Once again, we had a tragic terrorist attack, this time in Nice, France. These tragic attacks are a perfect example of why we need an internationalist like Hillary Clinton over an isolationist like Donald Trump. History is on Hillary Clinton’s side on this. When the Republicans came to power in 1921 following the First World War, one of the first things they did was to pull us out of all engagement with the rest of the world. When the Great Depression hit, they retreated even further with the passage of Smoot-Hawley, which gutted our international trade and made it even worse. Communities and families were divided, sometimes for good. Now, given his “America First” rhetoric, Donald Trump wants to return to those days. The problem is that under his leadership, we will return to a cycle of boom and bust.
Hillary Clinton knows, as Franklin Roosevelt did before her, that strength in numbers is what works in international affairs. We defeated the scourge of Nazism and fascism through working with other nations, not by going it alone. We won the Cold War through working with other nations, not by going it alone. For Donald Trump to repeat the mistakes of the 1920’s would give rise to other forces which will wreak havoc on the rest of the world.
Personality wise, Hillary Clinton is exactly what we need in this day and age. She is a voice of strength and reassurance in the face of extremism, nationalism, and fascism. She has spent her entire life bringing people together for a common cause.
One of the causes of terrorism is hopelessness and nihilistic materialism, the belief that this is all there is. One pattern I have seen is that people who make the tragic choice to take their own lives become loners who retreat from society. The problem with a Trump administration is that it will reinforce that. To shut ourselves out from the rest of the world will turn us into a rogue state, one with which nobody will engage.
For Donald Trump to advocate retreat in the face of terrorism is an act of cowardice. By contrast, Hillary Clinton rightly said on Twitter last night that these attacks will only serve to strengthen our alliances and strengthen our resolve to defeat ISIS. Yesterday, Ms. Clinton said that we have to say with one voice that Latinos are part of our community. I submit that Muslims are a part as well, and that Hillary Clinton understands this. We need to be able to actively engage our Muslim friends to help prevent people from going off the rails and slipping through the cracks. That is our first line of defense against a similar tragedy in this country.