Quote:
Originally Posted by DanaC
The media (as diffuse as that is these days in the internet age) and the political and culture-making class have a measure of responsibility for these outbreaks, and that very much includes Mr Trump.
The tenor of political discourse in America has become more infused with violence and rebellion than it has for a very long time. Politicians have been lobbing social grenades with gay abandon and which have been received and multiplied by an enthusiastic and nihilistic propaganda industry.
Is anybody truly surprised by any of this? Other than Trump actually winning, of course. But the response to his victory? When Obama won his first election, republican politicians stood up in public and said we will oppose everything this president does. They didn't say they would watch him like a hawk and hold his feet to the fire, like a strong opposition - they said they will oppose everything he tries to do. In doing that, they weakened the electoral compact - they gave permission to the American body politic to deny the validity of the electoral mandate.
Coupled with the idiosyncrasies of the American electoral college system, in which someone can win the popular vote but lose the election, that permission is a dangerous thing.
In the meanwhile the level of civil violence has been growing in response to tensions between police and citizenry in some areas - providing a new (or old depending on your perspective) and very visible template for revolt.
Of course the republicans didn't rebel against the political system out of the clear blue - there was a journey to that point. But they certainly bear a large share of responsibility for creating the context for current tensions.
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This.
I agree with the left Trump is a terrible person who should never be where he is. I'd feel much the same about Hillary. She would give us more of the same screwing we've had. Trump will give us worse and harder. They continue the pattern of breaking the people into little groups to keep them at each others throats. Trump will disrupt some things hopefully some of the right things but don't delude yourselves into thinking you voted for change. We tried to believe in Obama that way, but we continue the wars, we prop up the banks, we serve up our school children as profit centers, we get screwed by our healthcare system. Hillary wouldn't have changed any of that. She would have reduced expectations and ground away the way we were. This will be more blatant, a more joyful screwing of working people but they're going to cheer for it under Trump because he is super comfortable with the process and owns his useful idiots.