Miner Queries | Cherie Miner
In late March, a blogger took on Donald Trump directly. Humans of New York founder Brandon Stanton, whose Facebook page posts pictures and stories about average people, posted an Open Letter to Donald J. Trump. It immediately went viral, garnering “more than 2.2 million ‘likes,’ 1,131,389 shares and 69,000 comments, making it among the most-shared posts in the history of Facebook,” according to New York Times reporter Ruth La Ferla.
In his post, Stanton acknowledged the moral dilemma Trump’s candidacy poses, writing: “Those of us who have been paying attention will not allow you to rebrand yourself. You are not a ‘unifier.’ You are not ‘presidential.’ You are not a ‘victim’ of the very anger that you’ve joyfully enflamed for months. You are a man who has encouraged prejudice and violence in the pursuit of personal power. And though your words will no doubt change over the next few months, you will always remain who you are.”
Last week, Trump proved Stanton’s words prophetic with his latest attacks on Hillary Clinton and on New Mexico’s Republican Gov. Susanna Martinez. A rising star in the GOP, Martinez heads the Republican Governors Association. However, as a Hispanic woman, she’s declined to endorse Trump.
In response to her decision not to appear at his Albuquerque event, Trump told the assembled crowd, “She’s not doing the job.”
As Salon Magazine contributor, Heather Digby Parton wrote: “He’s obviously very annoyed that she failed to join him at the rally and he’s lashing out as is his wont. It may be that the white members of that Trump rally (which would be 99 percent of them) heard that nasty criticism as being a natural way of describing a Latino politician. But you can bet any Latinos who heard that didn’t miss the implicit slur. He’s basically calling her lazy, which carries with it some very ugly racial stereotypes.”
Digby also says targeting a powerful Republican like Martinez highlights Trump’s focus on personal power. It’s a “shot across the bow” to other establishment Republicans. For Trump, dominance over everyone is all that matters.
On the other side, Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren seems to have picked up the thread Stanton wove and has been unafraid to take on Trump directly. As Salon writer Gary Legum notes, Warren has a genius for taking big concepts and distilling what average Americans want: a little economic security and a fair shot to live better.
Legum writes: “She seems incredulous that anyone could want otherwise. As she told the crowd in a speech at a gala honoring the Center for Popular Democracy on Tuesday: ‘Donald Trump was drooling over the idea of a housing meltdown because it meant he could buy up a bunch more property on the cheap. What kind of a man does that? Root for people to get thrown out on the street? Root for people to lose their jobs? Root for people to lose their pensions? Root for two little girls in Clark County, Nevada, to end up living in a van? What kind of a man does that?’”
Like Stanton, Warren goes to the heart of the moral issue. The question for voters is: Will you blindly vote for the Republican Party, or will you stand up for your friends and neighbors?
Coincidentally, as I was writing this column, the Associated Press reported Trump has clinched the Republican nomination. The ball’s in your court, my Republican friends.
Cherie Miner is a local parent, community volunteer, freelance writer and artist. In a former life, she was a corporate writer and public relations professional. Contact her at news@redoakexpress.com or on Facebook.