Even if Trump loses, his legacy will poison American politics

Decent Republican leaders should offer the country a heartfelt mea culpa, says James Zogby

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Connecticut. Evan Vucci / AP Photo

This United States presidential election is exposing deep fault lines in society and the failure of some of the basic institutions of democracy. If America doesn’t change direction, it’s on its way to hell in a handbasket.

I begin with the difficult situation in which Republicans find themselves as they watch their out-of-control nominee, Donald Trump. wreaking havoc. The party of Lincoln was, as recently as a generation ago, led by George H W Bush and James Baker, in whose steady hands it emerged from the Cold War, and Congressional leaders like Howard Baker and Bob Michel who worked to forge consensus on critical issues of national concern. That, sadly, is no longer the case.

If it were not for the fact that the Republicans brought this Trumpian disaster on themselves, I would almost feel bad for them. They spent the past seven years fuelling hatred of all things related to president Barack Obama. Some in the party’s leadership thought they were being clever by nurturing the Tea Party, courting “birthers”, and feeding anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant sentiment. Only now, when they see the fruits of their labours, do they recoil in horror.

The efforts of some Republicans to distance themselves from their standard-bearer is insufficient at best and disingenuous at worst. I can’t forget their embrace of the Newt Gingrich-led campaign against the Park 51 Islamic centre in New York; their smiles at Sarah Palin’s hate-filled speeches; the coyness they demonstrated when confronted with the “birther” crowd; their “wink and a nod” at the bigotry that was on display when Arizona was passing its anti-immigrant legislation; or their outright refusal to consider any meaningful gun control measures.

Decent Republican leaders should offer the country a heartfelt mea culpa.

The behaviour of cable network news is another part of this distressing story. It has also played a role in fuelling the Trump phenomenon. He was entertainment and was good for ratings. When he boycotted Fox, CNN stepped up. With “countdown clocks” in the lower corner of the screen, they breathlessly announced and then covered, in full, his rallies. They, and other networks, allowed him to phone in to their interview programmes and hired his spokespeople as analysts and commentators – giving Mr Trump unprecedented free media coverage.

As the United States enters the final stretch of this deeply troubling contest, the same disturbing dynamics are still at work. Mr Trump commits more daily outrages. Republican leaders act surprised, distance themselves, play coy or become defensive, trying to explain the inexplicable. The network pundits are once again proclaiming Mr Trump “dead in the water”, citing recent polls showing him down anywhere from 4 to 11 points. At the same time, they bizarrely host endless debates between Trump defenders and detractors arguing pointlessly whether he really was encouraging gun owners to assassinate his opponent or exactly what he meant by saying that Mr Obama is the founder of ISIL.

The casts of thousands at Trump rallies – who cheer his every word, become gleeful at his insults and share his anger at his many “enemies” – don’t seem to care that he insulted a Gold Star Muslim family’s sacrifice, or playfully threatened his opponent with assassination, or repeatedly and brazenly lies. He is their champion and they appear to see attacks on him as attacks on them.

These people are my fellow citizens whose angst and anger has been ignored.

Here Democrats must also acknowledge a failing. For too long the party dismissed this demographic. They approached election after election focusing on what was defined as their “base vote” – educated women, minority communities, young voters, various “issue-orientated” groups. What was sometimes called the white working class or white middle class was ignored. They were economically, socially and politically dislocated, and the root causes of their discontent were ignored. Decades of neglect and appeals to racism, immigrant baiting and Muslim bashing have brought America to where it is.

The way forward, as Jesse Jackson used to say, is to retrace the steps we took to get into this deep hole in which we find ourselves. Bernie Sanders demonstrated that by sharing the rage of those Americans who’ve been left out and by redirecting their anger to the rigged economy and political system that has impoverished and disempowered them. There is a lesson here for all to learn. Instead of dismissing the rage of those who’ve been left out, or pitting them against other equally vulnerable groups, it is imperative to understand the causes of their hurt and help them understand it as well.

The networks too have a responsibility. They have a critical role to play in getting under the skin of stories and presenting thoughtful analysis. Instead of merely amplifying the partisan divide, pretending that their goal is balance, they can reclaim the lost mantle of journalism.

None of this will happen in this election cycle. Mr Trump may be beaten at the polls, but without a determined effort in the US to understand what has happened, the root causes of Trumpism will fester.

Dr James Zogby is the president of the Arab American Institute

On Twitter: @aaiusa