Hillary
Clinton said it.
We
all heard her.
“You
know, to just be grossly generalistic, you could put half of Trump’s supporters
into what I call the ‘basket of deplorables.’ The racist, sexist, homophobic,
xenophobic, Islamophobic — you name it.”
…And
the media went wild.
Now,
she was trying to make the point that not all Trump supporters fall into this disagreeable
category. She went on to say that the rest of the Trumpsters are just people
who’s lives have gotten worse or who are frustrated because they feel left out
of the political process.
But,
you would have thought that she had just declared National Flag-Burning Day, or
drowned a puppy on live TV, or declared
that Michael Bolton is the real King
of Rock and Roll.
No,
she made that statement about those who are supporting her opponent.
People
are used to Donald Trump’s making all kinds of flamboyantly asinine declarations,
and then taking them back, sometimes denying that he even made them, and then
making them again. It’s a seemingly neverending waterfall of bigoted,
dangerous, nonsense that many of us have just come to take in stride.
But,
when Hillary Clinton, the sensible one, goes a little of the chain, people
start pinching themselves to make sure they are really awake.
Why
was this remark so troubling to Hillary’s supporters and foes alike?
Was
it an issue of timing? To be more
specific, with the season? Baskets are
for Easter and Springtime. We are getting ready to celebrate Halloween and
Thanksgiving. Would she have done better to say "a Jack-o-lantern of jerks,"
or "a Trick-or-Treat bag of boneheads,” or even "a cornucopia of
creeps?"
By
the way, I’ll bet there is an aspiring punk band out there that had been in
search of a name and has just seized upon “Basket of Deplorables” as their moniker.
But,
back to the real issue – I think what has gotten everyone in such a lather is the
statement that half of Trump’s supporters fall into this nasty category.
Those
of us who realize that Donald Trump’s candidacy is one of the most dangerous
hazards to befall this county, are shocked that he is doing as well as he is in
the polls.
The
fact that so many Americans are actually seriously considering voting for him
is an embarrassment to the rest of us. What kind of people would consider taking the
Ship of State into such vile and turbulent waters? What is wrong with them?
Those
of us who have decided to support Hillary like her and her policies to a
greater or lesser extent.
We like her as a person to a greater or lesser
extent. Some of us love her; some of us are ardently supporting her because we
see Donald Trump as absolutely unqualified for any public office, let alone the
Presidency of the United States!
She
later said she regretted using the word “half.” You decide. Is the amount
larger or smaller? One-fourth, one-third, two-thirds? What do you think?
I’m
not sure, but I do have my suspicions.
To paraphrase a line from a summer blockbuster film from a few decades ago: “You’re gonna need a bigger basket.”
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