This is a short diary just to vent.
For months, I’ve been reading and watching coverage of Hillary and Trump. I have paid attention to the ads and comments being used against Trump from our side. To me, there is something missing.
A large portion of the criticisms I see are focused on Trump’s absurd thought processes, his utter disregard for long-standing American institutions, his penchant to lie, the total amorality in his prescriptions, and the banality and evil in his values (racism, misogyny, bigotry, etc.).
Yet his followers don’t seem to care about any of that. They actually don’t care if he is an utter fool and an evil asshole.
Why?
Personally, I believe its because they still (foolishly) think that some of his ideas might work.
- Eliminating due process will stop terrorists
- Erecting a wall will keep out illegal immigrants
- Cutting taxes (on the wealthy) will jump-start the economy
Our side has pounded Trump on these ideas, pointing out that they are immoral and “un-American”. But his supporters don’t care. If they work, what have we got to lose?
In reality, they won’t work. They physically can’t work. It’s not even close. But we don’t say that … or at least we don’t say it enough. IMO, we should be hammering the flaws and fundamental dumbness of his ideas. Everyone in his camp seems OK with the fact that he is an asshole, but not everyone understands that his signature prescriptions are jokes. I would ask questions like:
- How does “being tough” deter a suicide bomber? What exactly is our threat? Jail? Death? … stop for a minute and ponder the absurdity.
- How does stopping all refugees help us find and stop the terrorists who are already American citizens? Seems sort of important when pretty much every attacker in the last 15 years was either born here or was naturalized long before we knew there was a problem.
- How will a wall stop illegal immigrants when the majority come in as tourists or business persons simply overstay their visa? Do we just stop all foreign tourism? Orlando, are you OK with that? Hey Donald, are your hotels OK with that?
- How do you build a wall along the Rio Grande River? Will the Mexicans let us build it on their side? Do we seize American land by eminent domain on our side? Maybe we should build it on pontoons in the middle? Scuba anyone?
- How does making the 1% much richer and the middle class much poorer rein in the robber-barons and banksters on Wall St?
- and lots more … and I am sure we have the word-smiths to do much better than me.
In short, why aren’t we full-time ridiculing his ideas? Why aren’t we hammering away at the rank stupidity of his suggestions. Make fun of them … and him. Forget about whether they are ethical or not … we know they aren’t … but his supporters don’t care.
But they are so dirt stupid that they are almost funny … and they just flat won’t work.
/rant