UNLEASHED:  We Ain't Seen Nothing Yet!
      [Elizabeth Warren says "there's no virtue in remaining silent" when it comes to Donald Trump.  I take her at her word.  Thus, as part of my run for MT State House District 40, I presented the following to about 40 Senior Citizens at lunch on Thursday this week.]

There's been huge unrest lately:  mass shootings, shootings of young, unarmed African-Americans by police, disrespect shown to the President of our country to his face.  Donald Trump precipitates the "birther" movement; he questions the birthplace of our President and accuses him of being Muslim rather than Christian.  Is this Donald's first try as a Presidential candidate?  If so, it falls flat.

But, in 2015, the time for a presidential bid comes around again and, just like starting a fire, all Donald has to do is strike a match.  He calls Mexicans rapists and killers; promises a high wall that Mexico will pay for; wants to deport millions of immigrants; wants to prevent Muslims from entering our country; he will force military to follow his commands whether they're legal or not.

Donald attracts followers by the thousands.  They are more angry, less educated, all white.  He calls his competitors names, mocks them for their low poll numbers, brags on his poll numbers incessantly.  He wants to "make America great again" and demands supporters raise their right hand and pledge to him (where have we heard that in the past?).  When protestors speak up, Donald screams, "Get 'em out! Get 'em out!  If you want to punch a protestor, I'll pay your legal fees!  Get 'em out!"  Violence erupts; protestors are surrounded, pushed, kicked, shoved.  With each new rally, violence escalates.  "Aren't we having fun?" he yells at the crowd with a wide grin on his face.  "We're having fun!"

Donald's delegate numbers increase greater than that of all other competitors.  Fear clutches hearts of Republican leadership (is THIS what we've created?).  Donald can't be their nominee; he will never become President, will he?  He has mocked Hispanics, African-Americans, Asians, Muslims, even the disabled -- everyone different from himself.  They will not vote for him.  Are there enough whites-only to vote him in?  Consider women.  Videos show Donald calling women all kinds of disgusting names.  His disdain knows no bounds.  Will women stand for that?

Republican leaders discuss rules for the Convention in Cleveland.  Maybe it will be a contested convention.  Donald threatens that if he isn't named the Republican nominee, his supporters will riot.  The seed has been planted.  More fighting, more blood.  Is this what we want in our President of the United States?  Do we want to repeat European history, like in Germany with the Brown Shirts?

Donald preaches it's "Us versus Them":  "He points to the protestors and yells, 'These are not the people who made our country great.  These are the people that are destroying our country.'  Somehow, it's the collective Us that must defeat the Them -- and the stakes are high.  The future of the greatest country the world has ever known depends on the outcome.  The idea of 'Us versus Them' leads so easily to violence."

Donald tells his supporters at his rallies that "America is no longer great.  He tells them whom to blame.  He tells them the reason these losers are dragging America down is we have become too politically correct, too scared, too weak to stop them.  He tells them he will pay their legal fees if they want to do what's necessary.  'There used to be consequences,' he says.  The crowd knows exactly what he's asking:  Make consequences real again."

This is ugly but it is understood.  "There's an explanation and there's a solution.  It's dangerous, it's violent but not unclear.  That's why Donald is something different and more dangerous in American life.  He is a man who wants to suppress dissent with violence, a man who believes America's problem is that it's too gentle on its dissidents.  He wants politics to be backed by force.  He wants a security force unleashed from political correctness.  And he wants a country where protesting has consequences."  I wonder to myself how Donald would have played here in Roundup back in the 1930's when coal miners went out on strike.  What would he have done with them?

I leave you with this quote from Martin Niemoller:
     
     First they came for the Socialists and I did not speak out --
           Because I was not a Socialist.
     Then they came for the Trade Unionists and I did not speak out --
          Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
     Then they came for the Jews and I did not speak out --
          Because I was not a Jew.
     Then they came for me -- and there was no one left to speak for me.

Make no mistake.  Donald Trump is dangerous.

You may ask yourself, "But what can I do about this?"

1.  You can talk to friends, family, neighbors.  How were the coal miners treated when they went out on strike in the 1930's?
2.  You can follow Trump's rallies on TV.  Watch what happens.  Are his rallies becoming more violent?
3.  Last but not least.  YOU CAN VOTE!

Reference:  Matt Yglesias and colleague