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Federal police disperse a crowd of about a thousand protesters at the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse on July 20, 2020 in Portland, Ore. The federal police response to the ongoing protests against racial inequality has been criticized by city and state elected officials. (Photo: Nathan Howard/Getty Images)
Will Trump's Secret Police Succeed in Provoking Riots in Your City?
Portland is a test... but only a test.
Jul 21, 2020
The Republican Trump administration has gone full authoritarian. Portland is a test, but only a test.
Donald Trump signaled his election strategy a few days ago when he talked about ending legislation passed back in the 1960s to support fair housing that he said had sent "people" out into "the suburbs."
"This is what authoritarians do. To seize political power, they don't bring us together--they tear us apart."
Essentially, what he was saying was, "White people in the suburbs, I'm doing what I can to keep your neighborhood white. You have to be very afraid of those Black and Hispanic people that Democrats say should be able to live anywhere in the country."
Portland is overwhelmingly a majority white city, so he figured he could test out his Secret Police/Storm Trooper strategy here without anybody much noticing, as the action would not be so racialized.
But now he's taking it to Chicago, a city with a more diverse population, and if he's successful he'll provoke a made-for-television appearance with white storm troopers battling Black residents.
That would be exactly the visual the Trump campaign is hoping for.
The most recent polls show that white people, particularly suburban white people, still support Trump: he's trying to get them cranked up enough that every single last one of them will come out to vote for him.
In this regard, Trump appears to be following Richard Nixon's 1968 "Southern Strategy," perhaps even on the advice of former Nixon advisor Roger Stone. Provoke violence, make cities burn, and then promise to keep white people safe with "law and order."
This is what authoritarians do. To seize political power, they don't bring us together--they tear us apart.
And now, in anticipation of the election in a few months, the Trump administration is trying to make it harder to vote by mail, trying to explode the pandemic by forcing people back into the schools while fighting against funding for testing, all at the same time they're sending out their secret police to provoke violence in our cities.
Trump's Storm Troopers are coming to a city near you, and history shows that the most effective response will be non-violent. Here in Portland it was 300 moms, a middle-aged Navy veteran, and a stripper.
Get ready.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. In a few short weeks, US voters will have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
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Thom Hartmann
Thom Hartmann is a talk-show host and the author of "The Hidden History of Monopolies: How Big Business Destroyed the American Dream" (2020); "The Hidden History of the Supreme Court and the Betrayal of America" (2019); and more than 25 other books in print.
The Republican Trump administration has gone full authoritarian. Portland is a test, but only a test.
Donald Trump signaled his election strategy a few days ago when he talked about ending legislation passed back in the 1960s to support fair housing that he said had sent "people" out into "the suburbs."
"This is what authoritarians do. To seize political power, they don't bring us together--they tear us apart."
Essentially, what he was saying was, "White people in the suburbs, I'm doing what I can to keep your neighborhood white. You have to be very afraid of those Black and Hispanic people that Democrats say should be able to live anywhere in the country."
Portland is overwhelmingly a majority white city, so he figured he could test out his Secret Police/Storm Trooper strategy here without anybody much noticing, as the action would not be so racialized.
But now he's taking it to Chicago, a city with a more diverse population, and if he's successful he'll provoke a made-for-television appearance with white storm troopers battling Black residents.
That would be exactly the visual the Trump campaign is hoping for.
The most recent polls show that white people, particularly suburban white people, still support Trump: he's trying to get them cranked up enough that every single last one of them will come out to vote for him.
In this regard, Trump appears to be following Richard Nixon's 1968 "Southern Strategy," perhaps even on the advice of former Nixon advisor Roger Stone. Provoke violence, make cities burn, and then promise to keep white people safe with "law and order."
This is what authoritarians do. To seize political power, they don't bring us together--they tear us apart.
And now, in anticipation of the election in a few months, the Trump administration is trying to make it harder to vote by mail, trying to explode the pandemic by forcing people back into the schools while fighting against funding for testing, all at the same time they're sending out their secret police to provoke violence in our cities.
Trump's Storm Troopers are coming to a city near you, and history shows that the most effective response will be non-violent. Here in Portland it was 300 moms, a middle-aged Navy veteran, and a stripper.
Get ready.
Thom Hartmann
Thom Hartmann is a talk-show host and the author of "The Hidden History of Monopolies: How Big Business Destroyed the American Dream" (2020); "The Hidden History of the Supreme Court and the Betrayal of America" (2019); and more than 25 other books in print.
The Republican Trump administration has gone full authoritarian. Portland is a test, but only a test.
Donald Trump signaled his election strategy a few days ago when he talked about ending legislation passed back in the 1960s to support fair housing that he said had sent "people" out into "the suburbs."
"This is what authoritarians do. To seize political power, they don't bring us together--they tear us apart."
Essentially, what he was saying was, "White people in the suburbs, I'm doing what I can to keep your neighborhood white. You have to be very afraid of those Black and Hispanic people that Democrats say should be able to live anywhere in the country."
Portland is overwhelmingly a majority white city, so he figured he could test out his Secret Police/Storm Trooper strategy here without anybody much noticing, as the action would not be so racialized.
But now he's taking it to Chicago, a city with a more diverse population, and if he's successful he'll provoke a made-for-television appearance with white storm troopers battling Black residents.
That would be exactly the visual the Trump campaign is hoping for.
The most recent polls show that white people, particularly suburban white people, still support Trump: he's trying to get them cranked up enough that every single last one of them will come out to vote for him.
In this regard, Trump appears to be following Richard Nixon's 1968 "Southern Strategy," perhaps even on the advice of former Nixon advisor Roger Stone. Provoke violence, make cities burn, and then promise to keep white people safe with "law and order."
This is what authoritarians do. To seize political power, they don't bring us together--they tear us apart.
And now, in anticipation of the election in a few months, the Trump administration is trying to make it harder to vote by mail, trying to explode the pandemic by forcing people back into the schools while fighting against funding for testing, all at the same time they're sending out their secret police to provoke violence in our cities.
Trump's Storm Troopers are coming to a city near you, and history shows that the most effective response will be non-violent. Here in Portland it was 300 moms, a middle-aged Navy veteran, and a stripper.
Get ready.
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