“He’s catching on with the average Americans who have had it with foreign wars, our trade policies and a stalled economy.”
-- Drew Ivers, Ron Paul’s 2012 Iowa campaign chairman.
Major newspapers this morning have pointed to the weakness of the "Jeb" Bush campaign as an example of a certain new fluidity in the Republican Presidential race. That Bush is in trouble as the pundits see it is not arguable.
As I read the situation, we have a fairly unusual situation in America today. With a weak economy and a foreign policy driven by the American empire, it is not surprising that outsiders and radicals are gaining traction. This does not surprise me. It does frighten me.
No one should take Donald Trump lightly. Although one recent poll purports to show Ben Carson gaining, Trump still leads in New Hampshire and is tied in Iowa with Carson. Of course, to say that Trump is a serious candidate for the Republican nomination is not the same as saying he is a serious threat to the Democratic nominee next year. Or is it?
We have to understand what we have here. The electorate is fed up, to put it in the vernacular. Someone who has a simplistic message, and who can "market" himself skillfully is bound to have a certain amount of success. What is frightening is the fascist bent of a Trump or almost all of the Republicans.
I do not use the word "fascist" lightly. And my statement begs an explanation. I plan to continue to explain myself as I have over the past several years. But one definition of fascism is when big business and the government become one. There is a terrific danger this is what would happen if Donald Trump were to become President. It is also true of virtually any Republican candidate. Even "Jeb" Bush literally trade-marked his name.
If Trump were a flash in the pan he would already have folded by now considering his many outrageous remarks (such as saying John McCain is not a true patriot because he got captured in war). But with a shallow-minded media all too eager to consume the flashiness of a Trump and mirror it back to the public, it is understandable why Trump is still around.
It is understandable, and also extremely concerning. The media needs to immediately re-think their approach to this man, and the others in a Republican Party which is increasingly a far-right party. This party has managed to find a position to the right of Barry Goldwater, an amazing feat. And with the glitz of a Donald Trump, anything is possible -- if he is left unopposed. The American media needs to "get real," and do everything possible to re-frame the picture, so the country does not end up with a Strangelovian figure in the White House.
Trump Organizes Aggressively in Iowa
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