Cautionary Tale: I Almost Fell In Love With Donald Trump
One More Political Observation, I really am trying to get away from this, but for some reason; I keep getting pulled in by how ridiculous this stuff is getting.
Also for the people who keep saying wait it's only summer, this is not too early to speak politics or candidates; remember Citizens United ruling has made the idea of a honeymoon moot in politics. As long as you have one major Super PAC left, you are always running. It's an ugly concept and I think older Republicans and Democrats don't get it as well as us Millennials, the vetting process is no longer about sound bites, but a continuum of a politicians development, sort of like writing a novel (By the way, another reason why I am trying to get out of talking politics or involved in any way, I am writing a novella ). The speed of communications has made everything raw and live, while monetary limits being lifted has made even the most outlandish politicians into heroes.
Yes, I almost fell for Trump last night; I don't feel proud about it, but it felt right in a way.
I think everyone has heard that Trump forced out Jorge Ramos, the Latino American reporter from Univision. In theory, I actually support Jorge's positions and his outrage at Trump for demanding the deportation of 11 million people, including American children. I want to see a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants and an end to the half measures in Washington about this issue.
Yet, last night, when I channel flipped to Trump's press conference, I instantly got hooked by Ramos' charge against Donald Trump turn into a disruption to his Press conference. When Trump told his security to remove Ramos, I cheered. In my mind, I was thrilled to see a Politician not be scared of the Almighty 1st Amendment's "Freedom of Speech and Press". For the last 6 years with the rise of the Tea Party movement on the right, the Occupy Wall Street movement and Black Lives Matter movement on the Left, I was getting fed up by the way people reacted to these protesters, who think disruption is the only solution to social and political issues. Yet, there is fear that if you attempt to stop or control these people from disrupting your life, your event, and your "audience as "Free Speech" does not guarantee a "free Audience", which would paradoxically violate the 1st Amendment right to "free association"..
People have been hiding behind the 1st Amendment's free speech for far too long for reasons that are neither progressive, nor necessary.
When Trump threw out Ramos, I jumped and thought, "Wow, he did it. He actually pushed back against the tide of protest/disrupters. No one else on the GOP or Democratic side have been willing to take such a hard stance. Maybe, I was wrong about him and he really can lead this country to a better place without all this PC baggage we've built up in the last decade."
I was charmed and excited by the man; I am cerebral guy and even as a centre right conservative, I don't let my emotions carry me away.
After several minutes of deep breathing and a cup of hot jasmine tea, I calmed down and realized what I had basically supported.
Jorge Ramos was wrong in what he did acting like a member of Black Lives Matter, Trump did the right thing by kicking him out for violating his rules of decorum and disrupting his event. Yet, I realized I just supported the idea of "deporting" a latino guy metaphorically, because he broke the "law" of common courtesy and professional restraint. He represents the "illegal" immigrant of Trump's speeches; the "entitled" foreign born guy, who believes he deserves to get whatever he wants without following rules. Ramos made Trump's point a living fact and now I fear that if I can so easily fall into such a generalized fury, the rest of the Conservative base would not be far beyond me. Trump made his case and proved it in that one exchange
Maybe it's the bland candidates, maybe it's the lack of resolution, or the partisan groups that keep popping up, but I actually fully fell for Trump in one moment of weakness and supported his position of kicking out Latino Americans.
I know it's wrong, I know Ramos has legitimate reason to hate Trump. I know most Americans don't want to relate to racists and bigots, but there is a cautionary reality to our modern world. If you get caught up in the living reality, you can easily fall into ideological traps that dwell within. As an Asian man, I don't think I am racist, but I now understand how easy "soft" racism can be created in a moment of connection.
That's my Cautionary tale and hopefully the end of my political talk for a while,
WL
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