BuzzFeed reports that the New York Daily News reports that David Duke, former imperial wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, endorsed Donald Trump for president. The theme of both articles is that Donald Trump’s rhetoric emboldens white supremacist groups and inflames hate speech on the Internet. The birth certificate is mentioned.
People who know me would expect that I come down somewhere between “yes” and “no.” How about you?
I will say that among the birthers, I have seen no increase in hate speech–their volume control was already at maximum.
In the spirit of the season. May the Dukes, Trumps and their supporters get schlonged this Christmas.
Now for the other regulars here, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!!
I think this news will have zero effect. There is very little middle ground with Trump. Most people either love him or hate him and those opinions are unlikely to change based on endorsements of any kind.
Well this is no surprise. Depressing, but no surprise.
I’d guess that it won’t have any significant effect, but not quite “zero”.
The SPLC, and other purveyors of “guilt by association” on the left, will try to make a big deal out of it, and largely be ignored.
Their counterparts on the right will avoid saying anything, if they can, because trying to spin it would expose their hypocrisy. There might be a good QOTD if someone tries to pin one of them down on it.
There’s a tiny possibility that someone like that “Blow up the Muslims” nut who just got arrested will see the story, and recognize the true nature of what he’s thinking and planning. Unfortunately, it’s more likely that he’ll be run over by a bus on his way to plant the bombs, but I had to come up with something optimistic to meet my daily quota…
@RanTalbott
I, for one, would be happy if SPLC and others called attention to this news. Would you really expect any KKK member to endorse anyone who goes against racism and any type of prejudice? I don’t think it’s really “guilt by association” so much as it is drawing attention to a SERIOUS problem with Trump.
Trump got David Duke’s endorsement? Well hell, now I may just have to reconsider voting for Donald.
That was sarcasm.
Well, it’s not exactly “news”: Buzzfeed did include the fact that Duke’s endorsement came back in August, but sorta neglected to mention that the Trumpistas have repeatedly rejected it since then. Or that Duke has spent a long time trying to distance himself from his Klan past, and is now trying to portray himself as just an ordinary southern conservative (happily, without a lot of success). So it’s really just a case of a has-been trying to pump himself up a little by linking himself to the Stupe of the Day, not of Trump courting the bigots with holes in their sheets.
And, in fact, the Post piece opens with the premise that it’s the bigots trying to capitalize on what they see as a shift in the Overton Window to pop up their pointy little heads again, not that Trump is trying to attract them.
The problem isn’t Trump: it’s that we have so many Americans who respond to his appeals to irrational fears.
Although I don’t necessarily think this will be given much playtime abroad, the one (negative) impact I can think of is when foreigners learn that the leading candidate of one of the two US political parties is endorsed by the KKK.
America’s image which had been at a JFK best under Clinton and took a dive under Bush and was raised again by Obama is likely to take a small tick down because of this. I don’t think it’s of great importance, but it doesn’t help.
Donald Trump has rejected David Dukes endorsement so I don’t think it matters much. I think the covetted Putin endorsement is much more important. The first image that comes to mind on that is the Great historic Yalta Conference in WW2. – From ChurchChill, Roosevelt, Stalin to ?, Trump, Putin.
Trump kind reminds me of Hannibal Smith from the A-Team. Like, Hannibal, nothing seems to faze Trump. He could have 1000 people coming at him and it doesn’t seem to bother him in the least.
It would be so wonderful if Donald Trump became the nominee. He put JEB Bush through a meat grinder and has essentially turned him into a pile of mush. Let’s see Donald Trump put Hillary Clinton through a meat grinder as well.
But he hasn’t been.
Fist, there is no “the KKK”: there are lots of individual KKKs. Some claim to span more than one state, but mostly they’re local groups, with no national organization.
More important, though, is that the endorsement came from an individual who used to be a big shot in a large KKK (which I think is now defunct). As much as I like seeing the well-deserved albatross of his KKK past still hanging around his neck, there is no KKK present there (unless he’s hiding it extremely well).
Indeed: it showcases his cluelessness about world events, his egotism, and his tendency to act impulsively and deny his mistakes. It’s a real trifecta.
Not for most of us: my first thought was of Hitler and Stalin smiling as they signed a non-aggression pact that they both expected to break just as soon as it suited them.
Yes and no. It would certainly be wonderful to watch him being grilled by people who aren’t afraid of pissing him off, in venues where he can’t get away with ducking the questions. But the amount of damage he’d do to the political process, and to civil discourse, would be a shame.
Whenever Trump faces the slightest challenge or criticism, he responds with an emotional meltdown. Everything fazes Trump. But he has spent his entire life in a bubble of wealth and privilege, surrounded by compliant yes-men, so his unfamiliarity with real difficulty is to be expected.
For an example of unflappability, see: Obama, Barack or Clinton, Hillary.
The endorsement of a Communist KGB despot is coveted? Trump is welcome to it.
I treat this kind of info the same as I treat the RWs’ “Communist Party endorses Obama” stuff – “guilt by association” does not work for me and should not work in any civilized society/discussion.
Perhaps I could have chosen a better headline.
The point is that if David Duke likes Trump, then other’s like David Duke would like Trump, and that they may feel aligned with Trump (on his anti-immigrant rhetoric) and that it may encourage them to be more vocal feeling that they have “cover” from Trump.
@Doc [if David Duke likes Trump, then other’s like David Duke would like Trump]
I like Doc, Reality Check, and lots of people here..
does it make you a Birther. (?) Or me an Anti- Birther?
One issue Candidates usually fall flat. Immigration is not a Trump Issue. Illegal Immigration more to the point affects everyone in many negative ways including National Security.
I really don’t like the ring-around-the-collar tie that parlays “if one is bad they’re all bad” or if ones good they’re all good.
#Democrats #Birthers #Republicans
One of the treacherous mistakes of the MSM has been mislabeling Trump statements in the tieing affect. Americans are seeing through it and realizing what manipulative lies are being spread. Trump never said all Mexican or Syrian immigrants are bad. Not all of Hillary’s Emails struck at the heart of National Security either.
The same philosophy is often applied to me. I understand it well. I’m a Democrat, I disagree on some issues, but am very much aligned and have been a leader in others.
Living together in harmony and respect is Key and while some aspects or principles may be disagreed upon and exploited for the extreme pendulum swings, DUKES pride in White is perhaps not far from AL Sharptons Black Lives Matter.
There are kernels of Truth to these different views, and the interest of Division seeks not for common ground or unity but seeks only the division.
GrazingReindeer WeGotOne! #MerryChristmas Love2you #SCOTUS #Democrats #Birthers #Republicans #Independents
https://t.co/qIe4QGe2fn
https://t.co/OjfiXSPoOQ
The assumptions that someone is just a bad person are often directed at a single action as well as mis understandings. It’s our job to fight through that.