Robert Reich: Trumps Unwillingness to Denounce Violence Is His Political Strategy

[babylonsister]

https://www.truthdig.com/articles/trumps-unwillingness-denounce-violence-political-strategy/

Aug 15, 2017
Trump’s Unwillingness to Denounce Violence Is His Political Strategy

IoSonoUnaFotoCamera /CC BY-SA 2.0
Robert Reich


snip//

Weeks after he began his campaign by alleging that Mexican immigrants were criminals and rapists, two brothers in Boston beat up and urinated on a 58-year-old homeless Mexican national, subsequently telling police “Donald Trump was right, all these illegals need to be deported.”

Instead of condemning the brutality, Trump excused it by saying “people who are following me are very passionate. They love this country and they want this country to be great again.”

snip//

Trump and his consigliere Steve Bannon have been quietly encouraging a civil war between Trump’s base of support – mostly white and worried – and everyone who’s not.

It’s built on economic stresses and racial resentments. It’s fueled by paranoia. And it’s conveyed by Trump’s winks and nods haters, and his deafening silence in the face of their violence.

A smaller version of the civil war extends even into the White House, where Bannon and his protégés are doing battle with leveler heads.

National security advisor Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster fired Higgins. Reportedly, Trump was furious at the firing.

McMaster was quick to term the Charlottesville violence “terrorism.” Ivanka Trump denounced “racism, white supremacy and neo-nazis.” Reportedly, chief of staff John Kelly pushed Trump to condemn the haters who descended on Charlottesville.

Let’s hope the leveler heads win the civil war in the White House. Let’s pray the leveler heads in our society prevent the civil war Trump and Bannon want to instigate in America.

[Orsino]

1. His entire career is built on the tease/bluff.

Always promising great things that are just about to happen, but never do. Calling out nebulous and unnamed "Second Amendment people" who might do something, if they really wanted to win his favor. Invoking a magical enchantment that will somehow make Mexico want/have to pay for the wall, which of course isn't going to happen, either. "Fire and fury like the world has never seen." "Amazing things" coming out of Hawaii on the birth certificate.

[sharedvalues]

2. Of course.

Thanks for saying it Robert.

[cheyanne]

3. Charlottesville: using planned violence to rescind civil rights.

Since his candidacy Trump has been creating and empowering white nationalists with dog whistles and refusals to condemn. The right-wing media has been increasingly calling Trump an embattled president threatened by the deep state conspiracy to remove him from office. They have both advocated violence.

Nothing new: racism, violence, setting up "enemies"

What's new is he is finally putting to use these parts of his administration.

Charlottesville and NK events were planned and executed as Trump is facing the biggest threat to his administration, his family and his political life: the investigations he has been unable to stop.

Other dictators have faced the same problem of internal opposition and solved it the same way as Trump is trying to. They have organized armed bands to attack "enemies" of the state/regime then used the "violence" to revoke civil rights.

In 8 months Trump has a DoJ that is willing accomplice in the destruction of a democratic state, a Republican party that is acting as a "one-party" state, and . . .a media that has completely missed the true goal of Trump's administration. He is not here to govern; he is here to destroy democracy. And he is using "legitimate" means.

By the way, for those who think that Trump is too "stupid" to organize a coup, dictators need no handbook or classes in Dictatorship 101. Lust for power is innate in their personalities.

[malaise]

4. To denounce white supremacist violence

not violence in general

[kentuck]

5. Trump understands what many Repubs do not understand.

That this is his base and although they may be rather small in numbers, they have a great many sympathizers within the Republican Party. That was how he was able to defeat 16 establishment Republican challengers.