By now many of you have seen or heard about the Donald Trump news conference confrontation with Univision news anchor Jorge Ramos. During the event Trump told Ramos to "go back to Univision," and then ejected Ramos from the room.
What many haven't seen is what happened after Ramos was escorted out of the news conference. Before being asked to return by a staffer, another Donald Trump staffer/supporter - who Trump's people claim has nothing to do with this campaign - became confrontational and told Ramos to "get out of my country" (Ramos is a U.S. citizen).
Whether you agree that Ramos should have waited to be called upon or not - keep in mind that Trump is suing Univision - it's clear that Trump and his supporters have little tolerance or respect for Latinos, or women. If anything, Trump's statements about women make it appear as if he thinks he's living in, or auditioning for, a presidential version of a Mad Men reality show.
Whatever you think of Trump, we shouldn't lose sight of this point. A man who lived a pampered life, inherited millions, and then built a billion dollar business by hiding behind American bankruptcy laws, is now the Republican front runner for president.
Worse, surveys show that Trump is the talk of our political town primarily because he's saying what a lot of people are thinking, as if that's a good thing. Most of us understand that Trump's mix of arrogance and primal stupidity should be an embarrassment to the Republican party. But, unfortunately, it's not, especially for the base.
What's really stunning is that Trump's evolving promise to take America back to a day when people of color knew their place, and women made the sandwiches, has captured the imagination of so many conservatives.
While Trump's popularity may scare establishment politicians in the GOP - like Frank Luntz - the more realistic ones understand that Trump is just verbalizing what used to be coded dog whistles.
In many ways Trump is showing that he understands the Republican propaganda message better than anyone else. And it's ticking them off.
What's so disheartening for establishment conservatives is how the Republican peasants are clamoring for Trump to sit at a table the GOP has been setting for years. They know Trump's eating their lunch.
The fact that congressional Republicans say little about the political Frankenstein they helped build, while our national media clamors for more, makes it clear they can't control the monster. Even Fox News backed off when Trump went after conservative pin up girl, Megyn Kelly.
Arrogance and stupidity should not be a rewarded virtue, no matter how big your megaphone. The fact that a pampered, bankruptcy addicted, misogynist has captured this much attention from the base of one of America's biggest political parties may say much about the current state of the GOP. But it's also a message to America and the world about the state of our union.
The thinkers can fill in the blanks from here ...
- Mark
Late Addition: This helps fill in some of the blanks ...
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