Time for a little bragging: I picked Hillary in a landslide from the very beginning and have never wavered, not for a moment or for one inch. Go back and read some of my earlier columns if you care to dispute this. I knew the media had numerous “October Surprises” in store for Trump when and if he ever got too frisky or close enough to make it a real race, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if there aren’t other “surprises” out there to be used if necessary.
But also, I’ve always had faith in the American electorate, even as Trump supporters seemingly were multiplying like rabbits, albeit demented rabbits with rabies. And yes, I too am shocked, dismayed and sickened that so many of my fellow Americans are so disgruntled over the direction in which the country is headed. But still, I never overestimated their numbers, even as they were filling arenas for their candidate.
However, in spite of Hillary’s insurmountable lead there still are folks out there who love to scare themselves by wondering, “What if her turnout is low?” or “What if his turnout is high?” Trump still cannot win, no matter what. It’s impossible. I’m tempted to grab these people by the collar and give them a violent shake, while yelling at them, “No, now stop it, there’s no possible way for Trump to win — find something else to get all geeked up about.”
Now that the election is all over except for the celebrating, I will concede that some of Trump’s followers do have some legitimate beefs; the only problem is, their candidate exploits their concerns like he exploits them. Know this: If any group has a legitimate bone to pick with how they are — and have been — treated in this country, its citizens of color who have that right, not those privileged by their white skin.
And while we blacks have consistently raised our voices in complaint, we’ve rarely been whiny and hateful like the undignified Trump supporters. Sure, we’ve had some black groups from time to time that go overboard with their methods of raising their issues, but for the most part we’ve been very patient — perhaps too patient.
While Trump attempts to portray himself as a “blue-collar billionaire,” his followers should not allow themselves to be fooled: White people still have more in common with black people than they do with rich people. And while Trump might be dangling the promise of a way out of poverty to the masses, he’s not proposing to make any members of said masses into millionaires, no matter how many fake universities he creates.
But don’t expect Trump or his followers to go away after the trouncing of Nov. 8. They’ll simply find some way to rationalize the defeat. And the misogynists and fake evangelicals will lick their wounds, re-circle the wagons, and then try their best to make Hillary a one-term president.
So now the hand-wringers have something new to worry about; it just never seems to end.
From Cool Cleveland correspondent Mansfield B. Frazier mansfieldfATgmail.com. Frazier’s From Behind The Wall: Commentary on Crime, Punishment, Race and the Underclass by a Prison Inmate is available in hardback. Snag your copy and have it signed by the author by visiting http://NeighborhoodSolutionsInc.com