Tom Harker
I’m not afraid that Donald Trump might be elected President. No, I’m depressed – depressed to think that a majority of Americans might be so ignorant, fearful, and/or stupid as to elect him.
In Mr. Trump’s speech accepting the Republicans’ nomination, he promised everything from immediately wiping out ISIS and “rebuilding” the military to severely cutting taxes; from re-establishing “law and order” to ending poverty; from creating jobs to ending “intrusive regulations”; from unfettered energy production to protecting LGBTQ Americans from “Radical Islamic Terrorists.”
Anything one might have heard on Fox News as a talking point (just for starters) was touched on, with promises to eliminate the “bad” stuff and implement the “good” stuff.
He never explained how he would do any of it; he would just do it; trust him; ask his kids, they’ll tell you…
Trump opposes raising the minimum wage because he wants us to be “competitive.” He’s going to bring back our jobs from China, but to compete with China, we’ll have to lower the minimum wage and any higher wages, too. Apple workers in China are so low-paid and mistreated that nets have been installed around buildings to thwart workers’ attempts to commit suicide by jumping from their dormitory windows.
Sure, if every worker’s pay were cut in half, twice as many jobs could be “created,” but so what? Walmart employees already experience such inadequate wages and benefits that a large part of them must rely on the evil, socialistic programs Trump says he’ll eliminate.
It’s all salesmanship. Selling fear, racism and pie-in-the-sky – with Trump playing savior – “I alone can fix it!” “Believe me; give me your trust; I’ll make America great!”
It’s the same scam he used with “Trump University.” “Believe me; give me your money; I’ll make you rich!” Dr. Sigmund Fraud.
As if that weren’t enough, now – with the ghost of Nixon cheering him on – he’s dragging out “Law and Order!” – Archie Bunker and I know what that means; so do the Jeffersons. So did Nixon, and so does Trump.
Trump claims he is the “Law and Order” candidate, and I believe him: he’ll interpret the Laws, and we’ll follow his Orders – especially if we are a minority or are poor.
To do that, he’ll need to be elected by a majority of voting Americans. How the voting turns out will do more than elect the next President; it will also measure the awareness, courage and intelligence of the electorate.
If we choose Donald – with or without lipstick – we will be buying a pig in a poke and putting a ring in the end of our nose, our nose; a ring in the end of our nose.
This article originally appeared on The Pickaway News Journal
