I want to make the following very clear given that I used to commute through this part of San Jose every day and know the area and many of the people very well.
Contrary to the young lady on MSNBC who was fishing for with “Must be Bernie?”. It had nothing to do with either Bernie or Hillary. These are locals in this very large Hispanic community who are deeply angry at the blatant white supremacy rubbish coming out of this clown’s mouth. The GOP has been baiting the non-(christian)white community for decades. The people showing up and cheering at this and the other rallies knew where they were going and were looking forward to the cheers and the jeers. They gave inside what they got outside that arena. There is no political agenda other than, “We don’t want your brand of trash in our neighborhood!”
Some years ago, a friend of mine remarked that when an institution looses it relevance and usefulness to society, the “middle ground” people drift away to better things leaving behind the ones who have nowhere else to go. The image she used was a coffee pot that had been on the warmer all day. All that is left is the bitter dregs.
Let us all clearly understand. The only difference between Trump and the rest of today’s GOP lot is he is saying what they were always thinking. That rally gave them an opportunity to cheer what, up until he came along, they could only say to themselves while yelling at their TV at home.
What I saw and what everyone needs to understand is that this was the reaction of the non-white community striking back. For a significant number of these (mostly young) people’s families, the closest they will ever get to the IPO infused wealth of privileged Silicon Valley is cleaning the toilets at the corporate offices. I know. I worked in those offices and got to know the mothers and fathers of these kids who cleaned up after us. Mom, dad, and these kids got (maybe) $10/hr scrubbing toilets and mowing lawns while our CEO(s) took home millions for sinking the company. How do you expect ordinary locked-out people to feel when the GOP’s clear choice for leader comes into their city to strut his millions and insult their whole community?
We are going into a very ugly place in this country. Bernie is directly addressing the mess Reagan and friends have left us in a clear and constructive manner. Hillary is doing the same, if reluctantly. Both Democrats are trying mightily to improve things for the majority. The GOP, and I mean the whole of the GOP has chosen to dig in to preserve the bad old days when they could be on top and in charge simply because of their money, the color of their skin, and the social clubs (including churches) they belong to.
Trump has given a segment of the squeezed white population in the middle permission to be blatant in their fear and rage and to no surprise, a number of the rest of us responded with something way less than love and kisses.
I don’t excuse the young people on the street but I also don’t have any sympathy for the Trump clowns who chose to strut their stuff on the way to the parking garage. Anger does not have an excuse but stupidity and the crass flaunting of one’s white supremacist tendencies no longer gets a free pass either.
The GOP has brought this on itself from top to bottom. I will and urge everyone else to get out and vote, vote for the best candidate to defeat any and all GOP candidates at all levels so that we can shove this disgrace of a “political” party into the dustbin of history.
For the record, I am white, male, and retired. I can live comfortably which is more than one can say for most Americans these days. I try from my now limited means to to help the less fortunate. I am embarrassed that we as a people have allowed the GOP to continue to be the menace to our democracy that it has morphed into since Goldwater and Nixon.
Also, my voting preference this Tuesday and November: Bernie, Hillary, a dead rabbit.
Thank you for listening. I feel better now. Time for lunch.