I think most people thought it was a joke when Donald Trump announced his candidacy for the presidency in 2015. But it was no joke and, that July, spurred by an email from a reader, I wrote an article on Donald Trump and American Fascism. Here’s the text of that article from 2015:
A reader wrote to me this morning (7/13/15) about Donald Trump and American fascism. Is Trump, with his anti-immigrant posturing and his generally bombastic demeanor, tapping into a “fascist spring” in America?
The question seems unduly alarming as well as absurd. But let’s pause for a moment. I recently saw on TV the results of a poll in which Americans were asked, “Which presidential candidate would best revive the American economy?” The clear winner: Donald Trump. Yes, maybe it’s just name recognition or an association of Trump’s name with money-making, but the result was nevertheless disturbing.
Here’s the thing: It’s easy to view Trump as a joke. His bad hair. His vulgar manner. His obvious bombast.
But guess who else was dismissed as a joke? Adolf Hitler.
Before he got his grip on power, many in Germany thought that Hitler was a joke: bad haircut, ill-fitting clothes, vulgar accent. Hitler was known as the “Bohemian Corporal,” a euphemism which in colloquial American English translates to “Hillbilly Grunt.” As a result, “good” Germans just couldn’t take Hitler that seriously. They underestimated him — and when they tried to move against him, it was far too late.
Of course, I’m not saying that Trump is some kind of Hitler. What I am saying is that popular demagogues are easy to make fun of — easy, that is, until they gain power.
Sinclair Lewis had it right: It Can Happen Here. All it takes is a megalomaniacal and messianic leader, a crisis to make the people desperate (such as the Great Depression that facilitated Hitler’s rise), various elites who cynically and opportunistically throw their support behind the “great leader,” and enough of the rest of us who choose, out of fear or indifference or ignorance, to do nothing.
Update (8/23/15): The Donald is still gaining in the polls, notes the New York Times, despite (or rather because of) the outrageous things he says:
In poll after poll of Republicans, Mr. Trump leads among women, despite having used terms like “fat pigs” and “disgusting animals” to denigrate some of them. He leads among evangelical Christians, despite saying he had never had a reason to ask God for forgiveness. He leads among moderates and college-educated voters, despite a populist and anti-immigrant message thought to resonate most with conservatives and less-affluent voters. He leads among the most frequent, likely voters, even though his appeal is greatest among those with little history of voting.
One thing is certain: Trump draws support from people who are simply tired of traditional candidates like Jeb Bush. But does Trump stand for anything other than himself? He’s notably vague on the issues, perhaps learning from the Obama Campaign in 2008 that it’s far better to sell vague slogans like “hope” and “change” to the American people. Trump’s slogan is “Make America Great Again!” — and that may be all that many Americans want to hear. [END OF ARTICLE FROM 2015]
As it turned out, enough Americans were turned on by Trump’s bombast, and turned off by Hillary Clinton’s version of the same, to win him the presidency in 2016. If not for the COVID crisis, he probably would have won again in 2020. Now Trump stands as the leading Republican candidate for the presidency in 2024, even as he waits arraignment on criminal charges tomorrow, likely related to hush money he paid to porn star Stormy Daniels.
I’m glad Ms. Daniels made some coin off this. As indiscretions go, it hardly seems enough to derail Trump’s campaign. Strangely, it may only had to his allure to his cult-like followers. If it does, so be it.
I’m an independent and in 2024 I will not vote for Trump or Biden. In Trump’s case, the man simply isn’t a public servant. I want a candidate that represents my values and priorities, and Trump doesn’t come close. His indictment adds nothing to what I already know.
But that’s me. Trump followers will obviously see the indictment as politically-motivated, which it is, in the sense that just about everything nowadays is viewed through a partisan political lens, especially by the mainstream media. Speaking of the MSM, one thing you can say for Trump: he’s good for ratings.
This may yet prove a tempest in a Trumpot, but, make no mistake, stormy days lie ahead for America. Not because of Trump and his machinations, but because both major political parties are ignoring the pain of ordinary Americans. And when that pain threshold is finally exceeded, when the tipping point is finally reached, the storm will come, and not in the sense of payola to a porn star.
It was 55 years ago today ~ April 4, 1968 ~ that Dr Martin Luther King was murdered in Memphis.
One year to the day after he delivered his first major public statement against the Vietnam War, entitled "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break the Silence" at Riverside Church in New York City.
And Dr King's breaking that silence helped kick the anti-Vietnam War protest movement into high gear.
As Archie and Edith Bunker used to put it: "Mister, we could use a man like Doctor King again."
Wasn't it Sinclair Lewis who also said: "When Fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a bible and a cross" ?