As a rule, while this blog always manages to talk more about politics than I like, I have always tried to keep the politicial discussions based around Heathenism (and recently the Cultus Deorum) as an attempt to help educate people about a Heathen (and Cultus) world view. How issues are viewed from these religions, where these religions stand on these issues, and the conclusions reached about those issues.

This post, however, is purely political with no real religion to it.

While the Super Tuesday thing is still going on as I write this, I’m going to just presume that Trump is cleaning houses as he has for the last three primaries. This will no doubt cause much whining and complaining and claims of the doom of all mankind. Not to mention being everything wrong with the USA.

However, this post is not a post to support Trump. I don’t like Trump. In many ways, he acts the opposite of how I think a politician should act. I like the ways of Romans, who preferred reservation and reason in their politicians, not demagoguery. But, the people like their demagogues, so here we are. There are a number of issues I disagree with Trump on.

But as we move ever forwards, our choices here in the states narrow down to a Demagogue, a Criminal, and a Socialist. But more on that in a bit. First, I want to get the main things I wanna talk about in this article:

1. Insulting Trump Doesn’t Work

I’m gonna hand the start of this over to Sargon of Akkad, who says it wonderfully about John Oliver’s latest attempt to destroy Trump.

 

One of the big things I hear about Trump is he is a “populist,” or someone who claims to speak for the common person. This is something most Demagogues tend to be. Now, to me, Demagagues are not inherently bad things, and they tend to be very popular (and useful) in times of great social stress. Which we are certainly facing.

But I’ve heard Trump called everything from a bully, to a racist, to a fascist. He has been called every bad name under the sun, in an ever escilating manner, as each particular term has failed to take him down in turn. Many people are confused as heck about this. After all, it used to be just a few years ago, calling someone a racist made them vanish, either by their own will or the will of the populace.

Now…it doesn’t. In a lot of ways, the USA has finally reached the point most Heathens did several decades ago. We don’t care if we called racists…because we’re going to be called racists. And often enough, you can judge who is a true heathen by if they have been called a racist (McNallen and Abell, for example). Every bad title is now a symbol of honor. Because for so long, so many people have been stripped of their voices by being labeled these things, they now consider anyone else called these things to be a part of their group.

And Trump has mastered ever single one of these titles. It doesn’t matter if he’s lying about his actual politics, or his political history, or any of it. He has the titles of honor (well, dishonor) now and he speaks for the downtrodden, the marginalized, and the persecuted.

Now I can of course hear everyone of a politically left bend screaming that a bunch of white people (Trumps obvious supporters) cannot possibly be downtrodden, marginalized, and persecuted because they are in fact white. But the truth is that vast swaths of the “white” population have indeed had this done to them, or feel they have with the same validity that many black people feel cops are out to kill them. The political left and the progressive movement have experienced massive gains this last decade and they have reveled in their victories. Instead of being gracious victors. An this has left a bad taste in the mouths of a lot of people who have been attacked for trying to live by their definition of a morally just life.

So insulting Trump is never going to work, because there is not an insult you can throw at him which has not been already thrown at millions of people already to silence them and push them out of society. Indeed, the more you insult him, the more you make fun of him, the more you make him something more people can relate to.

 

2. Ad Hom’ing Trump Doesn’t Refute Him

On of my biggest things when it comes to any form of debate is the use of Ad Hominems. Because Ad Homs are a logical fallacy, you’re attacking the man, rather than the argument.

When it comes to politics (anything really) I like a rational and reasonable argument based on facts. I don’t care what your idea/position is, can you back it up with facts and a rational argument. One of the reasons I don’t like Trump is because he doesn’t really do this. He states his position clearly enough, but then he gives a lot of loud, emotional speeches that fire up the crowd. Great for a party, not so great for a intellectual feast of ideas.

But he does state his positions clearly. They are out there, plan as day, for anyone to respond to. A wall on the border with Mexico, stopping all immigration of Muslims to the US. Bringing back Jobs. Things like that. There’s even some light reasoning behind them. Illegal Immigrants bring crime, Muslims bring terrorist attacks. Things about which there are facts, facts which can be judged. Fact which can be discussed.

But no one discusses these things. Instead they attack the man proposing solutions to problems we know exist. We do know that there are many criminals who come across the border illegally. We do know that there is a lot of Muslim based crime in Europe from mass immigration, as well as several terrorist attracts that have happened. The solutions Trump proposes have historical parallels, even if they are somewhat unpalatable to the modern tongue.

Yet with everything that could be discussed, yet is instead insulted, it tells me personally that Trumps ideas are not irrational or invalid ideas. What it instead tells me that his ideas are dangerous to his oppoents, and that they know these ideas are dangerous not because they are inherently wrong…for if they were inherently wrong they could easily be argued against…but that they might actually be a proper solution which is a threat to the ideological beliefs and positions of his opponents.

When Trump first proposed a wall across the border, I laughed. We’re talking about a fence that would be about 2,000 miles long, need to be at least a hundred something feet high, go fairly deep into the ground, and be probably at least fifty feet thick if not bigger over all, with regular patrols. We’re talking something over half the size of the Great Wall of China. In a nation with trillions of dollars of debt, and he was going to get Mexico to pay for it. It sounds like complete bullshit.

But instead of doing anything about the wall…they call him a Racist. They don’t attack the idea, they attack the man. Which makes me think that not only do they have no way to refute the idea of the wall, they find the wall a dangerously successful idea which would prove them wrong on their position of the topic of illegal immigration.

And I’m left to wonder if the wall is a completely stupid idea. I mean, if Trump is anything, it’s a narcissist, and he will build his damn wall in a single term if he gets elected. It will provide millions of jobs to a nation famished for good sources of income. The Wall actually starts to sound like a good solution.

The same goes for his other ideas the longer he is attacked as a man.

 

3. Wanting Anyone Else…Isn’t Good Enough.

I recently had a “Friend” of facebook state that “Whatever you do, don’t vote for Trump, because he’s a bully.”

I was quick to point out that as it goes the other options at the moment for the presidential race are Sanders (a Socialist) and Clinton (A Criminal).

On Sanders, there’s not really much to say. He seems a nice, gentle fellow who gets blown over by every strong wind that hits him, and has managed to make it this far by the strength of the wind pushing him forwards  towards the presidency. He’s another populist, but he’s to the “left” what Trump is to the “right.” It leaves one with the impression that they really aren’t any “enfranchised” citizens left in this country, if too populist demagogues can manage to wrangle up so much support so easily.

But if History has taught me anything, it is that the only difference between a socialist and a communist is who they’re pointing their gun at and how polite they are about it. And even if Sander’s is the loving grandpa to everyone that he seems, he’s going to fill his government with other socialists…most of whom are probably going to look at people like Lenin, Stalin, and Mao not as cautionary tales, but as roll models. Because there’s a lot of socialists in America who already do. Just look at all the kids in the Che shirts.

If Sanders is of no fear for me, those who would follow him certainly are.

And I’ll be honest, in the battle between Capitalism and Socialism, I’m always going to choose capitalism no matter how poor I am (and I’m pretty damn poor).

Which brings us to Clinton.

Clinton is many things. I’m not sure any of them are actually “Good.” Were we in a civilization like the Dark Elves from DnD, Hillary would be the ideal choice. But we are not. One need only take a brief, or long look, at her history and see a repeating pattern of doing something that would have anyone else get arrested and thrown in jail, and of not being thrown in jail.

Indeed, the recent issues with her private server (where it’s been proven she’s broken the law about classified materials, something we have already punished a General for), the coup she organized in Lybia (removing the lawful leader of that nation, and allowing the deaths of citizens under her care with no actions taken despite ample warning) which have let that nation fall largely under the control of the new ISIL Caliphate, and many other deeds, have marked her a person of dishonorable, and untrustworthy, nature.

Indeed, one of the complaints i’ve heard against her is that she tried to discredit rape victims back when her husband was under-fire and on trial. Now, I’m not entirely sure if Clinton actually raped anyone (it was the 90’s political awareness wasn’t my thing yet), and I am no friend to the “listen and believe” school of rape responses…but I will admit that instead of doing the typical liberal thing of supporting women claiming to have been sexually assaulted….she really did go after those women to discredit them.

Which brings us to a hashtag campain that quickly got started, and may have been censored due to on of Twitter’s bigwigs being  a major Clinton supporter: #WhichHilary

You can go read the hashtag for yourself, but it has some interesting points, much like the above picture. You can draw your own conclusions about if Hilary supports which of these things now vs earlier, but she is on record for calling young black me “super predators” and for attacking women claiming sexual assault. In addition to all the government toppling and other crimes we generally do not appreciate in our politicians.

Against these two options…I’ll say it. Trump is the least horrible. Demagogue though he might be, his ego and reputation are on the line. He will have to deliver on his promises regardless of what his actual politics are, because if he doesn’t his reputation is annihilated. He’s painted himself into a corner. Hillary, she can do or not do whatever she wants and she’s sitting pretty as “the first female president” no matter what she does. Sanders…he’s just a stepping stone for a bigger socialist/communist fish. If he fails, well, he tried.

I don’t like Trump.

But I cannot call myself lawful by any measure and vote for someone who breaks the laws as she pleases, and either has the political clout, or is owned by those with the political clout, to get her out of every crime she commits.

And I have seen time and again where Socialism leads. I cannot vote to give that to any generation, mine or future.

All I’m left with is to wonder if Trump is right, because his enemies attack him…and not is ideas.

 

Hela Bless