Hillary's "deplorables" comment has been decried by media pundits as a blunder, compared to Mitt Romney's remark about the 47% of Americans who will simply never vote Republican. NPR's reporters have been saying how bad it looked for Hillary speaking to a well heeled crowd of affluent white women to denigrate Trump supporters and Mr. Trump has had a field day saying Hillary slanders hard working Americans.
Hillary's shrinking response shows she has learned nothing from Donald. When you say something outrageous and steal a few headlines, don't retreat, don't apologize: Double Down.
What I'd have loved to hear Hillary say is this: "Mr. Trump is trying to define that comment as the opening salvo in a class war. His supporters are white males with no more than high school educations, and he says I look down my nose at those people.
" Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. Traditionally, those are the people who built cars on assembly lines, worked the steel mills and built the skyscrapers and the battle ships and the airplanes. Those are the core of the Democratic party.
"But as he well knows, it's not that demographic, that group I deplore. I deplore those people you see in his crowds who smile and nod and cheer when he says Muslims--and he doesn't qualify that by saying 'some Muslims'--he means all Muslims, hate America and want to destroy it. He uses that hate and bigotry to attack Mr. and Mrs. Khan who lost a son who serve fighting Islamic fundamentalists, and he says Mrs. Khan stood by her husband silently during the Convention because Muslim women are not allowed to speak in public. He gets cheers from the crowd when she says Mexican immigrants are rapists and when he says no judge of Mexican ancestry can judge him because no Mexican, even one born in Indiana can judge him. Notice what he says: You're not an American, even if you were born here, if your parents are from Mexico.
"This is a man who believes President Obama was born in Kenya and so cannot be a real American. Well, maybe he was born in Hawaii, but his father was born in Kenya, so like the judge, he cannot be a real American.
And let's not be coy here. What makes Mr. Obama illegitimate in Mr. Trumps eyes is Mr. Obama is Black. It's not that he's Kenyan or Hawaiian or any of the other things, to Mr. Trump, and most importantly to his supporters, Mr. Obama is disqualified because he is Black. And just like the judge who was born in Indiana, well he can't be a real American because his parents speak Spanish and were born in Mexico. Make America Great Again is just a dog whistle. You know the dog whistle: you use the dog whistle so only the one you want to hear it hears it. And Make America Great Again means 'Make America White Again.' And that's what Mr. Trump's most ardent supporters are hearing and that's what they're cheering for.
"Well, there will always be despots and bigots and hate mongers--nothing can stop those lunatics from existing. But the crowds who support those haters. Those are the real problems. Those are the real deplorables. And those who simply smile through those vile statements, who say, well I don't agree with everything he says, but he's honest, when he has hate dripping from his lips, those people, those deplorable people, those genteel haters, they are the real deplorables."
If she can say that, then she deserves to win. If she cannot, well, we get the leaders we deserve.
Unfortunately, HRC has not yet demonstrated the ability to speak as clearly and concisely as you. She usually comes across as too careful or too shrill. If only she would read your blog - it would improve her responses enormously!
ReplyDeleteAnon,
ReplyDeleteYes, too careful is the essence, or said another way, too programmed.
In the movie "The Candidate" they really do the repetitive nature of campaigning well--so that Robert Redford by the end of the campaign, seems only half awake through his own speeches, he's given the same one so often.
Trump never seems to tire of his--as long as people listen and he's in the spotlight, he's alive.
Mad Dog