Where is St. George when we
need him? Someone must rise to the
challenge of slaying the Trump dragon.
The Donald has been ravaging the countryside for far too long.
The question is what will it
take down the man’s false promises.
There has to be some sort of stake that can be driven through their
heart. Evidently the fact that he is
widely perceived to be an arrogant clown is not sufficient. One TV commentator actually commended Trump for being a “blowhard.”
Despite what some of his fans
are saying, Donald is not a genius. Nor
is he invincible. His immature crassness
can be exposed, that is, if it is done in the appropriate way.
What is this way you
ask? All that has to happen is that one
of his rivals challenges him to a one-on-one debate. This will provide the opportunity to
demonstrate that Trump does not have answers, merely slogans. Once he is confronted head-on, he can be
reduced to a quivering mass of protoplasm.
This strategy has worked
before. It is what brought Senator Joseph
McCarthy to his knees. Before the
Army-McCarthy hearings, tail-gunner Joe had buffaloed the entire nation. Millions were terrified that he would accuse
them of communism. Afterwards it was he
who was ruined.
Joseph Welch managed this
feat by asking McCarthy the right questions and refusing to be
intimidated. Later Edward R. Murrow
finished the job by replaying Joe’s many obnoxious pronouncements on
television. In the end, the senator was reduced
to a trembling hulk, whose profusely sweating brow revealed his vulnerability.
If one of Trump’s
competitors has the courage, knowledge and eloquence to do the job, Donald can
be unmasked merely by getting him to repeat his imprudent positions. Once these are contrasted with sanity, they
should lose their luster.
And make no mistake; most of
Trump’s proposals are absurd. Often he
addresses real issues, but then converts them into parodies of themselves. The illegal immigrant question is one of
these. This is a dilemma that needs
fixing, yet not by the means he proposes.
The Donald is a modern “know
nothing.” A reincarnation of the uneducated
buffoons who once opposed all immigration to the U.S., he too reflects the insecurities
and egotism of people who believe that they are better than everyone else.
Trump, to be sure, has
climbed down from his more extreme insults.
He is no longer implying that virtually all Mexicans are ignorant
thugs. Now he is telling us that there
are a few good ones; hence after he ejects these from the country, he will
welcome them back.
This reminds me of the man
who after he has beaten his wife swears up and down that he loves her. Better yet, he is like the certified bigot
who insists that some of his very best friends are black.
Amazingly, Trump tries to
demonstrate his open-mindedness by boasting that he has employed thousands of
Mexicans and that they are among his best workers. What I suspect he is not saying is that he
hired them because they were willing to accept lower pay.
Barack Obama proved to be an
empty suit who had a good line of patter.
He never really told us what he would do until he did it. The result was that we got something other
than what we bargained for.
Do we intend to repeat this
mistake? The Donald also has a stimulating
line of patter. He may not be as slick
as Obama, but he is every bit as deceptive.
Rude, crude, and vainglorious, he epitomizes everything that liberals
accuse conservatives of representing.
Is this what we want? Do we need another four years of amateurish
incompetence? Standing up to the PC
police is a task that surely deserves doing.
Nonetheless, it should be delegated to someone who is stable and aware
of his/her limitations. Trump is
neither. He is merely an egotistical
bully who merits debunking.
Melvyn L. Fein, Ph.D.
Professor of Sociology
Kennesaw State University
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