Posted on 03/18/2016 7:14:12 AM PDT by Kaslin
Donald Trump has predicted there will be riots in the streets if he is not crowned victor at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland this summer. Given his exhortations to his supporters to "knock the crap out of" anyone disrupting his rallies and his promise to "pay for the legal fees," I'll take him at his word. Trump's comments are what sociologist Robert K. Merton called a self-fulfilling prophecy: "a false definition of the situation evoking a new behavior which makes the originally false conception come true." Trump likes to play the tough guy, and his rallies have become a gathering place for those attracted to his strongman image, including some who think you silence dissent with a sucker punch.
I have had my share of dealing with protesters, including some who threatened or engaged in violence. In 1991, I was punched by a male protester as I was leaving Hostos Community College in the Bronx. I think he was aiming at my jaw, but it landed on my shoulder, leaving a visible bruise. I had been scheduled to give a speech on my new book, "Out of the Barrio: Toward a New Politics of Hispanic Assimilation." But when I arrived at the venue, the school's administrator told me that he couldn't guarantee my safety or that of the students because a group of radical Puerto Rican demonstrators were armed "with eggs and who knows what else" if I "insisted" on taking the stage.
I considered my options. I'd never backed out of giving a speech before, even when faced with threats on my life. I regret that I caved in to the administrator's wishes -- which denied the students the opportunity to judge for themselves whether I was the racist, anti-Hispanic Hispanic that radical professors and protesters claimed I was. But at least I was the only one who got hurt.
Every other time I've faced protests, even threatening ones, I've held my ground. I reckon I've done this some two dozen times over the many years I've been in public life. The same year as the Bronx fiasco, I was invited to give the commencement speech at the University of Northern Colorado and then disinvited when Hispanic students occupied the college president's office. I gave the speech I had intended at my alma mater, the University of Colorado in Boulder, instead; but there, too, I was met with hecklers, and the university turned over the campus quadrangle to protesters, who launched an anti-Linda Chavez "speak-in."
At the University of Illinois, protesters armed with coconuts (brown on the outside, white on the inside, get it?) stood at the back of the auditorium menacingly and then smashed them on the stage after I spoke. I've had to hire off-duty police to accompany me on some campuses and register in hotels under false names, as well. But never once have I called on my supporters to silence the protesters, much less to mete out their own violence in response to threats against me.
Donald Trump, on the other hand, seems to believe that the way you deal with dissent is to crush it -- not with more compelling ideas or more reasoned speech, not with dignity in the face of foul threats but with punches that will see the protesters "carried out on a stretcher" as they were in the "old days." His models are Bull Connor, Deng Xiaoping, even Kim Jong Un, the latter two of whom he praised as strong leaders adept at dealing with problems.
We are facing dangerous times ahead, certainly the worst presidential election since 1968. Radicals on the right and left could well turn this summer into a bloody one. In 1968, the riots basically handed the election to Richard Nixon. It is impossible to know what will happen this year. But one thing is sure: If Donald Trump keeps predicting violence, he's likely to get it -- and the results for our country will be ugly.
It’s all FR writ large. Not many amateur pundits on FR know the real nuts and bolts of party politics as participants. Professional pundits are even less likely to be real participants. Those who can, do. Those who can’t, opine.
Clownhall.com is a relentless fountain of Trump Derangement.
He also was talking in the context of his having say very close to the delegates needed like if he had less than 100 needed to get the nomination. Funny how the democrats can riot against Trump with wild abandon and no one utters a peep.
I actually WAS an avid Cruz supporter here up until the end of 2015. Go back and check. It’s there.
Your complaints about Trump and his supporters I actually saw as the same you feel about Trump & supporters from Cruz supporters. So vehement and nasty sometimes it I got ashamed and eventually concluded I didn’t want to be a part of it any more.
Glenn Beck (the insane mock Chief Justice) swearing in President Elect Cruz in BLUE JEANS. NEIL BUSH of the S&L scandal fame becoming his finance guy. All the other Iowa shenanigans and thereafter claims from other non-Trump opponents. I never said a word about it except that Ted made a bad choice embracing Beck’s endorsement. NO MORE.
Go back and take a look at Cincinatus’Wife’s posts DAILY, almost HOURLY before Super Tuesday. Nothing much about Cruz (her second, third candidate in 2 elections) but plenty of venom for the Donald.
Frankly, I’m done with you guys. Go tell somebody else. You’re lucky I’d even vote for Cruz if he does somehow win the nomination. And I will. I feel pretty sure the reverse isn’t the case.
you know all these paragons of virtue always condemning Trump they need to be very precise about their own damn words because they sure like to exaggerate and hype and they're going to get someone injured
the demagogic hate words being directed at Trump and his supporters have cause physically attacks on Trump his supporters..
death threats have been sent to Trump's son and grandchildren now thank you very much
Trump hater you're always pointing out the spec in his eye..... look at the beam in yours
y, Parmy wrote:
The interesting thing is that the rioters are nearly always from the left stirred up by agitators who hate either the person speaking or the message or this country in general.
I remember reading an account a long time ago that the campus riots of the 60’s
The interesting thing about that hghly otganized riot at the UI Circle campus was when Trump booked this thing rhere in the first place. Did he booked it there actually believing he waa going ro draw the crossovers he was claiming that he is attracting . Students and Quote hispancis un quote from the nearby Pilsen area. Easy access to get to this rally ?
The way he initially reacted should have been direct attacks directed at the group organizing this and immediately made it a freedom of speech on college campus issue when he cancelled the meet. Which is what is really going on all over the US and a very very serious issue. But he did not. He blew it.
So why did he book it there ? Was he expecting this not to happen and did he experience rejection about those crossover claims as a douse of reality set him aback into exiting the issue and walking off the stage .
Had he had made it a freedom of speech on college campus issue when he had this opportunity; Full support from everybody and an important issue brought to the forefront.Instead .Warranted criticism of his comfrontational style of conduct would not have even appeared until later, drifted into center stage.
Unfortunately there have been dozens of times where he has had these opportunitys to bring out these issues but he simply does not think in those terms nor know what they are. Trump is a good man and has a lot of shorcommings like everyone, but not the man for this job.
Thank you, Mr. Trump!
BTW - it appears that in all her years as a conservative activist & talker/writer, Linda never actually threatened anyone's scam or livelihood. That's why she never ran into the real deal, as far as violence goes. :)
Indeed. Cruzie and his pals are seeking to oppose a popular candidate who is easily winning an election. And ol’ Ted is trying to disenfranchise all those voters (7.5 MILLION so far) and install a nominee over their voices. It is the Cruz Hall Putsch.
Stupid, silly, and self-destructive and typically the GOPe nimrods like Chavez come out and attack Trump. Shame on them all.
Another GOPe-Please-Save-My-Job-And-My-Spot-At-the-Country-Club type.
“Yes there may indeed be riots. As to whether they would be violent or not remains to be seen,”
By definition: a violent disturbance of the peace by a crowd.
It will take a lot for me to vote Trump. I won’t lie. I have yet to see anything from him that leads me to believe he will be good for the Country or the Conservative movement.
I know that angers folks and they say ‘you are going to vote for Hillary if you don’t vote trump’ - I disagree.
I think if I, and many like me, had not held my nose to vote for McCain and swallowed my vomit voting for Romney then perhaps the party would have figured out they are doing something wrong.
Trump has a long time to convince me he’ll be a good president if he wins the nomination. I’m not completely inflexible. Right now though - I don’t see it happening.
I don’t condemn you for honest thoughts and you have a right to your vote.
As for me, I’m done. Over and out with the Republican RINO party and now anyone that aligns himself with it to defeat any and all dissatisfaction with the status quo, even though they are still hated and feared by that same status quo themselves. Imagine. The man that traditional GOPe hates and has said so time and again aligning himself with to defeat Trump - the person who represents that clamorous tilt against the GOPe windmill.
The behind the scenes machinations of all this would make George RR Martin get a chubby with about all the possibilities.
Trump has overplayed the word “lie” in this primary. He’s also used the word “pathological” in a detestable manner. “Low-energy” was both accurate and effective.
Mr. Trump has a record as a businessman, not an elected official. As such, he is only accountable to a Board, not We The People. My biggest problem with him are his clear and documented flip flops on immigration, abortion, healthcare, and government. I have no benchmarks on how he would act as POTUS. I like what he’s saying now, I just cannot count on him after the democrat machine starts to grind him down, the media turns on him, his approval rating sinks, and his ego goes haywire.
Loved the “rice bowl” smackdown, BTW. :)
Ol' Mitt the Zitt only got 10 million in 2012 - in twice the primaries. :)
We are going to need an entire new “COMMON SENSE CONSERVATIVE” social media to exchange views and commentary
since Limbaugh, Levin, FOX News, FOX Business, Townhall etc are tarnishing themselves, perhaps forever, to many of us
Ask Ann Coulter and Peggy Noonan if COMMON SENSE CONSERVATIVES have long memories
” I just cannot count on him after the democrat machine starts to grind him down, the media turns on him, his approval rating sinks, and his ego goes haywire.”
Like that hasn’t already happened since June, exponentially ramped up now to include the New World Order globalist soros funded machine calling him a threat to world stability- and you’re not seeing how he handles it?
Well said...
Don’t you get tired of posting these sanctimonious “sit down, shut up and listen to your betters” screeds?
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