Notes on Donald Trump from 2015 and How He Rose to the Top

Some observations on Donald Trump made back in 2015 that seem quite accurate now he is President Elect 

Having stoked up the threat and fear level after 9/11, so as to help advance the national security state and wars from Afghanistan to Iraq and Libya and Syria, politicians such as Hillary Clinton now see what happens when a figure like Trump exploits it for his own agenda by taking the fear to extreme conclusions

Unlike others, Trump did not apparently support the Iraq War which has, in turn, had a major role in destabilising the ME and causing blowback. He seems less keen on military intervention that other Republicans who speak of the need for more war and more aggression in Muslim majority lands. So does 'Hawk Hillary'.

That foreign policy is far more responsible in having created IS and the threat of global jihadism that Trump's more parochial minded demagogy about security measures to be aimed at Muslims. As bad as Trump appears, the others are far more subtly fanatical and as dangerous to world order and security.

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In preempting the outrage and 'hurt' that would greet Trump's call for closing borders to Muslims, so as to get to know who is coming in, he claimed 'I. Don't. Care'. The reason is that he appeals to those tired with the excesses of 'political correctness' in Western life and who have no reason to care whether they are liked or not.

After all, a section of progressive left ideologues have since the 1960s labelled those who disagree with them 'bigots', so there is no reason to feel that word means much anymore. Maybe 'bigots' have the right to self identify as a victim group also, unjustly maligned not for what they have done but for who they are.

What Trump has stolen from the radical left is the tactic of of trying to goad the 'system' into a disproportional backlash so as to provoke the unbalanced reaction against them is evidence of the proof that they are right. Given the chorus of kneejerk media reaction to his comments on Muslims, he is succeeding.

The Pentagon has now called Trump a 'threat' to US security and he's been accused of 'playing into the hands of ISIS'. This demagogue is met with a chorus of dimwit politicians who, in turn, play into his hands and those of his fan base who see conspiracies to remove him because he is a threat to a system that threatens them.

When institutions and politicians of 'the establishment' start calling him a 'threat', they make Trump more credible as a 'real alternative', the man who 'speaks his mind' and is persecuted by those who can't stand truth. Their outrage is proof of this as otherwise they would not be so upset.

Trump is clever and knows that the more reaction he provokes then the more he and his growing band of followers can feel they are all martyrs in the struggle against oppressive political correctness. The best strategy would be to ignore him or just point out flatly why he is factually wrong.

Saying he is 'playing into the hands of ISIS' he is just as much a 'real threat' as ISIS,  something that will sound ludicrous given the fear level in the US that successive governments have stoked up and manipulated ever since 9/11, including using the San Bernardino shootings as a 'terrorist' incident.

If the bombings of IS in Syria and Iraq have failed to stop Islamist plotting to murder Americans, then either it is not working, because too restrained, or else these attacks in the US by supposed IS operatives are because 'radical Islam' is a real threat apart from US foreign policy ( in which case migration is a problem ).

If 'radical Islam' is a threat apart from Western foreign policy, then it stands to reason that Trump's attacks on the lack of secure borders would appear to have more logic and no amount of rhetoric from him could make the threat worse ( since 'they' hate us for 'what we are', not 'what we do' in any case, sothe argument runs).

Consequently, when politicians from Hillary Clinton to Obama blame Trump for 'playing into the hands of ISIS' and being divisive, Trump could argue that if some 'Muslims' were not so full of hate anyway, they would hardly be convinced to bomb America just because of his position which calls for secure borders and no more migration.