nhboy
Ubi bene ibi patria
http://www.eclectablog.com/2016/05/guest-post-any-support-for-trump-is-support-for-bigotry-misogyny-racism-and-sexism-and-deserved-to-be-shamed.html
The following guest post was written by Ned Staebler, founder of the Michigan Talent Agenda.
I’ve hesitated to write this for several reasons, not the least of which is that I hoped it wouldn’t be necessary. I hoped that, at some point, Republican Party voters would come to their senses. I hoped that GOP leaders would step up and be brave, risking (at least in perception) their own political futures in a real attempt to stop Donald Trump. In my heart, I knew that this hope was unfounded, but without hope there is only despair. I choose hope, even in the face of long odds. Heck, I root for the Lions!
I’ve also been hesitant to write this because I knew that some people would dismiss it out of hand. They’d say this is the usual name-calling and demonization of those with opposing political views that we’ve all come to despise in politics. I assure you it is not. I have many, many friends that have voted for and vociferously supported those with political opinions diametrically opposed to my own. While I might vehemently disagree with their support of those candidates and have on numerous occasions debated them vigorously on the merits of the objects of their support, I have always respected their right to a difference of opinion. I would never reject their friendship or company based on their political predilections or beliefs. After all, before party and before politics, we are people.
But, as you have heard many times in the past 6 months and are likely to hear many more before November, Trump is different. Why is he different? Not for any of the ridiculous reasons he would give. He is not “great”. He is not “terrific”. He is not “an outsider” or a “winner. I guess he is rich, but clearly not as rich as he makes himself out to be. Besides, many of his predecessors as nominees have been wealthy. He is a liar—again, not novel in politics. He is a bully, brash and unpredictable, and his control of the nuclear codes would greatly endanger our way of life. These are undesirable traits in a leader for sure but, again, not unheard of. He is an unabashed self-promoter, clearly egotistical, potentially pathological, and certainly more concerned with his own image than the well-being of those he seeks to ‘serve.’ All of this is true and would be reason enough not to vote for him. But, none of these is sufficient to merit special treatment either for him or his supporters.
So, why then do I feel obliged to speak up, and why is right now the time to do so? Trump is different because he has placed hate and bigotry at the centerpiece of his campaign. His support does not come from policy or political ideology. He’s barely outlined any and he’s often immediately backtracked on even those brief forays into policy. His rise is almost completely based on his willingness to blame “those people” for the ills faced by “ordinary Americans”. "
The following guest post was written by Ned Staebler, founder of the Michigan Talent Agenda.
I’ve hesitated to write this for several reasons, not the least of which is that I hoped it wouldn’t be necessary. I hoped that, at some point, Republican Party voters would come to their senses. I hoped that GOP leaders would step up and be brave, risking (at least in perception) their own political futures in a real attempt to stop Donald Trump. In my heart, I knew that this hope was unfounded, but without hope there is only despair. I choose hope, even in the face of long odds. Heck, I root for the Lions!
I’ve also been hesitant to write this because I knew that some people would dismiss it out of hand. They’d say this is the usual name-calling and demonization of those with opposing political views that we’ve all come to despise in politics. I assure you it is not. I have many, many friends that have voted for and vociferously supported those with political opinions diametrically opposed to my own. While I might vehemently disagree with their support of those candidates and have on numerous occasions debated them vigorously on the merits of the objects of their support, I have always respected their right to a difference of opinion. I would never reject their friendship or company based on their political predilections or beliefs. After all, before party and before politics, we are people.
But, as you have heard many times in the past 6 months and are likely to hear many more before November, Trump is different. Why is he different? Not for any of the ridiculous reasons he would give. He is not “great”. He is not “terrific”. He is not “an outsider” or a “winner. I guess he is rich, but clearly not as rich as he makes himself out to be. Besides, many of his predecessors as nominees have been wealthy. He is a liar—again, not novel in politics. He is a bully, brash and unpredictable, and his control of the nuclear codes would greatly endanger our way of life. These are undesirable traits in a leader for sure but, again, not unheard of. He is an unabashed self-promoter, clearly egotistical, potentially pathological, and certainly more concerned with his own image than the well-being of those he seeks to ‘serve.’ All of this is true and would be reason enough not to vote for him. But, none of these is sufficient to merit special treatment either for him or his supporters.
So, why then do I feel obliged to speak up, and why is right now the time to do so? Trump is different because he has placed hate and bigotry at the centerpiece of his campaign. His support does not come from policy or political ideology. He’s barely outlined any and he’s often immediately backtracked on even those brief forays into policy. His rise is almost completely based on his willingness to blame “those people” for the ills faced by “ordinary Americans”. "
