SummerSnow
SummerSnow's JournalInteresting reading. 'Behind Donald Trump’s Dangerous Worldview'
Matt K. Lewis
Senior Contributor:
http://dailycaller.com/2015/08/12/weve-seen-donald-trumps-dangerous-worldview-before/
A recent Newsweek piece asked “Is Donald Trump a Fascist?” Another column at The Week (where I’m a contributing editor) is titled: “How Nietzsche explains the rise of Donald Trump.” These are just two examples of the many “think” pieces examining the dangerous roots behind Trump’s style and ideology (to the degree he has an ideology). To put it mildly, the criticism transcends concerns about populism that might have been found in William Jennings Bryan, or even Ross Perot.
But I’m less alarmed by Trump than I am by the fact that he has tapped into something.Trump’s gonna Trump—that’s just how it is. But the scary part is that a pretty good slice of the public is falling for what could (if one finds the term “fascist” to be overwrought) fairly be described as demagoguery.
Of course, the fascist label has been bandied about as a catch-all slur against “people we don’t like.” But it actually means something fairly specific. And Newsweek made the case for why it’s not an inappropriate designation for Trumpism:
In the 19th century, this penchant for industrial protectionism and mercantilism became guild socialism, which mutated later into fascism and then into Nazism. You can read Mises to find out more on how this works.
… This is how strongmen take over countries. They say some true things, boldly, and conjure up visions of national greatness under their leadership. They’ve got the flags, the music, the hype, the hysteria, the resources, and they work to extract that thing in many people that seeks heroes and momentous struggles in which they can prove their greatness.
Over at The Week, Damon Linker sees a parallel to Nietzsche.
Nietzsche understood himself to be reviving what he called the morality of the strong against the morality of the weak — the outlook that has prevailed in the West ever since Jesus Christ inspired a “slave revolt in morality.” Before then, the strong preyed on the weak at will, and both parties took for granted that this was the natural order of things. But Christ taught a different lesson, one rooted in the resentment of history’s victims: the cruelty of the strong is a sin, God loves the powerless most of all, the winners deserve to lose, and the meek deserve to win. And they will.
Linker doesn’t go there, but it’s worth noting that fascists like Hitler and Mussolini, channeling Nietzsche, believed in a sort of “übermensch.”
This worldview is at odds with a Christian philosophy that involves caring for “even the least among us” and believes in compassion and human dignity for everyone — even immigrants, “losers,” the weak, and … the unborn. Trump’s own words betray this sort of Nietzschean weltanschauung. Consider his explanation for becoming pro-life. These are his words:
And I am pro-life. And if you look at the question, I was in business. They asked me a question as to pro-life or choice. And I said if you let it run, that I hate the concept of abortion. I hate the concept of abortion. And then since then, I’ve very much evolved.
And what happened is friends of mine years ago were going to have a child, and it was going to be aborted. And it wasn’t aborted. And that child today is a total superstar, a great, great child. And I saw that. And I saw other instances. - The Author
The obvious question that everyone has been asking: What if that child wasn’t a superstar?
The suggestion, I think, is that some people are winners and some people are losers. This leads to a form of Social Darwinism. Weak people shouldn’t be allowed to drag down the “winners.” I don’t have to tell you where, taken to the extremes, these ideas can ultimately take us.
But again, my concern isn’t that Trump exists, for such men have always existed, but rather, that a good chunk of the public (and even more concerning, the conservative movement — which ought to reflect a more Christian worldview) are falling for this. I’m not worried that Trump is Hitler, or even Mussolini. But I am worried that we have arrived at a time when a sizable chunk of the American public is so simultaneously frustrated and naive as to fall for populist demagoguery. And I worry where that could take us some day.
And, of course, many conservatives are falling for Trumpism hook, line, and sinker — despite the fact that he offers no specifics or details. You just have to trust that — because he is brilliant and successful (and because the current establishment politicians are stupid and corrupt) — he will magically solve all our problems. Even his slogan, “Make America Great Again” evokes a sort of nostalgia that has been used by strongmen throughout the ages to hearken back to some magical time when all was right with the world — before the people in power sold us out and betrayed us.
Again, though, it is interesting how glittering generalities and nationalistic sloganeering can completely replace the need for details or specifics or even coherent policy positions. I’m currently reading the galley copy of historian David Pietrusza’s fascinating forthcoming book, 1932: The Rise of Hitler and FDR–Two Tales of Politics, Betrayal, and Unlikely Destiny. And I couldn’t help but find this excerpt written by American journalist William Chapman White about Hitler in 1932 to be eerily familiar:
His critics charge him with having no concrete programme … That criticism is unimportant. Moses never offered his followers a detailed relief map of the Promised Land. It was enough to assure them that there was such a land. ‘And Hitler has no economic programme,’ the critics say. That, for his followers, also means little. No one who believes in heaven worries whether heaven maintains the gold standard or not.
Once again, to be clear, I am not comparing Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler — who rightfully occupies a unique and ignominious place in our history. But I don’t think suggestions that he has fascist tendencies or that he is espousing a dangerous Nietzschean worldview are absurd. And I am worried about an American public who is not skeptical, but rather, hungry, for this American übermensch. I am worried about what the next Trump who comes along might do. And this might sound paranoid. But nobody said preserving freedom would be easy. No, it requires diligence. It also requires a public that is both knowledgeable and virtuous.
Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2015/08/12/weve-seen-donald-trumps-dangerous-worldview-before/#ixzz3kLkuWkGD
Bobby Jindal: US Should Insist Immigrants 'Adopt Our Values'
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/bobby-jindal-legal-immigrants-standardsBySARA JERDEPublishedAUGUST 30, 2015, 11:55 AM EDT
Republican presidential candidate and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said on ABC's "This Week" Sunday that the United States should "insist" legal immigrants "adopt our values."
ABC host Martha Raddatz asked Jindal if he, born to legal immigrant parents, was troubled by the "derogatory things" other GOP candidates have said.
The term "anchor babies" to refer to children who are automatically granted citizenship despite the citizenship status of their parents has been used by some presidential candidates, including Donald Trump and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. Jindal himself said last week that he was also "happy to use" the term.
On Sunday, Jindal told Raddatz that his parents have never taken the United States for granted.
"And I think this election is largely about the idea -- the idea of America is slipping away in front of us. When it comes to immigration policy, what I’ve experienced and seen is that a smart immigration policy makes our country stronger; a dumb one makes us weaker. We’ve got a dumb one today," Jindal said.
"Yes, we need to secure our border. Stop talking about it," he continued. "I think we need to insist that folks who come here come here legally, learn English, adopt our values, roll up our sleeves and get to work."
Raddatz interrupted Jindal and asked him to clarify what the difference was between "American values" and those of immigrants.
"Look, what I worry about is you look to Europe, the contrast is -- you’ve got second, third generation immigrants that don’t consider themselves part of those societies, those cultures," Jindal said. "We in our country shouldn’t be giving freedoms to people who want to undermine the freedom for other people. I think we need to move away from hyphenated Americans. We’re not African-Americans or Asian-Americans, Indian-Americans, rich or poor Americans: we’re all Americans."
* So all groups should just forget their culture? Wow Piyush you're sure kissing alot of ass*
GOP: "Round up the usual suspects."
1. LGBT
2. Black people
3. Latino people
4. Asian people (welcome to the club)
5. elderly people
6. poor people
7. women
8. children
9. sick people
10. military and their families
11. Actual Americans
12. Muslims
13. Children
14. The Homeless
15. Native American people
16. The unemployed
* Who will make #17?
" I don't want Eric Cantor's endorsement, he lost."-Trump
'who knows taxes more than me?"- Donald Trump (Press conference)
let me guess his tax plans will make all the rich people very happy.
Donald Trump Was Also A Dirtbag To Native Americans... It turns out they got the last laugh.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-was-also-a-dirtbag-to-native-americans_55cb9290e4b0923c12bf0688Julian Brave NoiseCat
Native Issues Fellow, The Huffington Post
Posted: 08/12/2015 06:31 PM EDT
Donald Trump, the real estate tycoon and surprise Republican presidential frontrunner, has been spewing insults (out of his mouth or wherever) for quite some time. In the months since he announced his run for the GOP nomination, Trump has targeted Mexicans, prisoners of war, women and The Huffington Post.
But before he became a TV personality of "The Apprentice" fame, Trump sharpened his teeth with racist attacks against the Mashantucket Pequot Nation, a Native American tribe in Connecticut.
"They don't look like Indians to me," Trump told the House Native American Affairs subcommittee in a 1993 inquiry about organized crime and policing in Indian casinos dug up by the Hartford Courant’s Dan Haar. "They don't look like Indians to Indians."
Trump’s remarks went on for an hour, and included unsubstantiated allegations that the mafia had infiltrated Indian casinos. Many in Congress were shocked by Trump’s irresponsibility.
This is not ambition, this is desperation. -Douglas Coupland
August 22nd... Chris Christie is criticizing former President Jimmy Carter's foreign policy record and also slammed President Barack Obama's foreign policy record ....The Boston Herald
August 24th .....Chris Christie struggling in campaign but sees a path....USA Today
August 24th....Chris Christie blames Obama for stock crash....Breibart
August 24th....Chris Christie Ties Heroin Epidemic To Obama...Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/chris-christie-obama-heroin_55db0c23e4b0a40aa3ab4fef
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/08/24/too-much-debt-chris-christie-blames-obama-for-stock-crash/
http://www.bostonherald.com/news_opinion/national/2015/08/the_latest_jindal_jousts_with_immigration_protesters
http://onpolitics.usatoday.com/2015/08/24/chris-christie-struggling-in-campaign-but-sees-a-path/
The next 2016 Republican Primary Debate ...
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
CNN Republican Primary Debate
Aired On: CNN and Salem Radio
Location: Reagan Library in Simi Valley, CA
Sponsors: Reagan Library Foundation, CNN, Salem Media Group
Moderator(s): Jake Tapper
Rules: Split field into Segment B (top 10 candidates) and Segment A (remaining candidates getting at least 1% in polls) (Details)
Candidates Prime-time: Trump, Bush, Walker, Huckabee, Carson, Cruz, Rubio, Paul, Christie, Kasich
Candidates Outside Top 10: Perry, Santorum, Fiorina, Jindal, Pataki, Graham (finalized Sept. 10)
http://www.uspresidentialelectionnews.com/2016-debate-schedule/2016-republican-primary-debate-schedule/
The Rise of Donald Trump Sparks Anger and Laughter in Mexico
http://time.com/4007160/donald-trump-mexico/Ioan Grillo / Mexico City Aug. 22, 2015
Mexicans don't know whether to fear or ignore Trump's anti-immigrant rhetoric
When Donald Trump launched his presidential bid in June by calling Mexican migrants “rapists,” artisan Dalton Avalos made what was likely the first piñata of the white haired red-faced tycoon. From his family workshop in the border city of Reynosa, the 28-year old added thick layers of papier-mache so the piñata, a hollow figure that is traditionally hung at fiestas, could be whacked especially hard.
Photos of the Trump piñata rapidly became a media sensation, and copies were made across Mexico and in many migrant communities in the United States. They show how many here are angry at Trump for his discourse, but also see him as a joke. “We like to laugh at people like him and the nonsense that comes out of his mouth,” Avalos says.
Such a mix of indignation and mirth characterizes the reaction to Trump’s rise by many in Mexico, who take offense at his comments on immigrants but don’t believe he is a serious contender. This attitude has largely continued despite Trump’s surge at the polls, such as this week’s CNN/ORC survey finding him 6 points behind Hillary Clinton as a preference for president. Trump’s opinion have filled Mexican news shows, making him a well-known figure south of the Rio Grande. But many here think someone with views that seem to them to be offensive and unrealistic could never be the president of their powerful northern neighbor.
“Donald Trump is loco (mad),” says Angelica Cortes, a 37-year old architect coming out of an office block in a middle class Mexico City neighborhood. “The people of the United States would never put him in charge. What he says makes me indignant. He attacks people who are just trying to make a living, to feed their families.”
Even migrant activists, who represent the community most threatened by Trump’s proposed policies, refuse to believe that Trump is a credible challenge. “His ideas are so ridiculous that they could never happen,” says activist Jorge Mujica, who is originally from Mexico City but now lives in Chicago and is part of the Mexican American Coalition. In a policy paper released Sunday, Trump proposed ending birth right citizenship and seizing money sent by migrants from the United States to Mexico among other measures. He has also called for Mexico to pay for an extended wall on the southern border. “Trump doesn’t seem to realize that these things are politically impossible,” Mujica says. “Rather than making you cry, it makes you laugh.”
However, some Mexican academics are beginning to take the ascent of “The Donald” more seriously in light of the recent polls. “A month ago, I thought that Trump had absolutely no chance. But now I’m not totally sure. Americans can vote in weird ways,” says Jorge Chabat at Mexico City’s Center for Research and Teaching in Economics. Nevertheless, he thinks even a Trump presidency could not alter the Mexico-U.S. relationship that drastically. “Presidents are not gods. Trump could attack Mexico verbally but that would not change the enormous amount of cross-border trade or the entrenched cooperation between the security services.”
There have been various tense moments between the United States and Mexico in recent decades. In 1969, President Richard Nixon virtually shut down the U.S. southern border for 10 days to pressure Mexico over marijuana production. In 1985, the Reagan administration expressed fury over the murder of DEA agent Enrique Camarena in Mexico. In 2011, President Felipe Calderon lashed out at U.S. ambassador Carlos Pascual over diplomatic cables exposed by Wikileaks, leading to Pascual’s resignation. But throughout these eras, trade has steadily increased. Mexico is now the United States’ third biggest trading partner after Canada and China, with $506 billion in cross-border trade last year. About 11 million Mexicans are estimated to live in the United States, about half without papers.
Since Trump launched his campaign, various Mexican businesses have boycotted him. Most notably, telecoms magnate Carlos Slim, the second richest man on the planet, canceled some media projects with the presidential hopeful. “Working with someone so closed-minded was not going to work,” says Slim’s spokesman and son-in-law Arturo Elias. The U.S. based Spanish language network Univision had also announced it would no longer air Trump’s Miss Universe pageant because of his comments.
The Mexican government has issued various rebuttals to Trump’s discourse. On Wednesday, the Foreign Relations Department issued a statement calling his proposals racist. “We maintain our position that these comments (by Trump) reflect prejudice, racism and total ignorance.” On Thursday, the Department also condemned an attack on a Mexican man in Boston, in which the assailants reportedly told police that they were inspired by Trump. “Mexico strongly condemns these acts and makes a call that the contributions of the migrant community to the economy, society, values and culture of the United States are recognized.”
Mujica, the migrant activist, argues that the Mexican government should adopt an even tougher line on Trump, and asks why President Enrique Pena Nieto himself has not waded into the debate. “If your people are getting verbal abuse then you should defend them,” Mujica says. However, others says it is better not to rise to the bait. Gloria Trevi, a Mexican pop diva on a current U.S tour, said it is best to smile in the face of ignorance.“Latinos should react with class, not react in the same way as we are being provoked. We are greater than that. We have helped this country to be as big as it is in this moment,” Trevi said at a press conference in Los Angeles. “I think that with a smile on our face and with love is how we should respond to any attack and show the greatness of Latinos.”
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