Do we need to talk?

If this is the message that is resonating with the Trump base, then I think we need a real conversation in the USA.

Is it possible to have a national conversation without using the words, "You idiot" or "You racist"?

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/why-this-leading-white-nationalist-is-urg...

“I urge you to vote for Donald Trump because he is the one candidate who points out that we should accept immigrants who are good for America,” Taylor says on the recording, which was paid for by the American National super PAC. “We don’t need Muslims. We need smart, well-educated white people who will assimilate to our culture. Vote Trump.”

"I think that most official Republicans have no idea how betrayed ordinary white people feel by their country bring turned into something else. Ordinary white folks are sick of having to press 1 for Spanish."

I usually have to press 2 for Spanish.

There's a difference between Republicans and Americans.

SBL, I thought that also. Press 1 for English. Para español marque dos por favor

Ross Douthat pointed to this column as something he found insightful. A shift is taking place in how immigration works politically. He draws good parallels to previous shifts with abortion and other topics.

Conservatives' Creed Now Requires Hard Line on Immigration
By Ramesh Ponnuru
http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2016-01-08/conservatives-have-new-creed-on...

I don't think I can ever get right with the shift.

This reminds me of the blue-collar protectionist racism of the 1970s and 1980s—smashing up "foreign" cars, "buy American" stickers, and all those cultural tropes about Japanese businessmen and oil sheiks buying up property. The Democratic party eventually figured out how to frame protectionism in non-racist ways, although I think that stuff is still underneath there, in hiding. If immigration is going to split along party lines so strongly, it would be nice to see protectionism migrate to the Republican party too. Then I could vote Democratic without feeling that Democrats are the ones who want to keep brown people down elsewhere, instead of down and away.

#5--Personally I'm not into oil sheiks and Japanese businessmen but moreso oil sheiks--my thought being that so many of these super wealthy middle eastern individuals have pretty much soaked up all the wealth of their own countries leaving the vast majority of their own people impoverished--then come jetting over to the west to live the life and hopefully hook up with a movie star, a royal or a supermodel. Anyway maybe that's some kind of prejudice of mine though I don't think so. Generally speaking the powerful and wealthy (whoever and wherever they are) know how to take care of themselves. Michael Moore in any case went to some pains in one of his goofy movies to point out quite a number of downtown DC high falutin' property acquisitions made by some of the Bush families Saudi pals. Poor poor pitiful them.

Anyway reading Viet Thanh Nguyen's novel The Sympathizer right now and ran across this line which I think is apt for many of my fellow American citizens. 'Americans on the average do not trust intellectuals, but they are cowed by power and stunned by celebrity'. Americans fascination with wealth and privilege and more than general disdain for literature in translation--I happen to agree with that. Trump--not really an intellectual IMO but OTOH having enough wealth (power--to easily finance his own flashy presidential campaign) and a pretty major celebrity seems to speak to that. But there are other examples of the same.

>5 timspalding:

Oh, the oil kingdoms are dreadful. But there was this big panic about foreigners buying property and companies. Of course, we assume that it's fine if Americans own British companies and Mexican hotels.

The Trump phenomenon is indeed depressing. There's a tendency on the left to blame the right wing for it, and there's much to say for that. But if only 24% of Republicans say they "oppose" Trump's anti-Muslim plan, only 55% of Democrats say it. Majorities in both parties support invasions of privacy for everyone, in the name of security. I love my country, but i'm afraid for it.

Man, what a selfish life one must lead to see a group of people on the run from ISIS blowing up their neighborhood or narco gangs trying to murder them, and think only of how it's too much trouble to press 1 for English.

#7--no actually I don't think it's fine. Personally I'd like to see a lot better distribution of the wealth of this country and likewise of other countries---not the gigantic concentrations of wealth in the hands of a few who make these huge acquisitions. I think I've commented such before so.......it's not really whether they're Saudi's, Japanese, Germans, Brits or Americans. As you say though the oil kingdoms are particularly dreadful in so many different ways. The Arab Spring wasn't some coincidence that just happened at least not IMO.

Trump is a latter day PT Barnum with political ambition. There's no use denying that he is hugely popular--not so hugely popular though that I think he has a good chance of winning. Pretty much he's a person who is either loved or hated and there are more people who hate him than love him. I don't think he's figured that out though. As for Trump's most likely rival if he manages to grab the GOP nomination there is the question of the numbers of people who love and hate Hilary Clinton. She is also a divisive personality. If I were betting between the two she would most likely prevail. It will be a really dirty nasty campaign if those are the two---so I would suggest people wear their rain hats and snow boots--have some kind of air filter handy--maybe even a gas mask. One of the major advantages that Clinton will have is the support of her party. I don't think Trump can count on the same.

>8 weener:

Hey, it's not push 1. It's push 2! That's a whole different thing—that's, that's white genocide!

Whenever I make a call, it's always press 1! It makes me feel like a winner - first prize!

Although the so-called directions on what button to press for Spanish are IN Spanish, and maybe they're really saying something else - maybe something bad about white people. Maybe something about me! You never know.

>11 weener:

"The Marquis of Sleep will count you."

Code, probably.

Reminds me of my mother's alternate guesses at "La cerveza mas fina," "My beer is finished." Or the old translation of "tant pis, tant mieux" as "Auntie goes to the bathroom, auntie feels better."

>8 weener: I cannot agree with this statement strongly enough.