Republican presidential candidate and loony cartoony narcissist Donald Trump has been dominating the media and the polls for the past three months. The degree of obsession exhibited by the press is unprecedented as they rush to cover every scrap of data related to Trump and broadcast all of his public events live as if they were actually newsworthy. The environment surrounding the GOP campaign has devolved into a freak show featuring overt bigotry and stupefying ignorance.
More often than not the blame for this is laid at the feet of Trump, whose own bigotry and ignorance are displayed prominently every time he opens his mouth. But that is somewhat unfair. While Trump is certainly responsible for some of the most memorably ludicrous moments of the campaign, the fact that his hateful idiocy has caught on with a significant faction of the Republican electorate isn’t his fault. Trump’s support isn’t coming from the back seat of his limo. There are actual voters lining up to align themselves with his noxious brand and without them he would be an asterisk in the polls.
A real world illustration of this occurred this week when Trump failed to rebuke a questioner who maligned Muslims and cast doubt on President Obama’s faith and citizenship. The press properly reported Trump’s response, but then portrayed it as if it were peculiar to him. The fact is that a majority of his supporters believe the very same things. That questioner was not an aberration (or a liberal plant as some wingnuts have been alleging). He is a typical representative of Trump’s base and the GOP’s as well.
Trump is not creating the bigotry that is so evident on the right. He is exploiting it, he is benefiting from it and, in the worst instances, he is fanning it. But it was there long before he began his campaign, and it will persist after he inevitably flames out. Whoever the Republican nominee is, he or she will be leading a party that still harbors the prejudices that we are seeing today. If anything, Trump’s campaign is serving a purpose by bringing these views into the light.
However, these tendencies on the part of conservatives are not reserved for the Trump contingent. A new poll by CNN shows that Carly Fiorina has jumped to second place following the CNN debate. What is significant in that is that her boost was the result of her telling the biggest lie of the whole debate. She said that she had seen video showing Planned Parenthood harvesting body parts from an aborted fetus with a beating heart and kicking legs. However, numerous independent journalists who watched all twelve hours of the videos she referenced reported that no such video exists. Nevertheless, her demonstrable lie has thrust her into the upper tier of Republican candidates. This is more proof that the GOP electorate is not only bigoted and ignorant, but they also have no respect for the truth.
There are plenty of other examples of this behavior. Mike Huckebee falsely asserted that Planned Parenthood was caught selling baby body parts for profit. Scott Walker thinks his confrontation with union members in Wisconsin is equivalent to doing battle with ISIS. Ben Carson just today said that he doesn’t believe that Muslims should ever be considered for president. Jeb Bush actually said that using big words makes the world more dangerous.
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Ignorance and bigotry? They are the indicators of a Republican Party deeply infected with a disease that is making the nation sick. The Republican candidates are simply the opportunistic symptoms taking advantage of a weakened immune system. So the next time you see Trump, or any other GOP nut case, say something stupid or offensive, remember that they are saying it to fellow Republicans who feel exactly the same way.
As someone who grew up in the south with the majority of family members who are right-wingers, what this questioner believes doesn’t surprise me. It is the norm. What surprises me is that no one else, especially the media, is aware of this sentiment or is not willing to call it what it is.
In addition, a lot of the fox and right-wing talking heads want to say this questioner is a plant which seems an attempt to deflect the notion that the majority of the republican party and Trump supporters have the same sentiment. For the sake of argument, even if he was a plant and the commenter/questioner who followed him was as well, Trump never answered with the truth for fear of alienating the batshit crazy constituents who support him. Even Trump knew he was in trouble when just as the idiot started his question, Trump commented something to the effect …”and this is the first question I get….”
The talking heads are fearful their “peeps” will be exposed for the bigots and idiots they are and they are the only ones consuming fox and AM hate radio.
Yeah, it was also clear that Trump was worried when he went silent after the incident. Trump silent!?! He said nothing until after the Fox & Friends crew floated the excuse that he isn’t “morally obligated” to defend the President. But this had little to do with Obama. It is an insult aimed Muslims.
And every one of them is probably going to vote – that must drive you statists crazy. I guess your push to improve your fellow human being isn’t going as you hoped – if you could just re-educate every one of them maybe this would be a better place – right??? I guess this is the result of government education – who would have thought…
Not a chance Steve or haven’t you heard; you just can’t fix stupid.
You are correct, you can’t fix stupid. It’s good they all have a place to work – the federal government.
I do work with some of the stupid ones who share your view of things but the family members I’m referring to don’t.
that was just an ignorant dig – I can’t help it when federal people take this pro government position like we all can’t live without them – and of course the source of the gargantuan federal workforce’s salaries and pensions is the greatest sore spot. I couldn’t do it so long as taxes are taken the way they are.
It’s funny that you’re not worried. Oh right you could give a fuck since the outcome would suit you anarchistic….well, libertarian views well.
Nope, not concerned. I do what I can in my own little corner of the world and will be just fine. Human beings are what they are and will always be – I’ll do my best with what I have and just sit back and watch your heads explode with frustration that people just won’t come over to your world view willingly. Hard to cure the disease called human nature.
It doesn’t worry you?
“…the GOP is not only bigoted and ignorant…”
Lie.
Oh come on, you can spout your one liners like the good little troll you’ve always been, but the reality of the situation is so poignant, it speaks more to your attempt at denial of reality than anything else.
Bigoted and ignorant? Look no further than Trump for that. And the people who put him where he is did so because they LIKE his bigotry and ignorance.
Their words not mine: “He’s one of us.”
Yup. Donald Trump is a know nothing ego with bad hair and bile. A draft dodger, liar and empty headed spouter of nonsense.
They are.
Germany 1933 until the death of Der Fuhrer. Hmm, can we get Trump into a bunker??? Also, there are Christians and Jews who are as rabid and violence prone as some Muslims. Hmm, could it be religions are inherently bigoted?
Bingo on the religions.
religion in the wrong hands is always a bad thing. Islam is today’s scourge – at another point it was christianity. Of course we’re talking about today – history is a good teacher and should be used to guard against the next rise of radical religion.
And the only cure for this disease is to vote Democratic. Vaxxing won’t work either, as the strains are virulent and repel antibiotics such as rational thought.
“This is what happens when a political party with a strong history of evangelical lunacy and racism built into its core spends 30 years pandering to nutjobs, extremists and bigots within the party and then wakes up one morning to discover that their President is a black guy named Barack Obama. What you’re currently witnessing is the Republican party’s implosion as the fringe element goes mainstream. ”
Further to Trump, “It doesn’t really matter what he says, or whether it’s accurate. So long as it appeals to the basest impulses wrought from ignorance: Greed and paranoia.”
There will be Hell toupee!
So you haters, paranoid racist freaks, what are you hoping for? Maybe he will lynch black and hispanics in the middle of NYC and across the nation or better yet start collecting minorities for an ethnic cleansing. We need to identify racism as crime and start getting rid of you haters one by one. The same way you did to minorities over last 100 years. Go to a psychiatrist and stop your bullshit because it ain’t going to work. Learn how to accept other human beings for their culture and diversity and stop dividing and alienating everyone. Stop for a minute and think how wonderful this world would be if we respected one another.
The person who posted this is stupid. The word you’re looking for is ‘disorder’ not ‘disease’.
Wrong.
Depends…