Being Trumped

I’ve been asked to express my thoughts about Donald Trump. Quite frankly, I have no thoughts about him. Well, that’s not exactly true. He is a crass, narcissistic, racist , sexist billionaire and a reflection of what this country stands for.

I try very hard to ignore him, despite the fact that he makes that virtually impossible. When he is present, his presence cannot be ignored as he sucks up all the oxygen wherever he is.

What does it say about the condition of our society that this man is the darling of the media, despite the fact that other than insulting and denigrating Latinos and threatening to send 11 million of them back to their countries of origin, he has made no policy statements. He is running his campaign on nothing more than insulting opposing candidates and boasting about his own accomplishments and knowing how to make a deal.

For this billionaire, making a good deal is the art of manipulating and exploiting others for his own benefit and wealth. This is how success is measured in a capitalistic society. Is he qualified to function as president of the U.S., the highest and most powerful political office in the world? Why not?

The Donald exudes what we, as a society, hold dear . . . money and an entertaining personality. Trump is more an entertainer than a serious thinker, he is a television performer. If one were to ask what he holds dear, I would say he holds only Donald Trump dear. I don’t believe he functions within the context of any particular ideology but rather functions off the top of his head with whatever policy is expedient at any particular moment.

The only policies that I’m certain he will pursue are a continuation of U.S. imperialism, militarism, and a desire to dominate the world’s resources.

How is he different from other candidates for the office of president? He’s not. The only difference is his style which seems to be attracting many of the voters. Not one candidate, from either party, has voiced an objection to U.S. military adventurism throughout the world.

Trump, like all the other candidates, recognizes the need to throw the masses and progressives a bone every now and then in order to sustain capitalism as our economic system. They will allow us an increase in the minimum wage, they will allow gays to get married, they will give us a half-ass medical insurance program known as “Obamacare,” etc.

While we experience “success” in some of our battles, the ruling class opens new areas of confrontations . . . continued and expanding military involvement throughout the world, a threat to compromise Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, privatization of schools and prisons, an expanding police state, loss of many of our guaranteed civil rights, etc.

Trump is a dues paying member of the ruling class, someone who has been able to use the system to increase his own personal wealth. His priorities and his way of life preclude any meaningful change that will benefit working people.

What we are witnessing in this election season is nothing more than political theater. Each candidate will offer nothing more than Band-Aids for a hemorrhaging system that does not serve the masses of people in this country.

What is the difference between Hillary and Donald? Not very much. She is a fan of military aggression as a problem solver and supports U.S. imperialism, and she is wedded to the bankers and financial folks who have provided her with financial backing and, therefore, have a strong influence on policy issues.

Bernie also has some Band-Aids he would apply to the wounds suffered by the people of this country, temporary solutions at best, but at no time has he suggested that capitalism is not working and is destroying the planet or that U.S. imperialism is creating destruction of several countries and hundreds of thousands of deaths. Bernie has voted in favor of support for Israel’s genocide program several times and even voted, last summer, to send Israel a supplementary shipment of arms because they were experiencing a shortage in their quest to destroy the people of Gaza.

Why people take Donald or the whole electoral process seriously is beyond me. We have two parties, the outright, unapologetic party of the ruling class (Republicans) or the kinder, gentler party of the ruling class (Democrats). Both represent the elite and corporate CEOs and periodically they allow us to elect one of two of their candidates. That’s our so-called democracy . . . which corporate lackey we would rather have in office (the lesser of two evils).

And yet, we all get excited about this opportunity to vote for the candidate who has raised the most money. Ideas and policies are secondary because the difference between candidates is minimal.

So, what do I think about the Donald? The same as what I think about all these candidates . . . they’re all full of sh*t. In fact, Hillary and Bernie might be more dangerous than Donald. At least with him we know what to expect. With the Democrats (Bill Clinton/Barack Obama) we are conned into thinking we are getting a friend, a progressive who is going to protect our interests. Instead, they have neutralized any popular movement against their policies which have caused and continue to cause much damage.

I hope I’ve clarified how I feel.

GOD BLESS AMERIKA!!!

Dave Alpert has masters degrees in social work, educational administration, and psychology. He spent his career working with troubled inner city adolescents.