This article is my personal point of view on matters arising from Trump's campaign to date that may be of concern to readers of this blog who fear that his presidency would herald a slide from demagogic populism to violence and persecution. It is not my intention to equate Trump with fascism or Nazism, but I will note how his rhetoric can echo those vile voices and may produce violent results.
It does not require much knowledge of Goebbels or Streicher to realize that descriptions of Mexicans as "rapists" and of Islam as "an unbelievable hatred of us" are designed to demonize entire groups. This rhetorical echo is matched by parallels in specific proposals. The forcible deportation of 11 million people would have some similarities with early Nazi policy prior to the onset of the Final Solution, given that round-ups would require coercion and the splitting of families. It would be naive to assume that state violence would only be applied to the "undocumented" rather than the entire neighborhoods in which they lived.
His policies against Muslims would are idiotic as well as bigoted. Does Trump know that many Arabs are Christian and some Persians are Jews? How would these persons be spared the harassment that Trump would visit upon any brown-skinned person passing through an immigration barrier? Trump's surrogate Katrina Pearson advocates that the state pursues the closure of mosques that contain any Muslim who "preaches terrorism", a phrase she presumably feels the state can define. Such persecution would also be pursued through barefaced lying, such as Trump's assertion that "thousands and thousands of people were cheering" when the World Trade Center came down on 9/11.
On antisemitism, the JVL notes:
Consequently, although Trump does not engage in the antisemitic dog whistling that some commentators believe has been committed by Ted Cruz, his promotion of stereotypes is a regressive prospect for Jews.
It does not require much knowledge of Goebbels or Streicher to realize that descriptions of Mexicans as "rapists" and of Islam as "an unbelievable hatred of us" are designed to demonize entire groups. This rhetorical echo is matched by parallels in specific proposals. The forcible deportation of 11 million people would have some similarities with early Nazi policy prior to the onset of the Final Solution, given that round-ups would require coercion and the splitting of families. It would be naive to assume that state violence would only be applied to the "undocumented" rather than the entire neighborhoods in which they lived.
His policies against Muslims would are idiotic as well as bigoted. Does Trump know that many Arabs are Christian and some Persians are Jews? How would these persons be spared the harassment that Trump would visit upon any brown-skinned person passing through an immigration barrier? Trump's surrogate Katrina Pearson advocates that the state pursues the closure of mosques that contain any Muslim who "preaches terrorism", a phrase she presumably feels the state can define. Such persecution would also be pursued through barefaced lying, such as Trump's assertion that "thousands and thousands of people were cheering" when the World Trade Center came down on 9/11.
On antisemitism, the JVL notes:
Although Trump's daughter converted to Judaism in 2009, is married to a Jewish man, observes Shabbat and keeps a Kosher diet, Trump has been known to make anti-Semitic comments. In a 1991 book written by a former close colleague of Trump, the real-estate mogul is quoted as saying, “the only kind of people I want counting my money are little short guys that wear yarmulkes every day.” During a speech to the Republican Jewish Coalition on December 3, 2015, Trump depended on age-old Jewish stereotypes to relate to the crowd and get his message across. Trump commented that he is a, “negotiator... like you folks,” and asked the crowd, “Is there anyone in this room who doesn’t negotiate deals?” Trump added that he thinks that the Jewish people are not going to support him because “I don't want your money. And you want to control your own politicians.” These comments sparked backlash from Israeli news agencies, with the Times of Israel running a headline the next day that read,“Trump courts Republican Jews with offensive stereotypes.”
Consequently, although Trump does not engage in the antisemitic dog whistling that some commentators believe has been committed by Ted Cruz, his promotion of stereotypes is a regressive prospect for Jews.