By now, anyone with basic cable knows that Donald Trump’s presidential campaign slogan is “Make America Great Again.” But what does it mean? One thing it means to his supporters is clear, judging by their ever increasing rage against the
By now, anyone with basic cable knows that Donald Trump’s presidential campaign slogan is “Make America Great Again.” But what does it mean? One thing it means to his supporters is clear, judging by their ever increasing rage against the government and minorities since a black man became president.
When Trump challenged Obama’s birth certificate it wasn’t about where he was born, it was about the color he was born. To Trump, making America Great means making America White, returning to when white privilege was unquestioned and the idea of equal rights and equal opportunity was on the fringe, not mainstream. Trump is too cagey to come right out and say it, but his virulent anti-Muslim/anti-Latino/anti-immigrant rants leave no doubt, nor do the chants of “All lives matter” at his rallies. There’s no misunderstanding what he really means by “Great Again” but hate radio host David Duke, the former Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan, spelled it out for his listeners when he urged them to volunteer at Trump’s headquarters.
“Go in there. You’re gonna meet people who are going to have the same kind of mindset that you have” he told them. Is anyone confused about the KKK’s racist doctrine? Trump can’t very well adopt the slogan: “If they’re brown, gun ‘em down!” but as the frequent reports and videos of police killings of unarmed black and brown people around the country continue, and the Black Lives Matter movement responds, it’s clear what was meant at the debate when he said, “there’s something going on, and it’s bad,” then added, “by the way, the police are the most mistreated people in this country, I’ll tell you that — the most mistreated people.”
Trump isn’t the nominee yet, but his popularity is disturbing. He and his GOP opponents are vying for the support of the most hate-filled, racist, xenophobic and jingoistic people in our society. His promise to keep Guantanamo Bay prison open, fill it up with “some bad dudes,” then interrogate them “with waterboarding and worse” is a real crowd pleaser despite the fact that it would violate U.S. and international law as well as Christian values. (Please don’t ask me to show you where in the Bible Jesus said torture is a no-no). Maybe there’s some difference between Trump’s demonization of Muslims and Hitler’s demonization of Jews, but I don’t see it.
Here is my take on Trump’s slogan: There is a lot of greatness in America, starting with our Constitution and Bill of Rights.
We fight to uphold them because we cherish freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, freedom of the press, the right to privacy, racial and sexual equality, welcoming immigrants and a woman’s right to choose. Our government has also created and funded some outstanding programs like The New Deal, The Peace Corps, The GI Bill, environmental protection, Social Security, Medicare, SNAP (Food Stamps), national parks and public education, to name a few. Our workers joined in struggle to form the unions that built the middle class, ended child labor and sweatshops and gave us the 40 hour week. In contrast, Trump and his GOP opponents (belated KKK denunciations not withstanding) would do away with civil rights, do away with social programs and cut taxes on the richest of the rich — again. They are guided by anger, racism, fear, and greed. Oh, don’t forget greed! I don’t see anything great in that.
Aaron “Jake” Jacobs has lived in Kailua-Kona since 1975. He currently works as a 747 pilot for a worldwide cargo company and writes a monthly column for West Hawaii Today
