by B. R. GOWANI
Demonstrators gather to protest a day after President-elect Donald Trump’s victory, at a rally outside Los Angeles City Hall on Wednesday. Protesters burned a giant, orange-haired head of Donald Trump in effigy, lit fires in the streets and blocked traffic lanes late into the night. PHOTO/Ringo Chiu/AFP/Getty Images/NPR
The Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton won 1.67 million more popular votes than her Republican opponent, Donald Trump, yet failed to get enough Electoral College votes and lost the presidency. Very unfair system, indeed! Nevertheless, her loss was good news for many progressives, very good news. But that doesn’t translate into approval for Trump, a horrid bigot.
With Hillary, things would have stayed the same and the neoliberalism onslaught continued. But will Trump be any different – better or worse? That was difficult to figure out. No question, he is a racist, sexist, xenophobic, anti-Muslim with fascistic tendency; but, during the election campaign, due to his big mouth and lack of articulation, it was difficult to figure out exactly where he stood on various issues. His friendly tone towards Russia was/is a good sign, when compared to the Democratic Party’s hawkish attitude towards that country.
Hillary, President Barack Obama, other Democrats, and most of the news media portrayed a dangerous picture of the “temperamentally unfit” Trump with his finger on the nuclear button. That is a fact, he is a dangerous egomaniac but it is doubtful he is so perilous that he would risk a nuclear war. He is a businessman and for him presidency is a new and hot avenue to mint money and an international platform to display his power as the POTUS.
Right after Hillary’s opponent Bernie Sanders’ betrayal of his supporters, by joining hands with Hillary to defeat Trump, my recently graduated nephew and I were in a deep state of sadness. We both saw some hope and change in Sanders’ candidacy, and were his supporters. But with his exit, the question arose: was any kind of revolution, albeit mild, possible in the United States or will things remain the same?
If Trump is really very dangerous and screws up the country badly, we thought one good outcome would be if victims of the Obama rule become so fed up under Trump rule, that after four years they opt for a genuine reformer.
It is difficult to predict with certainty such an outcome at this stage, but it seems like Trump may be heading in the right direction. He has chosen Steve Bannon, a white nationalist, (who now claims he is an “economic nationalist“) as his Senior Counselor. Glenn Beck, a conservative has described Bannon as “quite possibly the most dangerous guy in all of American politics.” For the national security advisor post, Trump has opted for Retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, the guy for whom Islam is a “cancer.” The CIA director’s position Trump has decided to give to Mike Pompeo, a guy who is corrupt, also not a friend of Muslims. Jeff Sessions, the guy who doesn’t support the rights of minorities and immigrants will be Trump’s Attorney General. More cabinet members are on their way and they won’t be any different.
It seems like Trump’s rule will be repressive and repulsive. And if it so, then it is probable that revolt may not be far behind.
B. R. Gowani can be reached at brgowani@hotmail.com