If it seems like there's a strange alignment of the Earth with both the sun and moon, then you know there's trouble bounding for one Presidential campaign: Donald Trump's. Seems as if the Donald's managed to draw the ire of both The Democrats and the GOP for openly calling for violent White Supremacy and it seems as if those calls are falling on open ears. From the violence at his rallies and campaign events to threats of violence against rival campaigns on both sides of the aisle, it looks like he's about to experience the ultimate form of karma: lost support, at least in the form of minority voters. The fact remains that his call to violence is also having the adverse affect of losing the American electorate, especially those who remember the violence of the mid-to-late 1960s all the way through to the early-to-mid 1990s.
Let me be very clear, we don't need a repeat. Which is why both Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, together with the other Republicans running for President, are right to condemn the Trump campaign's violent rhetoric and incitement to violence against anyone who disagrees with him. It seems almost laughable on Donald's part to pin the blame almost entirely on Bernie, when it's clear that Sanders has given no instructions to his supporters to protest at Trump events; it's entirely their decision. While it's heartening to hear the other Republican candidates (Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, John Kasich) condemn Donald and distance themselves from his violent hate-filled campaign, it's important to remember that they also harbor many of those same hateful views and willingness to legislate on them (with the exception of Kasich). With Cruz, that's completely obvious, as he's actually more hateful and extreme than Trump is. Rubio's not too much different. Kasich, on the other hand, is someone I could think of backing if Hillary gets the nomination. This is because of his platform on a couple of issues: immigration and justice/police reform. On both these issues he's calling for pragmatism and moderation. Add 1 more issue to that: climate change. Now whether to leave regulations to the EPA or the states is a necessary debate to have and one that I'd wish would take place, but with the others largely denying the existence of climate change, that's not likely to happen. On a final note, while he is opposed to "non-traditional" (aka LGBT) marriage, he sees any further fighting to ban it as a lost cause. Which makes me think that if he is President, he may push for further legal protections of LGBT Americans.
Aside from that rant about why Kasich may be a better alternative, the fact remains that if the Donald doesn't end his campaign of hate, he's going to answer for it in the same way George Wallace did back in 1968. This may mean that while Donald does especially well in many parts of the South, he may face a world of trouble trying to win the vote elsewhere in November. Be it in places as hard-right Idaho and Wyoming to center-right Kansas and Nebraska. Bernie's argument about the need for a dramatic change in the political culture in Washington, that's actually responsive to all the people, may cut into Donald's support among Republicans. Imagine if Donald has to fight for those states due to many Republicans largely backing Bernie (especially conservative Republicans) that are turned off by all the hate-filled dog-whistles. Think about what happened to Mitt Romney when he faced Barack Obama in 2012, or when Obama faced John McCain in 2008. The fact remains simple, the Republicans' coalition of both the overwhelming majority of the White South together with the Great Plains and Mountain states (along with both Alaska and Indiana), it's not a coalition that will remain cohesive for very long.
If anything, the American people don't want a Southern-styled form of conservatism, (i.e., racial conservatism or put more plainly: hate-filled corporatism). We largely want to move past the era of racial hatred and Social Darwinism. It also means that we need to end this bankrupt status quo of simply keeping our heads in the sand. This is the type of conservatism being served to us a la Donald Trump and the Republican Party.
Let me be very clear, we don't need a repeat. Which is why both Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, together with the other Republicans running for President, are right to condemn the Trump campaign's violent rhetoric and incitement to violence against anyone who disagrees with him. It seems almost laughable on Donald's part to pin the blame almost entirely on Bernie, when it's clear that Sanders has given no instructions to his supporters to protest at Trump events; it's entirely their decision. While it's heartening to hear the other Republican candidates (Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, John Kasich) condemn Donald and distance themselves from his violent hate-filled campaign, it's important to remember that they also harbor many of those same hateful views and willingness to legislate on them (with the exception of Kasich). With Cruz, that's completely obvious, as he's actually more hateful and extreme than Trump is. Rubio's not too much different. Kasich, on the other hand, is someone I could think of backing if Hillary gets the nomination. This is because of his platform on a couple of issues: immigration and justice/police reform. On both these issues he's calling for pragmatism and moderation. Add 1 more issue to that: climate change. Now whether to leave regulations to the EPA or the states is a necessary debate to have and one that I'd wish would take place, but with the others largely denying the existence of climate change, that's not likely to happen. On a final note, while he is opposed to "non-traditional" (aka LGBT) marriage, he sees any further fighting to ban it as a lost cause. Which makes me think that if he is President, he may push for further legal protections of LGBT Americans.
Aside from that rant about why Kasich may be a better alternative, the fact remains that if the Donald doesn't end his campaign of hate, he's going to answer for it in the same way George Wallace did back in 1968. This may mean that while Donald does especially well in many parts of the South, he may face a world of trouble trying to win the vote elsewhere in November. Be it in places as hard-right Idaho and Wyoming to center-right Kansas and Nebraska. Bernie's argument about the need for a dramatic change in the political culture in Washington, that's actually responsive to all the people, may cut into Donald's support among Republicans. Imagine if Donald has to fight for those states due to many Republicans largely backing Bernie (especially conservative Republicans) that are turned off by all the hate-filled dog-whistles. Think about what happened to Mitt Romney when he faced Barack Obama in 2012, or when Obama faced John McCain in 2008. The fact remains simple, the Republicans' coalition of both the overwhelming majority of the White South together with the Great Plains and Mountain states (along with both Alaska and Indiana), it's not a coalition that will remain cohesive for very long.
If anything, the American people don't want a Southern-styled form of conservatism, (i.e., racial conservatism or put more plainly: hate-filled corporatism). We largely want to move past the era of racial hatred and Social Darwinism. It also means that we need to end this bankrupt status quo of simply keeping our heads in the sand. This is the type of conservatism being served to us a la Donald Trump and the Republican Party.
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