I had promised myself not to mention those two bad words ‘Donald Trump’ for the foreseeable future. They bring fear into the hearts of babes and innocents. Alas, as we write, another feather has fallen into the mad billionaire’s cap.
The British referendum, which favoured leaving the European Union, has shocked the American establishment, but not the Trumpists. Trump, who is in Scotland to open an event on one his international golf courses, explained the Brexit, as it is called in this manner.
It is a sign that the British are tired of politicians and want their country back. Trump-haters say that sentence is a secret code for wanting Britain and the US to return to white dominance. Even that interpretation is in favour of Trump. The movement, Black Lives Matter, has wreaked havoc among US law enforcement agencies.
The slack attitudes towards Islamic immigration in the UK and the US, so argue the Trumpists, will bring jihad onto the two homelands. The reckless attitude towards 15 million illegal Mexican migrants in the US has brought similar lawlessness into border-states and almost drove out black employment in hotel and minimum wage labour.
The first duty of government is to protect its own citizens and to advance their interests, not those of foreigners. It is in reply to these Trumpist attacks that Hillary Clinton made her Rubicon speech. Clinton has the saints on her side and a narrow lead, but there is the question of a silent white majority.
Hillary says the US is served best when she puts her best foot forward. The diversity of her support base is the basis of her strength and should be embraced, rather than shunned. People who encourage division are dangerous and are likely to cause more harm than good. She appeals to the good-natured tolerance of Americans to shun hate-mongers. Such hate-mongers will be more dangerous if given the power of the White House.
That was regarded as Hillary at her best, but my informants say elections are not likely to be won on appeals to the better nature of humans.
The first lesson Zimbabweans can learn from this is that politicians think by uttering long sentences and appearing to be learned, the general population do not understand they are being bamboozled. The Democratic Party has taken the high moral ground in this debate, in the assumption that the white majority in the US are impressed. Emotional appeals, such as Trump makes, are more effective.
For instance, it is true that black people are targeted by the police and that the courts have been compromised, sentencing blacks to twice as harsh sentences as they do whites. The reaction by our brothers is called ‘the Fergusson effect’. But, take a deep breath before proceeding.
Almost all the ten brothers shot by police were prior to the shooting involved in some lawless behaviour. By supporting Black Lives Matter, a protest group against police brutality, the silent majority was made to believe that black people are pursuing civil rights at the expense of civil order. So far, of the ten cases brought forward, only one case in South Carolina seems a sure case for judgment against the police officer.
True, the image of lawless black people, huge, ignorant, is the quintessential material from which the bogeyman (a ghost that steals naughty children at night) was made of, especially in the slave South. Trump will sweep the South. Whites are still in a slight majority and make up 65 percent of the population.
The issue here is the silent majority. It has been said that only ignorant whites support such a scenario. This prognostication is probably wrong. All exit polls have indicated that there is across the board support for the restoration of law and order and that the images of black people marching, cursing the police, causes resentment among the silent majority.
Further, it means support for such a change of direction, though not vocal, is a powerful undertow (the silent force in a river that drowns cocky swimmers).
Hillary is the black people’s choice, but her weaknesses are overwhelming. She has been nicknamed ‘Crooked Hillary’. She has been in or out of power since 1970. The so-called Health Act, or Obamacare, was her idea in 1992. It failed to pass through Congress then. She is as crooked as they come, has no opinion of her own, and will say whatever she thinks will get her elected, and has a slew of scandals behind her name.
So what has Hillary to offer Americans? More corruption, more deals with banks, feckless foreign policy, all these under a mild Lady Macbeth veneer of a face. Chelsea, Hillary’s daughter wears a US$700 shoe while campaigning for the poor. She is paid $200 000 per 30-minute speech by crooked banks. The transcripts are locked up in bank volts.
One third of all youths between the ages of 18 and 30 are living with their parents, even when employed. Parents are fed-up having to feed and house people, who should be starting their own families. During Obama’s tenure people on welfare have increased from 33 million to 57 million. In New Mexico, 40 percent of the population receives welfare.
Hillary wants to shut down coal mines in seven states and replace their livelihoods with MADE IN CHINA electric wind-mill generators. She misses the cherished desire of Americans to be rugged self-made men, pioneers of business ventures, dreamers and doers, not receivers of stale bread from do-gooders.
Kenneth Mufuka