The Indelible Stain of Donald Trump

[babylonsister]

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/12/opinion/campaign-stops/the-indelible-stain-of-donald-trump.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0

The Indelible Stain of Donald Trump
Peter Wehner JUNE 10, 2016


snip//

The surprise is that so many Republicans are now expressing consternation at what Mr. Trump is doing. Has any recent presidential candidate ever advertised quite as openly as Mr. Trump the kind of vicious attacks he’d engage in? We were warned in neon lights what was coming. The idea that he will now engage in a “course correction” — that he will flip a switch and transform himself into a decent and dignified man — is laughable. Mr. Trump has repeatedly stated that he won’t change his approach. (“You win the pennant and now you’re in the World Series — you gonna change?”) In this one area, Republicans should take him at his word.

When a narcissist like Mr. Trump is victorious, as he was in the Republican primary, and when he has done it on his terms, he’s not going to listen to outside counsel from people who think they can change the patterns of a lifetime. Republicans have not changed Mr. Trump for the better; he has changed them for the worse.

So here we are, with Republicans who lined up behind Mr. Trump now afraid of being led off a high cliff. If the prospect of a November shellacking isn’t enough to unnerve these Republicans, there’s also this to factor in: What we are talking about is potential generational damage to the Republican Party.

snip//

The stain of Trump will last long after his campaign. His insults, cruelty and bigotry will sear themselves into the memory of Americans for a long time to come, especially those who are the targets of his invective.

Mr. Trump is what he is — a malicious, malignant figure on the American political landscape. But Republican primary voters, in selecting him to represent their party, and Republican leaders now rallying to his side, have made his moral offenses their own.

There will be a fearsome price for Republicans to pay for their embrace of Donald Trump. Especially after the attacks on Judge Curiel, Mr. Ryan and Mr. McConnell, decent men who have already criticized Mr. Trump harshly, should rescind their endorsement of him — as Mr. McConnell just hinted that he might. Mr. Trump’s bigotry should earn him their enmity, not their loyalty.

[TonyPDX]

1. They can try scraping the Trump from their shoes,

but the stench will endure.

[Glorfindel]

2. "Mr. Ryan and Mr. McConnell, decent men"? WTF?

Maybe they are, at that, when compared to Donald Trump.

[babylonsister]

5. I know; this guy is a conservative,

I'm thinking; this is his eulogy?

[Bernardo de La Paz]

10. If McConnell were decent he'd hold hearings and vote on Merrick for SCOTUS

[Bernardo de La Paz]

11. If Ryan were decent he wouldn't say "Trump is racist and I support him". . . nt

[BlancheSplanchnik]

12. My reaction exactly.

Barf. They are the top of the slag pile that spawns scum like Dump.

[malaise]

3. Everyone is waking up to

Don the Con

[Cosmocat]

4. We have deny this frame

Trump is not something that "happened" to republicans.

He IS republicans.

Bold faced, no pretenses and without their shallow bullshit veneer of self righteousness.

The issue here is not Trump.

It is a party that for a half century now has culled those who most tightly cling to the lesser characteristics of the human spirit into a voting block to win elections.

[Surya Gayatri]

7. Damn...never heard it so well said:

"It is a party that for a half century now has culled those who most tightly cling to the lesser characteristics of the human spirit into a voting block to win elections."

"Trump IS republicans."

End of story.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

13. ^^^^

[nyquil_man]

21. Yes. They're only bothered by Trump because he won't use their dog whistle. nt

[corkhead]

6. I am sure there were also "decent men" in the Third Reich or KKK

[L. Coyote]

8. NY Times trying to distance Republicans and their new racist leader, not going to work.

Why not just admit this is the real Republican party, a bunch of racists. Trump is their leader because they like him the most. They are the racist party, just call it like it is!

What we have in the USA is the indelible stain of Republican hatred, gerrymandering, racism, voter suppression, greed, warmongering, ... don't even get me started..

[jalan48]

9. One good thing about Trump being the Republican nominee, it makes Hillary look better.

If the nominee was Bush or some other "moderate" her path to victory would be more difficult. Unfortunately, Trump's popularity is a scary phenomenon that portends a rise in American Fascism.

[Cosmocat]

16. IDK about facism

Not to discount that element, it does exist.

But, what Trump is channeling is stupid and hubris more than anything.

Honestly, they talk a big game, but while they will push it as far they can within the constraints of a democracy, conservatives really don't have the courage to engage in out and out fascism. They cling to their guns, but 99% of them treat them like collectable items, like baseball cards.

To actually put their lives on the line to use them for what they blovate about?

Not so much.

[The CCC]

18. portends a rise in American Fascism

The US was never that far from it.

[LiberalLovinLug]

19. Yes, its kind of big risk reward scenerio

With someone "moderate" like Bush running against her it would be difficult to separate herself from his own policies. She voted for her brothers stupid war, she backs most "republican-lite" policies like the TPP, not legalizing pot, treating Wall Street with kid gloves, to name a few. It would be the old...if I'm going to vote for an almost Republican, I might as well vote full Republican.

With Trump it would not be difficult to separate herself in a lot of ways, including experience, temperament, and she'd have a lot of ammunition on his previous stances like the giant wall that Mexico's going to pay for for instance. But..that could also be her downfall, that she's not a bold brash outsider that can spew out impossible ideas and over-the-top nationalism that ignores all the challenges America faces by flag waving as a substitute. And that he is an accomplished, if not businessperson, salesman, who knows how to weave the "art of the deal" on the masses. Hillary is not as good a speaker.

With Bush she probably still would have eked out a win, in a slow steady campaign.

With Trump its chaos. She could win in a landslide, or he could win by even a large margin simply by appealing to the lowest common denominator and getting people out to vote for a big celebrity.

[jalan48]

23. She's really lucky the corporate media decided to give Trump so much free air time.

Without it he may not have gained the momentum he needed.

[nolabear]

14. Just saw that he is excoriating Romney at his event this morning. He'll bite every hand in the GOP.

The destruction of the Grand Old Party continues.

[kairos12]

15. The Reich Wing would endorse the Plague before truly rejecting Don the Con.

[niyad]

17. this is so true:

Mr. Trump is what he is — a malicious, malignant figure on the American political landscape. But Republican primary voters, in selecting him to represent their party, and Republican leaders now rallying to his side, have made his moral offenses their own.

[pampango]

20. Even if he leads to a Democratic landslide, he will have been a stain to even temporarily legitimize

hatred and bigotry like he has. Even a historically large defeat (no guarantee of that) may not put all the demons he has unleashed back into their bottles. The next 'Trump' is noticing the success he has had and may pick up where Donald leaves off.

[napkinz]

22. K&R