A new AP-GfK poll finds that registered Republicans and GOP-leaning voters put Donald J. Trump at the top of the GOP field when it comes to which candidate fits best with their stand on the issues. They also give Trump the best marks for competence and decisiveness. AP Poll: GOP voters say Donald Trump can win in November. Tea-Publicans are always in search of a strong “Daddy figure” to take care of them.
Or more accurately, in search of an authoritarian (autocrat) figure. Manny Schewitz writes, When Fascism Comes To America, It’ll Come Wrapped In Racism And Wearing A Bad Toupee:
We’ve seen a lot of hatred from the GOP over the past few months prior to the new resurgence of Islamic extremist terrorism. They’ve talked a lot about America being a “Christian nation,” and candidates like Donald Trump have embraced an ultra-nationalist ideology which is extremely disturbing.
This rhetoric has resounded solidly with the GOP base, and it is indicative of how far to the fringe the Republican Party has drifted over the past few years. Their anti-immigrant, hyper-conservative message makes the days of George W. Bush seem progressive in comparison, and it is continually getting worse.
Combine this with ramping up of conservative talking points, and it is no wonder that the Republican base has become more rabid with their demonization of everyone who isn’t on their side. If you’re not a conservative Christian gun fanatic who believes evolution is a lie and that Christians are being persecuted for not being able to force their beliefs on others, you are the enemy and a traitor to this country.
Donald Trump has managed to court these people while also flirting with ultra-nationalist ideas like creating a national database for Muslim Americans. This isn’t a new phenomenon – the United States has been on this course at least since 9/11. The same folks who claim religious freedom in America is under attack are supporting GOP candidates like Donald Trump who are open to profiling Muslims based on their religion.
* * *
The brash, fascist form of American Christianity represented by Donald Trump and the GOP is in complete contradiction to the Jesus depicted in the New Testament. Christianity in America has always had its radicals, and has often been used by business interests to oppose things such as abolishing slavery, or domestic terrorist organizations like the KKK.
They’ve blamed liberals, intellectuals, minorities or foreigners for what they claim is the deterioration of American values throughout our history. Despite the fact that nearly everyone in our country is a descendant of immigrants, the xenophobic right wants us to believe that taking in the victims of religious persecution and sectarian violence is not our job.
All of this is in direct opposition not only to the teachings of all major religions, especially Christianity, but our nation’s history as a refuge – a light on the hill to those who seek freedom. Setting aside religious beliefs for the time being, we must be better than this as Americans. We have to reject this fascist ultra-nationalism, or we have no moral high ground to stand upon.
No state’s history makes it more susceptible to this far-right Neo-Fascism than South Carolina. The GOP primary today in South Carolina may tell us a great deal about the GOP and the rise of Trumpism, the new American fascism.
Steve Benen explains Why the South Carolina primary matters so much:
Saturday’s Republican primary in South Carolina is a different kind of contest. The Washington Post had a good piece on this yesterday.
By Saturday night, after polls close in South Carolina, Donald Trump is poised to have a gigantic lead in the Republican delegate race. By no means an insurmountable one, of course, but a big Trump victory there will start to raise questions about where, if anywhere, he can be stopped.
Unlike Iowa and New Hampshire, delegates in South Carolina are allocated by a modified winner-take-all system. If Trump wins South Carolina — which a new CNN/ORC poll suggests he’s still well-positioned to do — he gets 29 delegates, without qualifications. That’s only slightly fewer than all of his competitors have to date, combined.
A total of 50 delegates are available in South Carolina: 29 to the winner of the primary, and then three delegates for each of state’s seven congressional districts. Mathematically, it’s almost impossible to win the primary without winning a few of the district, so it’s safe to say Saturday’s winner will end up with somewhere between 38 and 50 delegates, just from this one contest.
And that would pack a significant electoral punch: Iowa and New Hampshire combined offered the candidates about 50 delegates.
The conventional wisdom says Trump is favored in South Carolina, with a close contest between Marco Rubio, who enjoys the enthusiastic support of the state GOP establishment, and Ted Cruz for second place. While that fight is no doubt interesting, let’s be clear about the practical implications: finishing first in this primary is about winning delegates; finishing second is about media hype and bragging rights.
And looking ahead to two weeks from now, the New York Times reports that the delegate math starts to look “brutal” for the candidates who aren’t the frontrunner.
On Super Tuesday, March 1, 25 percent of the delegates to the Republican national convention will be awarded. If the mainstream field hasn’t been narrowed by that point, it will become very hard to avoid serious damage to the candidate who ultimately emerges as the party’s anointed favorite. The top mainstream candidate could easily fall more than 100 delegates short of what he might have earned in a winnowed field. He would even be in danger of earning no delegates at all in several of the largest states because of one number: 20 percent.
There’s still time for a lot of surprises. A lot of us thought Trump would win Iowa, for example, but he didn’t. Few expected John Kasich to finish second in New Hampshire.
Maybe Nevada will offer unexpected results. Maybe South Carolina’s Republican establishment and media hype can propel Rubio to victory on Saturday night. Maybe a lot of things.
Stay tuned.
UPDATE: Due to the South Carolina system of awarding delegates, it appears that Trump may have captured all of South Carolina’s delegates. The sad and pathetic J.E.B.! Bush has “suspended” his campaign — the Bush Dynasty has been dethroned in this Game of Thrones. One would expect Dr. Ben “The Blade” Carson to be the next to exit, but this wingnut grifter is just in it for a book tour hoping to make a buck.
Unofficial Results
Candidate Delegates Vote %
Trump 44 32.5
Rubio 0 22.5
Cruz 0 22.3
Bush 0 7.8
Kasich 0 7.6
Carson 0 7.2
I’m watching the Fox News with Chris Wallace this morning. Chris is interviewing Donald Trump. He brings up Trump’s claim at last Saturday’s debate that Bush lied us into war. Trump said the following: The Iraq War is possibly the worst presidential decision in history. We have spent two trillion dollars, lost thousands of American soldiers, injured thousands more. We got absolutely nothing, except to hand Iraq to Iran.
I pretty much said exactly the same thing in 2007.
http://jimhannan.com/foreign.htm
In all three primaries so far the democratic turnout was down over 2008 and the republican turnout was up. Maybe debbie wasserman schultz can take time out stealing the nomination for hillary and look into it. As for stealing iowa I was watching cnn today and they were reporting hillary clinton supporters were trying to caucus with nevada democrats at one caucus can was covering.
Gee, will the racist, nativist, white supremacist, unreconstructed confederate traitors who make up the SC GOP go for a racist, nativist, white supremacist for President?
Let me consult my Magic Eight Ball:
[shake shake shake]
“Are you freaking KIDDING ME????”
Wow, don’t remember THAT answer coming up, ever…let me try it again.
[shake shake shake]
“Duh!”
Oh, my, it’s a little direct. Let me ask it something else.
Magic Eight Ball, does this mean that the rest of the GOP primaries will be dominated by this racist, nativist, white supremacist candidate?
[shake shake shake]
“Answer is Yes. Yes in a heartbeat, numbnuts! ”
[shake shake shake]
“Go away! It’s time for me to drink heavily!”
I think someone switched my Magic Eight Ball for a much ruder version.
The GOP has, since 1968, courted the Creatures of the Conservative Southern Id. Why is it any surprise that 45 years later it’s come to this? Isn’t there some cautionary tale in their bible about sowing and reaping?
Bravo! 🙂