The latest Hillary Clinton advertisement begins with a man decked out in Klan regalia giving a statement that should be the final nail in Trump's coffin. Unfortunately, this is not a campaign of what should be, it's a lopsided race where the Democratic candidate is intensely scrutinized while the Republican nominee is instantly forgiven for catastrophic gaffes that are highly insulting to millions. The commercial begins with a damning quote from a Trump voter:
The reason a lot of Klan members like Donald Trump is because a lot of what he believes we believe in.
This Klan member is a representative of what is now known as the 'Alt-Right.' Like so many aspects of the Trump campaign, the radical element is softened by euphemisms, and Alt-Right is a euphemism for the White Nationalist element, the hard core racists, even the Ku Klux Klan. Now, more than ever, this Alt-Right is 'tickled pink,' which is such an apt expression for these ultra-conservatives who are literally adding more white to their already red (state) leanings.
Our MSNBC journalist heroine, Joy Ann Reid, understands this movement for what it is, not what they claim to be. This faction of the Republican Party bases their identity on their pro-White philosophies which aren't racist, in their minds. They expect us to believe that Stormfront or the Klan isn't anti-Black or anti-other ethnicities/faiths that are not White or Christian. Being pro-White does not make someone a racist. Joy summarizes the Alt-Right in her no-nonsense style.
After last week's Trump rally speech that asserted that African Americans are in terrible shape, the Clinton campaign honed in on this very significant racist element in the Orange Führer's campaign. Trump told a largely White crowd that African-Americans basically have what amounts to no jobs, no hope, no decent education so 'What the Hell do you (they) have to lose' by voting for Trump? Clinton knows that this Alt-Right angle is one that will resonate among much more tolerant and multicultural young voters who have no stomach for such blatant racism. A recent 'briefing' on her site said,
He is doubling down on insults, fear and stereotypes that set our community back and further divide our country. But again this is not surprising, this is a man who questions the citizenship of the first African American president, has a disturbing pattern of courting white supremacists, and has been sued for housing discrimination against communities of color.
In February, Trump pretended that he didn't know who David Duke was, and even claimed ignorance of the subject of white supremacy, in an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper. The website known as The Daily Stormer, part of Stormfront describes their own Alt-Right movement, in part, as:
- The Alt-Right is becoming an influential force which the establishment is having a difficult time dealing with
- The Alt-Right is the successor to Pat Buchanan’s Paleoconservative movement
- Some people in the Alt-Right are from 4chan, they are trouble-makers who support Donald Trump
- The Alt-Right will be popular in the future because of Donald Trump
The Clinton campaign will hone in on this disturbing element of the Trump campaign, which she will deliver in Reno, Nevada this early afternoon. Clinton's Press Secretary, Brian Fallon discussed the latest addition to the Trump family, Breitbart's Stephen K. Bannon, an inflammatory representative and ally to the Alt-Right. Take a look at his very strong words.