It’s not Trump, it’s his follwers – and a coming Latino tipping point
By Victor Landa, NewsTaco
The thing that bothers me the most about Donald Trump isn’t what he says. In fact, I’d like for him to say more of it.
It doesn’t bother me that Trump has gone from side-show to main attraction.
What bothers me is that the Trump surge has given observers and pundits an excuse to dust-off the Latino “sleeping giant” myth, and use it to further Trump’s cause.
[pullquote]… as long as Latinos are framed as a sleeping giant, it’s OK to stand around and wait, watching for the awakening to happen.[/pullquote]Intolerance is now normal
Here’s what I mean: [tweet_dis]as long as Latinos are framed as a sleeping giant, it’s OK to stand around and wait, watching for the awakening to happen. [/tweet_dis]This weekend a female Trump supporter took a sign that read “Our Lives Begin To End The Day We Become Silent About The Things That Matter” from the hands of a Latino protester, ripped it in two, smiled and shrugged. The sign holder was one of a small group of people who had gathered at an Iowa State football game, signs in hand, to voice their objections to Trump’s divisive rhetoric.
It was a relatively small incident in a corner of Iowa, witnessed by a few dozen people. But it’s that kind of incident that bothers me because they’ve become normal. This incident and others like it are small instances of overt intolerance that have become common as Trump grows in right-wing popularity. The latest poll out of New Hampshire gives Trump a 28 percent favorability.
[pullquote]It’s become acceptable to see this kind of intolerance and wait to see if the slumbering giant twitches.[/pullquote]It’s become acceptable to see this kind of intolerance and wait to see if the slumbering giant twitches. The problem, though, isn’t the “giant,” nor is it Trump. The problem is the 28 to 30 percent of polled Americans who like what Trump is saying, hide behind his words and think it’s acceptable to uncheck their ignorance.
It’s not Trump, it’s Trump’s followers.
That’s why I’d like to hear Trump continue his ranting about immigrants and immigration. The Latino community’s anger is boiling, but it could use a little more heat. Not to wake up, but to reach its tipping point.
There have been many comparisons to Pete Wilson in 1994. That was the year his support of proposition 187 in California roused Latinos into a voting frenzy. Latinos in California were watching and listening, and when they mobilized at the polls the observers believed they were seeing an awakening. Same thing today.
[pullquote]Latinos are nearing a tipping point where anger tunrs into action.[/pullquote]The tipping point
Latinos are nearing a tipping point where anger turns into action. And it won’t be caused by anything Donald Trump says. It’ll be caused by the growing animosity of his followers who, because of Trump’s words, feel entitled to their intolerance. But we’re not there, yet. Latinos aren’t rushing to register to vote, they’re still stewing in their anger, having their signs ripped in two.
Donald Trump has accelerated a change in the Republican Party, a change that was already under way. And as the 30 percent of Republican voters become more vocal and comfortable demonstrating their small mindedness, U.S. Latino eligible voters will begin to discover their political voice. That’s my hope.
That’s when anger will be enough, when it moves people to take action and vote. Until that happens, like it or not, Latinos will continue to be referred to as the sleeping giant. And the questions asked won’t be about Trump or his followers, they’ll be about the giant’s angry slumber.
[Screenshot courtesy of Raw Story]
