2016 July 22^nd

We have heard Trump’s acceptance speech and it is not, remotely, “Happy days are here again.” It is more like the “health care provider” who, after looking you over, prescribes a number of herbal concoctions that only he/she sells. You must take them as directed and you will feel better…eventually. You will, however, feel poorer immediately!

Trump’s stock in trade is selling people the reduction of fear, the standard offering of demagogues ever since the beginning of demagoguery. For this to be maximally effective, the demagogue must create fear, or increase whatever fear already exists. Trump has done this very well. He has had to lie or greatly mislead his followers to do it. He claims that crime is increasing in our cities. It has increased this year in four major cities but it has been steadily decreasing in this country since 1993. What does Trump say about those FBI statistics? Why, he says that the FBI is misleading the public, that their statistics are biased.

Trump warns us of the terrible ISIS attacks we will have, particularly if Hillary Clinton is elected. So far this year we have had about 57 people killed in what authorities claim are ISIS inspired attacks. Fifty people were killed by lightning strikes last year.

Flying, as most everyone knows, is safer than driving. After 9/11 many people were afraid to fly so they drove instead. Andrew Shaver, a Princeton Ph. D. candidate, sites a study which found that because of the increased fear of flying after 9/11, the increase in automobile accidents resulting from increased driving exceeded the lives lost in that terrorist attack. Terrorists kill people to instill terror so Trump hammering away at the awfulness of these ISIS attacks helps only…ISIS, and of course Donald Trump. Trump’s ranting against Muslims also has the effect of marginalizing them in this country just as they are in Europe. Most law enforcement people, Giuliani excepted, are not happy about that.

We haven’t ignored the threats from ISIS. The FBI claims that a number of attacks have been intercepted, and there may have been some attacks credited to ISIS that ISIS did not support until they could take credit for the attack after it happened. The Pulse nightclub is a case in point. There should be a distinction between an ISIS inspired attack and an ISIS enabled attack.

Another attack today, this time in a mall in Germany has left eight dead. Once again this attack looks like it was from a group of right-wing extremists rather than ISIS but it is too early to tell; it doesn’t matter, this attack, like the others will add credibility to Donald Trump’s claim that we need him to keep us safe.

Some time ago Trump claimed that he could stand on a popular street corner and shoot someone and it wouldn’t cost him any votes. He’s right, of course, but doesn’t that say more about his voters than it does about him?