The Trump Loyalty Oath: Right Arms Extended

The Trump Loyalty Oath:
Right Arms Extended

By

Leonard Zwelling

         You don’t have to be Jewish to be frightened. But it helps. The resemblance to rallies of the 1930s is beyond concerning. Protestors are being roughed up by the gathered masses and carted off by the security police.

         It is not at all unusual for American politicians to ask for
people’s votes. It is most unusual to ask for those votes to be pledged in
loyalty and fealty to the candidate with an outstretched right arm. Despite Mr.
Trump’s protests to the contrary, this does look awfully Nazi-oid.

         Candidate Trump has spewed language of hate toward
minorities and woman. He has been crass in his use of scatologic and other
blue words and he would bring shame on this great country were he to be elected
to its highest office. But to be that blind to the symbolism and optics of
asking crowds of people to raise their right arms in loyalty may be a new low
even for The Donald.

         As usual, Saturday Night Live had it right when it broadcast
this commercial for Racists for Trump:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qg0pO9VG1J8

         This is no longer even mildly amusing. This is a very
dangerous narcissist pursuing the most powerful position in the most powerful
government in the free world. This cannot stand.

         The Republican National Committee has made an absolute mess
of this campaign allowing bigotry, racism, and hatred against Muslims to
dominate the debate for its party’s nomination. It is hard for me to believe
that if all the Republican leaders of all the legislatures in the country, those
Republicans in Governors’ mansions, and the GOP members of the Senate and House
would just state the obvious that Mr. Trump has no qualifications for
leadership and even if he collects a bunch of delegates they will not be seated
at the national convention in Cleveland, that would end it. Either the party
believes in some sort of order or in absolute chaos.

We
do not live in a democracy but in a representative democracy. The Founders were
afraid of the mob and the mob is making some real noise this campaign season, especially at Trump rallies.

So
far, other than Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney, the 2012 standard bearers, it
appears that the mainstream GOP is both chaotic and impotent at dealing with
the mob mentality that attends Trump rallies. I get that these folks are angry,
but that is no excuse to tolerate intolerance at the level advocated by Mr.
Trump.

         The Dems are having their usual food fight and that’s just
fine. I am a bit concerned about the integrity of one of the candidates and the
chance of winning against Mr. Trump of the other. I suspect that Mrs. Clinton
will triumph and I will have to vote for her holding my nose all the way.

         But even Ted Cruz, who would never be confused with a nice
guy, hasn’t gone to the lengths and depths that Mr. Trump has in invoking some
of the darkest memories of the 20th century. Ted is just asking for
votes and money, not loyalty.

         In honor of the late, great Nancy Reagan, when it comes to
Mr. Trump, Just Say No!

         This race for the White House is looking more European by
the day with a right-wing nut job (Trump) running against a social democrat (The
Bern), but I fear the Bern is running out of gas and Hillary is ready to turn
her attention to her opponent in November. That looks more and more like it
will be Mr. Trump, although if The Bern can take Ohio…

         I cannot get my parents out of my mind. My folks, first generation
Jewish Americans, were people who thought that the Nazis would knock on the
door any second. WWII was only 18 years over when Lee Harvey Oswald was shot
and people in my community began to think the government was being taken over
by fascists. Fortunately, Jewish angst was not founded in reality—that time. But
the fear of the knock on the door is deeply engrained in my generation of Jews
or it should be. When a golden maned white bigot gets up and asks the crowd of
thousands to pledge allegiance to him while he categorizes people as unworthy
of being Americans because of their religion or national origin or ethnicity, I
get nervous.

         You should, too.