Trump’s New Right-wing Bedfellows

Published in La Crónica de Hoy
(Mexico) on 18 May 2016
by Concepción Badillo (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by William Mastick. Edited by Kevin Uy.
Ending one of the most amazing campaigns for the party nomination in modern politics, Donald Trump is on the verge of becoming the Republican presidential candidate, and his chances of reaching the White House are growing more and more with the most recent poll placing him just 1 point behind Hillary Clinton.

The dilemma is whether his party colleagues, who so strongly opposed him along with the rest of the world, are about to hop into bed with him, marry him, follow him and support him, even though his candidacy could damage the American right for generations to come. The highest ranking Republican, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Paul Ryan, has said that he is not yet ready to follow Trump, but is resigned that sooner or later he will.

Other Republican symbols of the party, such as former Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, as well as former candidate Mitt Romney, have said that they will never back Trump, will not attend the convention in July, and, according to Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse, would be looking to launch an alternate, independent candidate which, experts say, would guarantee a Democratic victory.

Nevertheless, others who strongly opposed him for months and were harshly and cruelly criticized in turn by Trump, such as Sen. John McCain and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, have lined up right on cue behind the mogul, claiming that voters have decided, and they have no choice but to align themselves with the least prepared presidential candidate in history, who offers demagogic rhetoric filled with empty, racist, isolationist and xenophobic promises, all in the name of, according to his slogan, "Making America Great Again."

Even groups from the country's powerful ultraconservative social movement that for months looked upon him as if he were Lucifer are now starting to change their minds and are convincing themselves that it is better to give Trump the White House than leave it to his liberal rival. Totally opposed to divorce, these groups no longer see any flaw in Trump's three marriages or in the millionaire's much criticized reference to the Eucharist of the Christian communion, which he called "my little cracker."

And the support coming out is not only symbolic. They are organizing to spend millions of dollars to mobilize the electorate and going house to house seeking votes. It turns out that they see him as championing their cause and seem to forget that this man has attacked women, ridiculed Jews, Latinos — especially Mexicans — and that he proposed a ban on entry to the United States for every Muslim.

Right-wing media, such as the capital city's Washington Times, have said in their editorials that defeating Hillary should be more important than sticking to the orthodox principles of the right. Meanwhile, The New York Times has said that Republican leaders are to blame for the emergence of Trump. They have concentrated on rewarding the millionaires who donate money to politicians, forgetting the middle class who have lost their jobs, their homes, fought the wars of the Pentagon in the Middle East, and turned their anger into getting onboard with Trump.

So we are on the threshold of what will be one of the most aggressive political campaigns we have ever seen in this or any other country, with Hillary Clinton having no guarantee of success at the national level because of weaknesses and controversies such as her legal problem regarding emails, the fatal events of Benghazi in Libya, and her husband's infidelities.

Trump for his part certainly has plenty of weak spots that sooner or later will affect him, like his terrible and cruel attitude toward women, his business failures, his ignorance, and his constant repetition of lies.

Neither one will be short on cash or ammunition toward the other. Just be prepared and have patience while watching this campaign for the Oval Office that will be ruthless, brutal and, above all very, very long. Nobody knows how it will turn out, and we are all just stuck in the middle.


La derecha acostándose con Trump

2016-05-18 - 00:00:00

Concepción Badillo

Finalizando una de las más increíbles campañas por la nominación de un partido de que se tenga memoria en la política de los tiempos modernos, Donald Trump esta más que a punto de convertirse en el candidato de los republicanos a la presidencia y cada vez crecen mas las posibilidades de que pueda llegar a la Casa Blanca, con la más reciente encuesta colocándolo sólo un punto por atrás de Hillary Clinton.

El dilema es si sus compañeros de partido, que tanto se le opusieron, igual que el resto del mundo, estarán a punto de meterse a la cama con él, es decir, casarse, seguirlo, apoyarlo, a pesar de que su candidatura podría dañar por generaciones a la derecha estadounidense. El republicano de más alto rango, Paul Ryan, líder de la Cámara baja, ha dicho que no está todavía listo para seguir a Trump, pero se da por hecho que tarde o temprano lo hará.

Otros republicanos símbolos del partido, tales como los ex presidentes George H.W. Bush y George W. Bush, así como el ex candidato Mitt Romney han dicho que jamás lo respaldarán, no asistirán a la convención en julio y, de acuerdo al senador Ben Sasse de Nebraska, estarían buscando lanzar un candidato alterno, como independiente, lo cual , dicen los expertos, garantizaría el triunfo demócrata.

Sin embargo, otros que fuertemente se le opusieron por meses y fueron a su vez criticados dura y cruelmente por Trump, tales como el senador John McCain y el líder del senado Mitch McConnell, ni tardos ni perezos se han formado detrás del magnate alegando que los electores ya decidieron y no tienen más opción que alinearse con el candidato más poco preparado para la presidencia de que se tenga memoria, quien ofrece un discurso demagogo, lleno de promesas vacías, de odios raciales, de aislamiento y xenofobia, todo en nombre, según él, de “hacer a los Estados Unidos gradiosos otra vez” dice su lema.

Aun los grupos del poderoso movimiento social ultraconservador del país, que por meses lo vieron como si fuera Lucifer, ahora empiezan a cambiar de idea y a convencerse de que mejor Trump que darle la Casa Blanca a su rival liberal. Totalmente opuestos al divorcio, estos grupos ya no ven defecto alguno en los tres matrimonios de Trump ni en la tan criticada referencia del millonario a la hostia de la comunión cristiana, a la que llama “la pequeña galletita”.

Y el apoyo por venir no sólo es simbólico, se sabe que se están organizando para gastar millones de dólares en movilizar al electorado, acudiendo casa por casa a buscar votos. Ahora resulta que lo ven como que ya se convirtió a su causa. Parecen olvidar que este hombre ha atacado a las mujeres, ridicularizado a los judíos, a los latinos, en especial a los mexicanos, y que ha propuesto que se prohíba la entrada a Estados Unidos de todo musulmán.

Y es que diarios de derecha, tales como The Washington Times en esta capital, han dicho en sus editoriales que derrotar a Hillary debe ser más importante que apegarse a los principios ortodoxos de la derecha. Por su parte The New York Times ha dicho que la culpa del surgimiento de Trump la tienen los líderes republicanos, que se han concentrado en premiar a los millonarios que les donan dinero, olvidándose de la clase media, que ha perdido sus trabajos, sus casas, han peleado las guerras del Pentágono en el Medio Oriente y su enojo se ha traducido en seguir a Trump.

De modo que estamos en la antesala de lo que será una de las más agresivas campañas políticas que se hallan visto en este o ningún otro país, con Hillary Clinton sin ninguna garantía de triunfo a nivel nacional y con puntos débiles y controversiales como el problema legal con sus correos electrónicos, los sucesos fatales de Bengazi, Libia y las infidelidades de su marido.

Trump por su parte desde luego que tiene infinidad de puntos que tarde o temprano le afectarán, como esa pésima y cruel actitud hacia las mujeres, sus fracasos empresariales y su ignorancia y su constante repetición de mentiras.

A ninguno de los dos le faltará munición ni dinero. Sólo queda estar preparados, tener paciencia para presenciar una campaña por la Oficina Oval que será despiadada, brutal, y sobre todo muy, muy larga, y que nadie sabe en qué o con quién concluíra, llevándonos a todos enmedio.
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