Stirring Up the Fascists and Xenophobes

Donald Trump revelled in his capture of America’s conservative movement on Friday with a speech that carried all the anger, nativism and rampant populism of his election campaign.

  Guardian

One of these things is not like the other, to coin an old Sesame Street phrase: anger, nativism, populism. The Guardian is taking its place amongst right wing publications.

“We are Americans,” the US president said to rapturous applause, “and the future belongs to us.”

Sieg heil!

Trump told the country’s biggest annual gathering of conservative activists that he would crush the Islamic State, deport criminals, crack down on welfare, overhaul healthcare and put miners back to work.

A president for the twentieth century. Maybe the 19th.

He also lashed out again and at length at “the dishonest media” and promised ominously: “We’re going to do something about it.”

First they came for the journalists.

[H]e came to CPAC on a victory lap garlanded by attendees who shouted “Build the wall!”, referring to Trump’s planned wall on the Mexican border, which he promised would come “way, way ahead of schedule”. Chants of “Lock her up” also greeted his mention of defeated election rival Hillary Clinton.

[...]

Indeed, the raucous atmosphere resembled a Trump election rally, right down to his entry to the sound of Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the USA and exit to the strains of the Rolling Stones’ You Can’t Always Get What You Want.

That's the one I don't understand. Seems a little ambiguous. Is that why we have him? Is that why his supporters are not getting what he promised? Why are they playing that Stones song? And why aren't the Stones telling him to cease and desist?

“They shouldn’t be allowed to use sources unless they use somebody’s name.

“A source says that Donald Trump is a horrible, horrible human being, let them say it to my face. Let there be no more sources.”

Is that a warning?

Yet he spoke just hours after members of his own staff held a press briefing in which they refused to attach their names to the information. Briefings are given reguarly with an instruction that they should be attributed to unnamed “senior administration officials”.

[...]

“It’s time for all Americans to get off welfare and get back to work,” he said. “You’re going to love it.”

Arbeit macht frei.

In a fierce defence of his “America first” vision, Trump declared: “There is no such thing as a global flag, a global anthem, or a global flag. This is the United States of America that I’m representing. I’m not representing the globe. I’m representing your country.”

Members of the audience – some wearing red “Make America great again” baseball caps – stood to clap, cheer and chant: “USA! USA!” Trump gave his trademark thumbs up sign.

Perhaps that will be the New Nazi salute.

The former Ukip leader and Trump cheerleader Nigel Farage was the next speaker, claiming that Brexit and Trump’s election win were “the beginning of a great global revolution” that would now continue across the rest of the west.

[...]

“Our real friends in the world speak English, have common law, and stand by us in times of crisis.”

He also claimed: “We’re not against anybody based on religion or ethnicity,” although he has a record of inflammatory claims about Muslims.

Our real friends speak English.

Thanks, Obama.

A US man has been charged with murder after opening fire in a crowded bar in Kansas, killing an Indian man and wounding two other men in an attack some witnesses said was racially motivated.

Srinivas Kuchibhotla, 32, died at a hospital while Alok Madasani, 32, and Ian Grillot, 24, were in a stable condition after the attack on Wednesday night in Olathe, Kansas.

Witnesses said the gunman shouted "get out of my country" before he opened fire.

[...]

Hate crimes against Muslims in the US shot up 67 percent in 2015 to their highest levels since the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks, according to FBI statistics released in 2016.

  alJazeera

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.