Let me be the first to say I have been nothing short of thoroughly entertained, mesmerized and amazed by this show that has been the Trump campaign. One thing I wasn't, however, was surprised. By any of it.
Many normal, righteous minded Americans were. I mean, how could this nation allow such a misogynistic, racist, xenophobic guy to rise to the forefront of our mainstream politics?
You mean there are people who actually not only endorse this guy, but also rally full-time behind him?
It struck many by surprise to know we share this country with such a large swath of lewd, nonsensical, delusional people.
I'm not saying all Trump supporters are all of those things, but who you endorse is somewhat of a reflection of you, if nothing else, your values.
But maybe these people don't embody any of these characteristics. Maybe it's something deeper that America needs to look at.
If/when Trump loses this election and fades off into the abyss, what happens to the people who so loyally stood behind him? Will they do the same?
No. Absolutely not. And they shouldn't. Trump and his following, while clearly not a political movement we can take seriously, do represent a lot of deep-rooted issues in this country we can ill afford to sweep back under the carpet.
Trump and his following represent a lot of deep-rooted issues in this country.
That's what we've done for years, and that is what has allowed a Donald Trump to be legitimate candidate for the leader of the free world.
America is divided because for so long, we've kept up a societal veil assuming most of our citizens have rational and righteous trains of thought. As each day passes, we're learning more and more that that's not the case.
There are reasons for the fear and discontent that allow for some of the ugliness we've seen on the Trump side of things.
It goes deeper than just the racial, cultural and ethnic division that plays out on the surface particularly in the media and on social media.
Thanks to Trump, America-at-large is beginning to notice people of all walks of life are feeling marginalized, but the problem is it manifests in the form of hatred, bigotry, xenophobia and the like, thus why it's so tempting to write them off.
Trump's emergence, along with many other recent events, has brought America's underbelly to the forefront by giving it a voice.
Trump's emergence has brought America's underbelly to the forefront by giving it a voice.
This could prove to be a great thing, as long as we keep the dialogue in motion. A lot has took place over the past few years that has America divided in more ways than just along political lines.
The Trump campaign has maybe amplified, if not magnified it. It's important we keep these kinds of conversations going and not just accept Trump's loss as a sign that all is well.
The conditions in America were ripe for a Trump to emerge. Another one will probably emerge if we let things stay the same.
So, when the Donald disappears back into the hole he came out of and starts that failure of a television network he has in the works, let us not get comfortable.
Let's continue to discuss the uncomfortable things about America that we like to sweep under the rug.
While a lot of Trump supporters may share some deplorable views, let us not just write them off as the "basket of deplorables” Hillary Clinton once referred to them as.
Instead, let us see them as the American citizens they are, who represent the uncomfortable issues we've always liked to ignore.
Let's actually take time to address some of the issues behind the anger on the outside.
The race and poverty issues that drive some of the craziness in the “Trump Community” needs to be addressed now that they are at the forefront of American politics. They won't go away when Trump does.
Now is the time to address the long broken discourse that Trump has exposed.
This Trump nightmare doesn't have to end in vain. Let's really make America great by using the discourse he helped bring to the forefront.
But let's just leave him out of it.
