So, now Trump’s a problem? – A letter to the mainstream

By Victor Landa, NewsTaco

Since last summer the political class – including politicians, pundits and reporters – have been asking how far would be too far for Donald Trump’s fear baiting and intolerance rhetoric. It was a moveable line that answered more to poll numbers than to public pressure. So when Trump railed against unauthorized immigrants and the Latino community called him out for it, politicians and mainstream media responded with the equivalent of a finger-wag and smirking tsk-tsk. This won’t last long you said, he’s gone too far.

And Trump’s favorability ratings among Republican voters increased.

When Trump bashed Sen. John McCain you drew the line again, he’s crossed the line we heard you say once more.

Trump used that prediction in his stump speech and his numbers grew because of it. If there’s a legitimate redeemable quality to what Trump’s been saying it’s this: he’s an equal opportunity opportunist, he’s the most democratic (small d) of blatherskites because he leaves no one out of his crosshairs. He just as easily bad-mouths immigrants as he does women, refugees, blacks and muslims.

For six months he’s been leading the polls and getting more free news and talk TV air time than any other presidential candidate. For six months you political observers have been erasing and re-drawing the tolerance line. This time he’s really gone too far you’d say, and then you’d move the line again because the poll numbers backed you into a corner.

Now, when Trump calls for a ban on the entry of all Muslims into the U.S., you go into a deep frenzy. This is a quote from one of many morning TV news shows: “This has become a full-fledged catastrophe for the Republican Party.”

I take exception with the “has become” part. It was a catastrophe back in July. But back then he was only attacking Mexicans, so it was OK to wait for Trump’s nastiness to go away, like an awkward pause while a Latino busboy clears the table. So I’ll put on my “I told you so” cap, and tell you so: every time Latinos complained that Trump had gone too far, you moved the tolerance line a little further towards fascism, you let him gain strength. Don’t act surprised or appalled, this is on you, we told you months ago where this was headed. But you thought you knew better.

Now there’s a scramble to see who can be first and loudest to reject Trump’s comments. And for Latinos who’ve been watching this thing unfurl since last summer, you’re all coming across as opportunists – little better than The Donald himself. Now that you can gain something by attacking Trump, you do. But back when he was growing in the polls, attacking Mexicans and immigrants and women, you’d wring your hands in helplessness.

It’s OK to pile on Trump now because the implosion you’ve been waiting for has begun, or at least it seems that way. Even hard-line conservatives like Dick Cheney have denounced Trump this time, because with each tick of the clock Trump becomes more and more a Republican Party problem.

So here’s my prediction, as I’ve been watching you all these months (take it as a Latino prediction, because I can’t escape my perspective). The political catastrophe happened last summer and the GOP won’t be able to recover. The fact that you waited so long to start slapping-back at
Trump has been noticed by Latinos, and blacks, and women and muslims …  voters and viewers.

One year ’till election day, with all the primaries yet to come, this election is over.

Good luck with that.