It's all about pumping up fear

Providence Mayor ‘‘Buddy” Cianci in his City Hall office

 From Robert Whitcomb’s “Digital Diary,’’ in GoLocal24.com

The Sept. 22 Boston Globe ran a good interview by Dan McGowan with  Jon Shields and Stephanie Muravchik, authors of Trump’s Democrats, which is about how some  (many now former?) members of that party became fans of the most corrupt and depraved president in American history, and a traitor to boot.  These wishful thinkers ignored Trump’s decades of personal and public depravity and gave him enough Electoral College votes to now threaten what’s left of American democracy. Consider that he’s threatening to try to stay in office even if he loses the election!

The authors talked to people in Johnston, R.I., Ottumwa, Iowa,  and Elliott County, Ky.

Central is their admiration for tough guys who will put down the people whom the Trumpians resent,  envy and even hate, and in so doing make the Fox-fueled leader’s fans feel stronger. As the authors note, that admiration of what a lot of people would call bullies is one reason for the support in some quarters of the flamboyant and criminal late Providence Mayor Vincent (“Buddy”) Cianci (whom I knew quite well; he could be very entertaining.). No wonder that Trump’s and his minions’ frequent threats to use violence against street protesters and others who oppose The Leader sells well to this crowd, which also tends to love guns, as a security blanket. (Forget the phrase in the Second Amendment about a “well-regulated militia’’.)

The authors say:

“Cianci, Johnstonians, and many working-class communities throughout the United States have been shaped by an ‘honor culture.’ Citizens in this culture prize a social reputation for toughness, which they see as necessary to defend one’s honor and interests. Critics of honor culture … see it as a culture that cultivates bullies.’’

“Like Johnstonians generally, Trump embraces the values of a sick honor culture. His philosophy of leadership is to never show weakness, to never let any slight slide. As Trump once put it: ‘Real power is fear. It’s all about strength. Never show weakness. You’ve always got to be strong. Don’t be bullied. There is no choice.’’’

Whether Trump’s supporters’   “interests,’’ at least their socio-economic ones, are actually defended by a gangster like Trump, without an iota of what most people would define as “honor,’’ is highly debatable.

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Reminder: The most damning information about Trump comes from the people who worked with him.