General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums8/25/2016: Hillary was the first to call out Trump's racist history and dog whistling to racists
This speech should be required viewing. Required reading. The woman who got 3 million more votes called it. She was 100% right. She had the crystal ball. If only a few more of us had listened.
This speech needs to be burned into our memories forever:
"After all, its hard to believe anyone let alone a nominee for President of the United States could really believe all the things he says.
But the hard truth is, theres no other Donald Trump. This is it.
Maya Angelou once said: When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.
Well, throughout his career and this campaign, Donald Trump has shown us exactly who he is. We should believe him."
~Hillary Rodham Clinton; 8/25/2016
She warned us.
"Everywhere I go, people tell me how concerned they are by the divisive rhetoric coming from my opponent in this election.
Its like nothing weve heard before from a nominee for President of the United States.
From the start, Donald Trump has built his campaign on prejudice and paranoia.
Hes taking hate groups mainstream and helping a radical fringe take over one of Americas two major political parties.
His disregard for the values that make our country great is profoundly dangerous.
...
It takes a lot of nerve to ask people hes ignored and mistreated for decades, What do you have to lose? The answer is everything!
Trumps lack of knowledge or experience or solutions would be bad enough.
But what hes doing here is more sinister.
Trump is reinforcing harmful stereotypes and offering a dog whistle to his most hateful supporters.
Its a disturbing preview of what kind of President hed be.
This is what I want to make clear today:
A man with a long history of racial discrimination, who traffics in dark conspiracy theories drawn from the pages of supermarket tabloids and the far reaches of the internet, should never run our government or command our military.
If he doesnt respect all Americans, how can he serve all Americans?
Now, I know some people still want to give Trump the benefit of the doubt.
They hope that he will eventually reinvent himself that theres a kinder, gentler, more responsible Donald Trump waiting in the wings somewhere.
After all, its hard to believe anyone let alone a nominee for President of the United States could really believe all the things he says.
But the hard truth is, theres no other Donald Trump. This is it.
Maya Angelou once said: When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.
Well, throughout his career and this campaign, Donald Trump has shown us exactly who he is. We should believe him.
When Trump was getting his start in business, he was sued by the Justice Department for refusing to rent apartments to black and Latino tenants.
Their applications would be marked with a C C for colored and then rejected.
Three years later, the Justice Department took Trump back to court because he hadnt changed.
The pattern continued through the decades.
State regulators fined one of Trumps casinos for repeatedly removing black dealers from the floor. No wonder the turn-over rate for his minority employees was way above average.
And lets not forget Trump first gained political prominence leading the charge for the so-called Birthers.
He promoted the racist lie that President Obama isnt really an American citizen part of a sustained effort to delegitimize Americas first black President.
In 2015, Trump launched his own campaign for President with another racist lie. He described Mexican immigrants as rapists and criminals.
And he accused the Mexican government of actively sending them across the border. None of that is true.
Oh, and by the way, Mexicos not paying for his wall either.
If it ever gets built, you can be sure that American taxpayers will be stuck with the bill.
Since then, theres been a steady stream of bigotry.
We all remember when Trump said a distinguished federal judge born in Indiana couldnt be trusted to do his job because, quote, Hes a Mexican.
Think about that.
The man who today is the standard bearer of the Republican Party said a federal judge was incapable of doing his job solely because of his heritage.
Even the Republican Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan, described that as the textbook definition of a racist comment.
To this day, hes never apologized to Judge Curiel.
But for Trump, thats just par for the course.
This is someone who retweets white supremacists online, like the user who goes by the name white-genocide-TM. Trump took this fringe bigot with a few dozen followers and spread his message to 11 million people.
His campaign famously posted an anti-Semitic image a Star of David imposed over a sea of dollar bills that first appeared on a white supremacist website.
The Trump campaign also selected a prominent white nationalist leader as a delegate in California. They only dropped him under pressure.
When asked in a nationally televised interview whether he would disavow the support of David Duke, a former leader of the Ku Klux Klan, Trump wouldnt do it. Only later, again under mounting pressure, did he backtrack.
And when Trump was asked about anti-Semitic slurs and death threats coming from his supporters, he refused to condemn them.
Through it all, he has continued pushing discredited conspiracy theories with racist undertones.
Trump said thousands of American Muslims in New Jersey cheered the 9/11 attacks. They didnt.
He suggested that Ted Cruzs father was involved in the Kennedy assassination. Perhaps in Trumps mind, because he was a Cuban immigrant, he must have had something to do with it. Of course theres absolutely no evidence of that.
Just recently, Trump claimed President Obama founded ISIS. And then he repeated that nonsense over and over.
His latest paranoid fever dream is about my health. All I can say is, Donald, dream on.
This is what happens when you treat the National Enquirer like Gospel.
Its what happens when you listen to the radio host Alex Jones, who claims that 9/11 and the Oklahoma City bombings were inside jobs. He said the victims of the Sandy Hook massacre were child actors and no one was actually killed there.
Trump didnt challenge those lies. He went on Jones show and said: Your reputation is amazing. I will not let you down.
This man wants to be President of the United States.
Ive stood by President Obamas side as he made the toughest decisions a Commander-in-Chief ever has to make.
In times of crisis, our country depends on steady leadership clear thinking and calm judgment because one wrong move can mean the difference between life and death.
The last thing we need in the Situation Room is a loose cannon who cant tell the difference between fact and fiction, and who buys so easily into racially-tinged rumors.
Someone detached from reality should never be in charge of making decisions that are as real as they come.
Its another reason why Donald Trump is simply temperamentally unfit to be President of the United States.
Now, some people will say that his bluster and bigotry is just over-heated campaign rhetoric an outrageous person saying outrageous things for attention.
But look at the policies Trump has proposed. They would put prejudice into practice.
And dont be distracted by his latest attempts to muddy the waters.
He may have some new people putting new words in his mouth but we know where he stands.
He would form a deportation force to round up millions of immigrants and kick them out of the country.
Hed abolish the bedrock constitutional principle that says if youre born in the United States, youre an American citizen. He says that children born in America to undocumented parents are, quote, anchor babies and should be deported.
Millions of them.
And hed ban Muslims around the world 1.5 billion men, women, and children from entering our country just because of their religion.
Think about that for a minute. How would it actually work? People landing in U.S. airports would line up to get their passports stamped, just like they do now.
But in Trumps America, when they step up to the counter, the immigration officer would ask every single person, What is your religion?
And then what?
What if someone says, Im a Christian, but the agent doesnt believe them.
Do they have to prove it? How would they do that?
Ever since the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock, America has distinguished itself as a haven for people fleeing religious persecution.
Under Donald Trump, America would distinguish itself as the only country in the world to impose a religious test at the border.
Come to think of it, there actually may be one place that does that. Its the so-called Islamic State. The territory ISIS controls. It would be a cruel irony if America followed its lead.
Dont worry, some will say, as President, Trump will be surrounded by smart advisors who will rein in his worst impulses.
So when a tweet gets under his skin and he wants to retaliate with a cruise missile, maybe cooler heads will be there to convince him not to.
Maybe.
But look at who hes put in charge of his campaign.
Trump likes to say he only hires the best people. But hes had to fire so many campaign managers its like an episode of the Apprentice.
The latest shake-up was designed to quote Let Trump be Trump. To do that, he hired Stephen Bannon, the head of a right-wing website called Breitbart.com, as campaign CEO.
To give you a flavor of his work, here are a few headlines theyve published:
Birth Control Makes Women Unattractive and Crazy.
Would You Rather Your Child Had Feminism or Cancer?
Gabby Giffords: The Gun Control Movements Human Shield
Hoist It High And Proud: The Confederate Flag Proclaims A Glorious Heritage.
That one came shortly after the Charleston massacre, when Democrats and Republicans alike were doing everything they could to heal racial divides. Breitbart tried to enflame them further.
Just imagine Donald Trump reading that and thinking: this is what I need more of in my campaign.
Bannon has nasty things to say about pretty much everyone.
This spring, he railed against Paul Ryan for, quote rubbing his social-justice Catholicism in my nose every second.
No wonder hes gone to work for Trump the only Presidential candidate ever to get into a public feud with the Pope.
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups, Breitbart embraces ideas on the extremist fringe of the conservative right. Racist ideas.
Race-baiting ideas. Anti-Muslim and anti-Immigrant ideas all key tenets making up an emerging racist ideology known as the Alt-Right.
Alt-Right is short for Alternative Right.
The Wall Street Journal describes it as a loosely organized movement, mostly online, that rejects mainstream conservatism, promotes nationalism and views immigration and multiculturalism as threats to white identity.
The de facto merger between Breitbart and the Trump Campaign represents a landmark achievement for the Alt-Right. A fringe element has effectively taken over the Republican Party.
This is part of a broader story -- the rising tide of hardline, right-wing nationalism around the world.
Just yesterday, one of Britains most prominent right-wing leaders, Nigel Farage, who stoked anti-immigrant sentiments to win the referendum on leaving the European Union, campaigned with Donald Trump in Mississippi.
Farage has called for a ban on the children of legal immigrants from public schools and health services, has said women are quote worth less than men, and supports scrapping laws that prevent employers from discriminating based on race -- thats who Trump wants by his side.
The godfather of this global brand of extreme nationalism is Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In fact, Farage has appeared regularly on Russian propaganda programs.
Now hes standing on the same stage as the Republican nominee.
Trump himself heaps praise on Putin and embrace pro-Russian policies.
He talks casually of abandoning our NATO allies, recognizing Russias annexation of Crimea, and of giving the Kremlin a free hand in Eastern Europe more generally.
American presidents from Truman to Reagan have rejected the kind of approach Trump is taking on Russia.
We should, too.
All of this adds up to something weve never seen before.
Of course theres always been a paranoid fringe in our politics, steeped in racial resentment. But its never had the nominee of a major party stoking it, encouraging it, and giving it a national megaphone. Until now.
On David Dukes radio show the other day, the mood was jubilant.
We appear to have taken over the Republican Party, one white supremacist said.
Duke laughed. Theres still more work to do, he said.
No one should have any illusions about whats really going on here. The names may have changed Racists now call themselves racialists. White supremacists now call themselves white nationalists. The paranoid fringe now calls itself alt-right. But the hate burns just as bright.
And now Trump is trying to rebrand himself as well. Dont be fooled.
Theres an old Mexican proverb that says Tell me with whom you walk, and I will tell you who you are.
We know who Trump is. A few words on a teleprompter wont change that.
He says he wants to make America great again, but his real message remains Make America hate again.
This isnt just about one election. Its about who we are as a nation.
Its about the kind of example we want to set for our children and grandchildren.
Next time you watch Donald Trump rant on television, think about all the kids listening across our country. They hear a lot more than we think.
Parents and teachers are already worried about what theyre calling the Trump Effect.
Bullying and harassment are on the rise in our schools, especially targeting students of color, Muslims, and immigrants.
At a recent high school basketball game in Indiana, white students held up Trump signs and taunted Latino players on the opposing team with chants of Build the wall! and Speak English.
After a similar incident in Iowa, one frustrated school principal said, They see it in a presidential campaign and now it's OK for everyone to say this.
We wouldnt tolerate that kind of behavior in our own homes. How can we stand for it from a candidate for president?
This is a moment of reckoning for every Republican dismayed that the Party of Lincoln has become the Party of Trump. Its a moment of reckoning for all of us who love our country and believe that America is better than this.
Twenty years ago, when Bob Dole accepted the Republican nomination, he pointed to the exits and told any racists in the Party to get out.
The week after 9/11, George W. Bush went to a mosque and declared for everyone to hear that Muslims love America just as much as I do.
In 2008, John McCain told his own supporters they were wrong about the man he was trying to defeat. Senator McCain made sure they knew Barack Obama is an American citizen and a decent person.
We need that kind of leadership again.
Every day, more Americans are standing up and saying enough is enough including a lot of Republicans. Im honored to have their support.
And I promise you this: with your help, I will be a President for Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. For those who vote for me and those who don't.
For all Americans.
Because I believe we are stronger together.
Its a vision for the future rooted in our values and reflected in a rising generation of young people who are the most open, diverse, and connected weve ever seen.
Just look at our fabulous Olympic team.
Like Ibtihaj Muhammad, an African-American Muslim from New Jersey who won the bronze medal in fencing with grace and skill. Would she even have a place in Donald Trumps America?
When I was growing up, Simone Manuel wouldnt have been allowed to swim in the same public pool as Katie Ledecky. Now theyre winning Olympic medals as teammates.
So lets keep moving forward together.
Lets stand up against prejudice and paranoia.
Lets prove once again, that America is great because is America is good.
Thank you, and may God bless the United States."
~Hillary Rodham Clinton; 8/25/2016
Trump is a con-man propaganda artist:
Never Normalize Trump.
#strongertogether
lunasun
(21,646 posts)TreeStarsForever
(392 posts)Her voice can reach millions. We need her intelligence forever. She is so very articulate and quick-witted. I can't wait to hear what she has to say. Her 2018 stump speech should be pretty good I bet.
#strongertogether FOREVER.
lunasun
(21,646 posts)Thank you for posting this
100% on point and recorded about trump
TreeStarsForever
(392 posts)Ugh.
lunamagica
(9,967 posts)That would rather have "stars" running the country.
TreeStarsForever
(392 posts)The media never covered policy or Hillary's positive message of #strongertogether.
Anyone who runs in 2020 will have to engage in a negative campaign. That's what critics of Hillary's 2016 campaign don't seem to grasp. The media only focuses on the negative. Hillary had to fight fire with fire. And she did (which led to 3 million more votes).
StevieM
(10,500 posts)TreeStarsForever
(392 posts)StevieM
(10,500 posts)who invented the Birther story.
The moment that Trump started spinning it that way was the moment that we were officially in a twilight zone where facts and details no longer had a relationship with how we remember history.
TreeStarsForever
(392 posts)Trump's Foundation is corrupt (he used his Foundation to pay off Florida AG for an investigation into the fraud Trump University). Yet Donald accuses the Clinton Foundation of being corrupt, which is actually a highly-rated charity that was given higher marks than the Red Cross by providing 11.5 million people with access to HIV/AIDS medicine.
Never (EVER) believe the smears against The Clintons.
The GOP has been smearing them for decades. However, Hillary showed her critics what was up during the 11-hour Benghazi testimony and the 3 debates where she destroyed con-man Donald Trump on live T.V. in-front of millions (that's why he still hates Hillary so much).
The debates are why Hillary won by 3 million votes despite Russian interference and the last minute, ultimate "October Surprise" by idiot James Comey (there was also a Trump-Russia investigation going on at the same time he altered lawmakers of the re-opening of the Clinton e-mail case -- double standard!!).
Sad our election was stolen from the 3 million *MAJORITY* by a rogue FBI director and a foreign adversary
Al Gore and Hillary Clinton were both screwed by the outdated Electoral College that only seems to ever favor Republicans. We would never ever hear the end of it on Fox News if a Republican had lost the election but won the popular vote. That's why I will never get over the 2016 election. It was stolen. PERIOD.
StevieM
(10,500 posts)the election. Then Comey intervened to damage the Democrat in order to help elect a Republican.
And Trump's deranged nature, which you so eloquently describe, does not excuse liars like Joe Scarborough for their reprehensible actions.
triron
(22,023 posts)Very very smart woman. Now we have an illegitimate freakshow in the WH; a lying, racist, sexist, monster (and mobster) as supposed Potus. A traitor running the show. MSM shrugs its shoulders (metaphorically speaking).