In a marathon 74 minute harangue, Donald Trump accepted the nomination of the Republican Party for President of the United States. The speech recounted a vision of America as a dystopian hellhole where every citizen should be shivering under their beds. And when he wasn’t trying scare the bejeebus out of everyone, he was enumerating the reasons they should all hate each other, and especially Hillary Clinton.
In the opening of his speech Trump promised that “there will be no lies,” a bold claim from someone with a long record of pathological lying (see the Trump Bullshitopedia). And this Trump speech didn’t fare well with the fact checkers either. He also made promises to bring back jobs from overseas (presumably his own clothing manufacturing), destroy ISIS, repeal ObamaCare, and end violence and crime in America (not reduce it, end it). Of course, he never proposed a single policy that would achieve any of those goals in his speech, nor in the prior twelve monts of his campaign.
Watching all of this from his lair in Vermont was Sen. Bernie Sanders. Sanders was privileged to have been mentioned in Trump’s speech in a particularly delusional passage wherein Trump insisted that “His supporters will join our movement.” Because what self-respecting Democratic Socialist wouldn’t rush to support a wealthy, racist, right-wing, wannabe dictator? Not surprisingly, Sanders had a few things to say about Trump’s fear mongering tirade. So he took to Twitter (#RNCwithBernie) to engage in a running commentary. Here is his contemporaneous response to Trump’s lecture on how awful america is:
Will Trump mention climate change, the great environmental crisis of our time? Been waiting for a year now. #RNCwithBernie
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016
Those who voted for me will not support Trump who has made bigotry and divisiveness the cornerstone of his campaign. #RNCwithBernie
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016
We believe in bringing people together, not dividing them up.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016
Trump is wrong. The real cause of instability in the Middle East was the Bush-Cheney invasion of Iraq. By the way, where is President Bush?
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016
#RNCwithBernie pic.twitter.com/x5nuSI6AuN
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016
Trump’s big economic plans: Give trillions in tax breaks to millionaires, refuse to raise the federal minimum wage. #RNCwithBernie
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016
Trump’s economic plan: $3.2 trillion in tax breaks for millionaires, cut programs for low-income Americans. #RNCwithBernie
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016
What a hypocrite! If Trump wants to "fix" trade he can start by making his products in the US, not low-wage countries abroad. #RNCwithBernie
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016
Fix trade. Stop manufacturing Trump shirts in Bangladesh at 30-cents an hour. #RNCwithBernie
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016
Fix trade. Stop manufacturing Trump ties in China.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016
Fix trade. Stop manufacturing Trump clothing in Mexico. #RNCwithBernie
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016
Citizens United is one of the worst decisions in our history. Will Trump mention it or is he too afraid of the Koch brothers? #RNCwithBernie
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016
Still waiting for a single word about covering the 28 million Americans without health insurance. I guess they don’t matter much to Trump.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016
Trump: “I alone can fix this.”
Is this guy running for president or dictator? #RNCwithBernie— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016
FYI: Sanders tweet about Trump’s dictatorial tendencies was the most retweeted tweet during Donald Trump’s acceptance speech.
Trump: “I alone can fix this.” Maybe he doesn’t understand that a president has to work with Congress. #RNCwithBernie
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016
Looks like Ted Cruz was right about one thing. Trump does not understand what the Constitution is about. #RNCwithBernie
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016
Trump thinks climate change is a “hoax.” My supporters understand that we must move away from fossil fuels, not expand them. #RNCwithBernie
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016
Will there be one word about student debt or making college affordable? Or just concerned about more tax breaks for the rich? #RNCwithBernie
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016
Trump’s economic plan: same old, same old trickle-down economics. Pathetic. #RNCwithBernie
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016
Trump’s economic plan: let states lower the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, already a starvation wage.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016
Trump’s Supreme Court nominees would, like Scalia, oppose a woman’s right to choose, support Citizens United and gut the Voting Rights Act.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016
Bernie Sanders, of course, has endorsed Hillary Clinton for president. But his movement continues along with his positive vision to reform the nation so that everyone can benefit from its vast riches. He wants all Americans to be represented by politicians who take seriously their pledge to serve the people. He is a strong advocate of voting rights and opposes the GOP’s efforts to disenfranchise minority and low-income citizens. And he has fought for decades on behalf of the working class that is a trickle-down afterthought of Republicans like Trump.
How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
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The vast majority of Sanders’ supporters would never consider backing an elite, narcissistic, throwback to an era of 1930’s Aryan supremacy. Trump’s exceedingly dark outlook on both the present and future of America is anathema to the progressive mindset. Trump’s speech revealed to the nation that he is just pitching a warmed-over version of Pat Buchanan’s rightist populism. That isn’t going to sell to Sanders’ supporters, or to most of the country’s voters.
Today’s Quick Quiz:If Donald Trump hates immigrants so much why does he keep marrying them?