, at the moment, that this ain’t so, hence
the weird media panic. Which is, it should be noted, a very white panic. This
has not been a secret to African Americans, with the exception of Judge Thomas.
So I am relieved that Clinton’s opponent, on the off chance
that she loses, is going to be Trump. Cruz or Rubio would really have been
alarming.
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