Trumpism Is Rebranded Racism!
Amid this brouhaha about Trump the loser, Trump the leader, Trump the owner of the Right Wing, etc., etc., etc., the underlying question we are missing is: “What is Trump’s role and how did he rise rapidly to lead the Republican Party?”
Stepping back and looking at the history of the nation, we can see that the years following the Civil War the advocates of white superiority suppressed their beliefs in public but remained resentful of “the other.” It was not politically feasible for those in the mainstream to take an openly racist stand. They remained mostly secretive in their shenanigans to suppress votes and deny basic freedoms to minorities.
Then came Trump with his MAGA appeal, which in hindsight was less a narcissistic motto and more a call to “reclaim white power.” MAGA attracted the GOP base, or rather the base among the GOP, and empowered them to openly despise “the others” around them! He emboldened them to walk their talk, which many did vigorously on Jan. 6!
Remember the “Jews will not replace us” chants, and Trump’s reassurance that there were “good people on both sides?” Recall the opening salvo of his first campaign: To fight immigration by building a wall and keeping out Mexican criminals and rapists? The wild base was ignited into a frenzy by Trump, which found in him the man who thought and spoke like them.
Trump did not create Trumpism. Trump emboldened and mobilized his followers to feel safe and comfortable to speak their mind.
The memorable and contemptuous line Robert Graves wrote for the failing Roman Emperor in I Claudius, sums up Trump’s strategy well: “Let all the poison that lurks in the mud, hatch out.”
Trump will be long gone before the devastation he has wreaked can be defeated.
Yezdyar Kaoosji
Visalia
Not All Republicans Are Fascists
It’s understandable to have strong opposing opinions and views. Kevin Hall is not accurately interested in facts. Labeling and name calling is not journalism.
Calling every Republican a fascist is grossly inaccurate. The entire premise of this article is an irrational lie: The Democrat[ic] Party is a closer representation to fascism. This does not mean that fascism is bad or good, or that Republicans are correct and noble. The tenets of fascism are clearly visible in the Democrat[ic] Party.
Kirk McKarthur
Free Speech in Fresno
I found the story by Mike Rhodes last month to be a fascinating history lesson about free speech in Fresno. The IWW (International Workers of the World, or Wobblies) was an activist group fighting for workers’ rights in America at the turn of the [19th] century.
This was a time when workers had no rights. They couldn’t join unions, worked long hours for low pay, [experienced] hazardous conditions, [endured] child labor and worked weekends. There was no such thing as paid vacations or holidays.
To know that a free speech protest [occurred] here in Fresno in 1910–11 is interesting to know with a plaque to show the spot.
Larry Reina
Madera
Do Parties Finance Local Candidates?
One of the criticisms raised by first-time candidates was that they were not financially supported by Democratic incumbents or the county Democratic Party (see “Debrief of First-Time Progressive Candidates” in the April issue).
The role of the county party is not to fund candidates. In fact, if the committee goes down that road, it will inevitably fail at its larger task, which is to ensure effective turnout for the overall slate of Democrats on the ballot.
The party should be a resource for volunteers, for covering a candidate’s district through party-wide GOTV (get out the vote) efforts and for advice and guidance on running an effective campaign.
Local parties are funded locally. County committees are not funded by the state or national parties. Although the state party has in the past couple of cycles put regional staff on the ground in Fresno County, that is mostly to help Congressional candidates.
Another issue is that people talk about the Democratic Party as if it is some entity apart from them. The local Democratic Party is who shows up. If you are there at meetings or events, or volunteering, you are part of the solution.
As author Alice Walker says, “We are the ones we have been waiting for.”
Michael Evans*
Ellensburg, WA
*Evans is the former five-term chair of the Fresno County Democratic Central Committee.
Cruel Mistreatment of the Homeless
Unfathomable cruelty of the HART team (Homeless Assistance Response Team): Recently, a homeless woman who temporarily left her dogs tied to her cart suffered a great loss at the hands of the HART team, which cut their leashes and harnesses and set them loose in traffic near Blackstone and El Paso.
Tragically, the woman was only able to catch two of them, and the third remains at large. It is a full size healthy dark tan Chihuahua with a dark muzzle and black ears.
The poor woman is grief-stricken and traumatized and has no recourse. This cruel mistreatment of the homeless and their beloved animals must stop now!
Abby Roberts
