Trump, the GOP and fascism
James Mattis was quoted as saying (this is paraphrasing), that no other President in his memory has chosen to so willfully and constantly divide Americans. He suggests that Trump has made absolutely ZERO effort to unite us. He has encouraged us to hate one another. How can anyone not see this?
Any observer must see that the Trumpian GOP represents ONLY those voters, states, and citizens who have supported him and them. If you support him, you can tell yourself that he cares about you, but you surely can’t believe that he cares very much about anyone who opposes him.
I don’t see how any Trump supporter, whether the deepest Trump cult devotee or someone generally not paying much attention but historically GOP and therefore planning to vote for GOP Trump, can deny or ignore how much Trump relies on dividing us.
As an Antifa, lifelong (almost anyway) leftist, I have voted in every election of my life for the Democratic candidate for POTUS (except in 1980 when I knew Reagan had won already by the time I cast my vote so I voted for the Communist Party candidates — but I digress).
I voted for the Democrats not because I agreed with all or even most of what he/she was saying, but because the GOP represents nothing I support.
But lately, I’ve been looking at the degree of HATE I feel toward Trump and his GOP and Followers.
If you’ve read me here, you’ve seen it over and over. In my newest book (WHO KNEW?!, LatahBooks, 2020) there are many anti-Trump poems including this one:
Trump Supporters
If you like a stupid,
Cruel, loud-mouthed bully
Without a shred
Of kindness, empathy
Or decency —
You’ve got your boy.
From Twitter
A difference in this poem from my other anti-Trump writings is that this one is focused on and directed at his supporters and followers. My disdain for Trump is obvious, of course, but lately I’ve noticed that my hate has spread to those I see as in in his grip.
I’ve always believed that Trump is trying to appeal to the worst feelings and instincts of people, and that his followers have fallen for his schtick.
I’ve long felt, and often read, that much of Trump’s support comes from people liking the way he “owns the libtards.” He speaks into his supporters hatred for over-educated, know-it-all, politically-correct, phony, arrogant elitists.
From Twitter
I was unaware until recently how deeply my capacity for hatred has been triggered and let loose against these fellow Americans of mine.
That they hate me, a proud Antifascist, Atheist, fairly financially secure 74-year-old white man, living quite comfortably in my relatively secure retirement, makes sense to me, especially given the suffering I’m seeing in their lives right now.
However, my hating them, including friends and family I’ve loved and enjoyed over so many decades, has surprised me, shocked me even.
From Twitter
It takes two people to love one another, each making that choice and stepping into the emotional risks inherent in loving, for love to really work. It takes mutual loathing for victory by division to succeed.
I will not stop disliking, distrusting Trump and working whole-heartedly for his defeat in the upcoming election. I will never see him as anything but the malignant narcissist I know he is.
But to end Trump’s power we have to stop letting ourselves be divided from people we know are making a mistake.
“One nation, indivisible with liberty and justice for all…” How many times have we Americans, hands over our hearts, uttered these words and this sentiment?
As corny as this sounds, we have to make love defeat hate. We have to find it in our hearts, minds and souls to love our fellow citizens, despite their disagreements with our views.
This is the only way we will be able to stop Trump’s victory by division, his winning via the Hate Game.
