You may not believe Trump will be able to diminish our country’s institutions or damage our society. If so, I urge you to think again about the darkness that dwells in the hearts of so many and what happens when discontent is intentionally channeled through it.
I know a version of Trump and the havoc he caused. And I do not underestimate the impact of a Trump presidency.
Bal Thackeray adopted a hodge-podge of ideological positions. His party controlled trade unions while he openly admired strongmen and dictators (including Hitler). The one constant throughout his career was the use of ethnic and religious divisions. His real talent was tapping into economic discontent, frustration and anger at corruption. He rose to prominence by fomenting resentment towards “immigrants” from other states in India. Bombay had been a melting pot for decades, attracting people from all over India who spoke a multitude of languages. Thackeray drove a wedge between Marathi-speakers (from the area around Bombay) and all others, convincing them South Indians, Gujaratis and Hindi-speakers were taking their jobs. Years later, when it became less easy to rouse people using linguistic differences, he moved on to exploit religion.
All of this should sound very familiar if you change a few names and places. There is also a lesson here. When people like Thackeray run out of “foreign” enemies to make the object of their hate, they create new “others”. In the end, their hate is directed at everyone.
Thackeray’s followers violently attacked political rivals and ordinary critics, ransacking offices and homes, even murdering an elected state legislator. In 1992 and 1993, the violence he had stoked over his career reached a peak when his newspaper and party apparatus fomented and exacerbated riots between Hindus and Muslims. His followers actively participated in an orgy of violence which caused over a thousand deaths and brought my city, a bustling metropolis, to a standstill for weeks. In ways large and small, his influence damaged the sense of security millions of people had felt. It fractured a society that had, over decades, built bridges through ethnic, religious and linguistic lines.
And Thackeray managed all of this without ever once running for election or holding an official position in his own party. His far right Shiv Sena party didn't win power in the state till 1995. He could do all this because there were real grievances to stoke. The city had failed to address vast socio-economic disparity and the loss of thousands of industrial jobs. Extreme inequality fueled Thackeray’s rise.
In many ways, our society has already been changed for the worse by Trump and his enablers. The damage that will ensue if he actually wins the presidency is hard to contemplate.
It's no secret I would have preferred Bernie and still do. But that is not to be.
Supporting a candidate does not mean agreeing with every position they hold, and it certainly does not mean papering over your differences. My biggest differences with Hillary Clinton are on foreign policy and the use of force. In this cycle, it’s become common to hear voices dismiss foreign policy as a minor concern. It is not. Our outsized role as a global superpower means our actions impact thousands, millions across the world. In the modern era, the President has almost unfettered power in this arena. The president literally makes life and death decisions every day.
Robotic weapons and powerful aerial bombing coupled with unreliable intelligence can lead to enormous civilian casualties. We rarely hear about these strikes because American lives are almost never at risk from a drone or a bomb dropped from the sky.
I’ve heard many in this cycle say we should focus on domestic issues and compromise on foreign policy. That FP is a concern of the “privileged” who are insulated from domestic economic issues and discrimination. I cannot ignore our actions overseas. In every child and civilian killed as collateral damage by drones, or by arms we supply to warring factions, I see reflections of myself, friends, acquaintances and members of my family. I cannot look away.
We are called to speak for the weak, for the voiceless, for the victims of our nation, for those it calls “enemy,” for no document from human hands can make these humans any less our brothers. — Beyond Vietnam
It pains me when elected officials are silent after the death of children and civilians caused by air and drone strikes. The disparity grates on me since public apologies are quickly proferred on the rare occasions when Europeans or Americans are mistakenly killed in strikes.
Yes, Hillary is far more hawkish than I would like, ready to use force too soon. More so than Obama, and far more than Bernie. Trump though, is in a different league altogether.
Hillary Clinton is calculating, which many believe to be a fault. It is also a blessing. I expect we can exercise influence on her administration with continued pressure and activism. Trump will not respond to argument or persuasion. He is as likely to order protesters be arrested or beaten to maintain “law and order”.
It needs to be said that Hillary is rarely careless. Trump, on the other hand, Is a careless fool prone to bluster and overreach, evidenced in full by his business dealings. I don’t trust a word he says. Apart from the chaos he will cause at home, there are immense risks that he will launch us into conflagrations, including wars, which cost American lives and many more non-American lives.
I'm not going to tell you how to vote. That is your decision as an independent, free thinking citizen. But, whatever you do in November, please don’t be lulled into believing Trump’s impact on our society will be effectively limited by other institutions. Or that electing Trump won’t damage our society and compromise these institutions enormously. It will, and the impact will be long-lasting.