As the impeachment of Donald Trump looms, with its focus,
understandably, on Trump’s potential crimes and abuses of his power,
it’s important for Americans not to lose sight of the actual, monstrous
human being at the heart of this whole inquiry. At a campaign rally in Pennsylvania Tuesday night, Trump
demonstrated perfectly not only what he is, but where he would take
this country if given a chance. This should scare the hell out of you,
and frankly, if it doesn’t, you should seriously rethink whether you
belong in this country at all.
As Ed Mazza reported for Huffington Post, “a woman in a #MeToo hat wearing a T-shirt with a middle finger on it” made her way near the stage and “waved around a sign with a middle finger and the phrase ‘GRABBING POWER BACK.’”
This solitary protester, walking back and forth with a tiny sign, was surrounded by thousands of ardent, braying, shouting Trump supporters. But that was more than enough defiance that Donald Trump was prepared to tolerate; he demanded that security remove the woman.
But on Tuesday night in Pennsylvania, even this wasn’t enough for Trump. “Get her out, get her out,” Trump insisted. “See, these guys want to be so politically correct. Get her out. You see that?”
Even after the protester was removed, Trump was still out for blood, so he went after the security guard. “I’ll tell you, law enforcement’s so great. That particular guy wanted to be so politically correct.” Trump waved his arms and punctuated his barbs with what Mazza describes as “moaning.”
The packed stadium crowd roared its approval as Trump mocked the security guard’s cautious treatment of the protester. “We don’t want to be politically correct,” he said. “I don’t know who he was. He didn’t do the greatest job.”
According to Trump the security guard was lacking … because he refrained from physical violence in removing a protester.
A president who cannot tolerate dissent has no place leading this country—but an elected official who encourages the suppression of political dissent through violence or gestapo-like thuggery has no place in our government at all. This is not “funny.” This is not a ”a joke,” and this is not "entertainment." This behavior attacks the core of who we are supposed to be as Americans.
This is un-American behavior, writ large—in bold, capital letters, and everyone in that rally who cheered this display on is guilty.
If this kind of behavior by a president can go unremarked—or worse, accepted as normal—by the public, by the media, or by an entire political party—then we, as a nation, have arrived at a very dangerous place.
As Ed Mazza reported for Huffington Post, “a woman in a #MeToo hat wearing a T-shirt with a middle finger on it” made her way near the stage and “waved around a sign with a middle finger and the phrase ‘GRABBING POWER BACK.’”
This solitary protester, walking back and forth with a tiny sign, was surrounded by thousands of ardent, braying, shouting Trump supporters. But that was more than enough defiance that Donald Trump was prepared to tolerate; he demanded that security remove the woman.
“Get her out,” he demanded, gesturing the “out” signal with his thumb.
Footage showed a guard holding his arms above the woman and trying to guide her to the exit of the pen, but not touching her as she waved her sign and gave the finger to Trump:These moments have become fixtures at Trump rallies, as his hate-engorged crowds salivate hungrily for someone to target with their relentless, thoughtless anger, all carefully ginned up by a master demagogue, who stands preening happily before his bubbling cauldron. The protesters are always escorted out under guard, while enduring a constant stream of epithets from he audience, and often a sarcastic, barbed line or two from Trump himself.
But on Tuesday night in Pennsylvania, even this wasn’t enough for Trump. “Get her out, get her out,” Trump insisted. “See, these guys want to be so politically correct. Get her out. You see that?”
Even after the protester was removed, Trump was still out for blood, so he went after the security guard. “I’ll tell you, law enforcement’s so great. That particular guy wanted to be so politically correct.” Trump waved his arms and punctuated his barbs with what Mazza describes as “moaning.”
The packed stadium crowd roared its approval as Trump mocked the security guard’s cautious treatment of the protester. “We don’t want to be politically correct,” he said. “I don’t know who he was. He didn’t do the greatest job.”
According to Trump the security guard was lacking … because he refrained from physical violence in removing a protester.
A president who cannot tolerate dissent has no place leading this country—but an elected official who encourages the suppression of political dissent through violence or gestapo-like thuggery has no place in our government at all. This is not “funny.” This is not a ”a joke,” and this is not "entertainment." This behavior attacks the core of who we are supposed to be as Americans.
This is un-American behavior, writ large—in bold, capital letters, and everyone in that rally who cheered this display on is guilty.
If this kind of behavior by a president can go unremarked—or worse, accepted as normal—by the public, by the media, or by an entire political party—then we, as a nation, have arrived at a very dangerous place.
No comments:
Post a Comment