Our View: Trump riding wave of fear, anger; but he’ll wash out
Donald Trump is one of a kind, a singularity. He’s also angry, derisive, divisive, demagogic and vulgar. Oddly, that’s all part of his appeal – which appears to be growing.
Friday’s CNN poll showed Trump with 36 percent of likely Republican votes, up from 24 percent in September. There are reasons for his surge. With all his boastful bellowing, Trump has convinced many Republicans that he is a success, a tough guy, a big-time dealmaker who rarely loses. More importantly, Trump is angry – at brown people, women, Muslims, the disabled, liberals and anyone who dares challenge him with facts, figures or reason.
That appeals to Americans who believe our nation is losing its grip. They want someone to blame, and usually settle on those being targeted by Trump. Tough guy, autocrat, king – Trump is their champion; a ruler who will make America great again.
Just like Vladimir Putin made Russia great again. Yep, many of the same people who yearn for a tough-guy presidency either openly or secretly admire Russia’s often shirtless dictator. They believe he pushes around Barack Obama, takes what he wants and takes care of his friends. Never mind that he ignores international law; props up murderous thugs who gas their own people; orders foes murdered with radioactive poison; and provides missiles for shooting down airliners. He’s tough.
Some people think we could use a guy like that. In reality (not reality TV), Trump isn’t that guy. He’s just a self-aggrandizing blowhard whose vaunted deals have gone bust almost as often as they’ve made bank. Some point out that if he had put daddy’s fortune into a market-indexed fund, he’d be richer than he is after all those “great” deals. He can’t keep his stories straight, makes outrageous comments, then denies saying what he said and insults those who challenge him.
The ultimate irony is Trump’s slogan: “Make America Great Again!” He’s actually making our nation worse.
Political campaigns never should be relegated to stupefying debates, boring policy papers and baby-kissing. America’s politicians usually roll into the mud at the first opportunity, accusing each other of adultery, stupidity, perfidy, illegality and even bad breath. Abraham Lincoln was once called a “gorilla” – by a supporter. Lincoln anonymously castigated a political foe so viciously that he was challenged to a duel. That’s politics.
It’s one thing to attack Democrats and liberals, it’s another entirely to focus fear and anger on people of another color, belief or creed. Politics predicated on racism, misogyny and hate is pure poison.
Most of us recognize the danger. Fear-and-anger candidates on the right – Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina, Mike Huckabee, etc. – can’t win, even though they’re polling roughly 65 percent of Republican votes. Just as the bigoted Father Charles Coughlin, anti-communist fear-monger Joe McCarthy and racist George Wallace glowed red-hot for a while, they eventually burned out. What they left behind was the residue of their intemperance: distrust, anger, vindictiveness and pain.
Oh, and one more thing left behind: embarrassment for their supporters.
Eventually, Republicans will look past the diversion of “The Donald” and insist on a serious candidate. Someone who will face fear with optimism, focus on the positive, disarm foes with a smile – someone like Ronald Reagan, Dwight Eisenhower or Teddy Roosevelt.
You think Donald Trump belongs on that list? We don’t either.
This story was originally published December 5, 2015 at 4:00 PM with the headline "Our View: Trump riding wave of fear, anger; but he’ll wash out."