Monday, October 3, 2016

Brexit and then Trump? Is it possible racism will prevail in the US?

There's not a single pollster, not even in the Republican Party, that has Donald Trump's wrecking ball in front. Although Clinton has had her share of problems, particularly with the email scandal that just won't go away, Trump has so many legal battles of his own to further hurt his chances. Arguably the most polarizing figure to run for presidential election in recent memory, he's also so far behind that many have guaranteed his win. But there's still a vocal group that are stanch supporters. Unfortunately, the media enjoys a story, and too often Trumps supporters come from a very specific demographic including: xenophobes, homophobes, and racists. Essentially every conservative or religious person will be voting for Trump. That also brings to the forefront the issue WHY, despite the character assassinations, and mostly from his own doing, Trump isn't losing even more support. The scary thing is the reason is probably because he's able to hit a dormant cord with a sizeable minority of people that want the 'good ol days' when jobs were plentiful and ethnic minorities were largely non-existent. The level of vocal support for some of the most troubling aspects of the Republican campaign surround the closing of borders and downright hatred of anybody who doesn't look right (right = caucasian). This is the same kind of thing that lead to Brexit. A largely fearful and easily swayed demographic, that proved to be just enough of a majority, that opted for the fear of the 'other' (immigrants), over more important things like economic policies. Speaking of which, there don't seem to be any solid plans other than outlandish and shocking statements designed to garner votes. Perhaps similar to Obama's victory, the idea or the vision speaks more than the policy (or lack thereof), and Trump's vision is an America of old, complete with segregation, a rewind of civil rights, and the reduction of women's rights. Or at least that's what's at stake if you listen to the bulk of media coverage, or most of what Trump has to say (I mean honestly, there were cringe worthy moments during the televised debate....)