Cesar Sayok has a criminal background that reportedly stretches back as far as 2002. So far as I know, he was not a political operative. But there's an important item of information relevant to this discussion topic of which all should take note. The vehicle taken away from the Autozone store where Sayok worked -- the van in which Sayok lived -- has political words/images/stickers on it. They strongly imply Sayok's political perspective and that he was a Trump enthusiast, if "enthusiast" is the appropriate descriptor. There apparently is a picture of Sayok at a Trump rally in 2017. It may be fair to say that, even if Sayok was a "nutcase" acting on his own warped perceptions, there's room at this stage to suspect Sayok was INSPIRED by Donald Trump. That's not to say Donald Trump told him to send bombs or bomb-like items to prominent Democrats. But what President Trump must own and substantively change is his inflammatory rhetoric. Trump seemingly has been proud that there is often no filter placed on what he says -- no filter applied by himself or anyone else. Yet, there are consequences that arise from unrestrained political speech. Sayok's "terrorizing acts" -- President Trump's words -- are, if Sayok is indeed the person sending suspicious packages, apparently what President Trump must own in terms of cause and effect. Of course, President Trump may respond to say "it's not fair for me to edit my words for fear of how a nutcase might interpret them". However, what President Trump must realize is that most RESPONSIBLE politicians do exactly that and do it to avoid not just news media criticism but a scenario that may have played out as per Sayok's alleged acts.
There's no argument from me that both Democrats and Republicans have gone off the deep end with their rhetoric. Accordingly, I was quite disappointed when Hillary Clinton made her infamous "civility" comment, as in civility can wait until AFTER the mid-term elections, and Eric Holders kick them when they are down advice. That's no more responsible political rhetoric than Trump's!! But Trump has been off the rails, out of control for a long time and arguably well before he was elected President.
It's time President Trump owned it all. Will he? I'm skeptical he'll try.
The larger problem implied in all of this connects more solidly to President Trump than either Democrats or Republicans. To begin with, Trump, if you analyze his actions carefully, is NOT a genuine Republican. He only PRETENDS to be because he sees the pretense as essential to his success as President. He has developed or cultivated a base of support who are not so interested in longstanding Republican or Democratic philosophy as much as pure Trumpism. And Trumpism seems to be modeled after McCarthyism, as in Joe McCarthy's style of demagoguery implementing the politics of fear.
For McCarthy, it was communists to fear. For Trump, it's xenophobia on steroids focusing first on an entire religion that's "out to get us" and now on immigrants in rhetoric which is tainted with fallacious racial or ethnic assumptions President Trump supports with outright lies. (i.e. people from S-HOLE coutries, raping Mexicans, immigrant hoardes rife with criminal elements or at least MS-13 and so on) Thus, in Trump's rhetoric, refugees coming to APPLY FOR ASYLUM in a LEGAL process are cast as "illegal immigrants". Most recently, Trumpism has openly declared that the process of applying for asylym should become far more difficult so as to discourage refugees -- a policy which runs agains the grain of how refugees have been treated for decades, even going back to the Cuban boatlift days. It also contradicts that for which Emma Lazarus stood along with her words inscribed on the Statue of Liberty.
Until America came to the realization, mostly promulgated by the Army McCarthy hearings in Congress and McCarthy's fight with CBS's Edward R. Murrow, that McCarthy was manipuating America for his political gain and at the expense of a lot of innocent victims, McCarthy was riding high. He was seen as the American patriot fighting the good fight against communism. I'm not sure what it will take for people to see Trump as what he is or if it will happen before the America long considered the best we can be collapses and/or is converted into something more compatible with Trumpism.
Whatever the outcome, it's clear that Trumpism is having its impact. It's nearly palpable and, while not the same as government-aided or Goebbels-hyped influence on the public, it presents its own threat for fundamentally changing what America is as well as what many highly value in what constitutes America.
What happened in the wake of Crystal Night throughout Germany, McCarthyism in the 1950s and Trumpism now is demonization and presenting something to fear as the means to energize a political agenda or cultural alterations. Each was or is sinister in its own right or "wrong", if you will.
I understand that both McCarthy and Trump may have believed or, in Trump's case, believe they're doing the right thing. I also understand that Hitler was probably insane and that it might be fair to assume McCarthy's sanity was in question. But the bottom line is that they are or were not right.
With the above in mind, it should be remembered that Donald Trump argues the Congressional mid-terms are about the man not on any ballot -- himself, Donald Trump. According to USA Today and Suffolk University, Trump may be right. ***See https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2018/10/25/poll-midterm-elections-donald-trump-democrats/1742432002/ Ergo, there are three events in Donald Trump's history I'd hope all would recall, especially in the runup to the Congressional mid-terms and later when 2020 rolls around. They encapsulate the Donald Trump we should not have elected President in 2016.
1. Donald Trump claims he is or has been a successful businessman and would likely deny that there has ever been a lapse in ethics or instances of fraud in what he has done. But the Trump University case seems to contradict that narrative.
Trump's organization may have taken improper advantage of people, receiving funds from such people which would leave many in dire straits. Former employees testified that Trump University was, in essence, a fraudulent operation.
The case was under litigation at the time President Trump was campaigning for the presidency. But the process was halted after Donald Trump won the 2016 election for President and settled with thousands of Trump University students for a payout of $25 Million. Thus, the details of what may have happened could not be discovered or are now sealed.
Donald Trump possibly knew those details would be damning and did not want to risk a judgment against him while President of the United States. That we don't know the details, and don't have access to them, should be no reason to assume Donald Trump was not aware and should not have been found responsible for mounting as well as furthering a FRAUD! If he indeed was aware and complicit or in command, and if people were defrauded by Trump's organization, Trump is not fit to be President.
Notably, and in context to the Trump University case, Donald Trump made his most outrageous racist statements relating, at that time, to federal District Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel. Even top Republicans, some who had been staunch Trump supporters, broke with Trump on his comments as to Curiel. Note information posted below then decide if that sort of activity should justifiably be accepted or tolerated in a candicate for President and should be dismissed in order to vote him into office.
2. Although, most recently, Donald Trump has FALSELY claimed Hillary Clinton was responsible for starting it, Donald Trump was the true instigator of the Birther Hoax -- the conspiracy theory that President Obama was not born in the United States and therefore was not a U.S. citizen. Even when Donald Trump finally conceded President Obama was born in the U.S., he boasted that he "finished" what he FALSELY claimed Hillary Clinton started, as if what he did was right and good.
The plain and simple truth is that what Trump did was neither right or good. Someone who would do what he did should not have been elected President. We Americans wear the SHAME of electing Trump in full knowledge of his actions in this regard!
3. In 2005, Donald Trump was caught on tape boasting of what he could do or might even want to do, as a famous and powerful man, with women. What he described he could do and get away with it because of what and who he was, comes down to sexual assault.
In 2016, the tape was revealed to the public and Trump responded. He asserted the Donald Trump of 2016 was not the person on that tape, meaning he had changed over time. But more recently, Trump has been reported to question the tape, as if to say that's not him on the tape and/or that the tape was somehow altered. Yet, in 2016, we all knew quite a lot of information about Donald Trump's history with women -- how he treated them and what he thinks of them.
We elected a man with little respect for an entire gender. THAT was a monumental MISTAKE!
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/trump-university-staffers-describe-fraudulent-scheme-new-court-documents-n584071
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[...] "Based upon my personal experience and employment, I believe that Trump University was a fraudulent scheme, and that it preyed upon the elderly and uneducated to separate them from their money," Ronald Schnackenberg, a Trump University sales manager from 2006-2007, said in his [court] testimony [released in mid-2016]. [...] Jason Nicholas, a sales executive at the university from May through October of 2007, said he felt the courses “did not provide a legitimate real-estate education” and Trump University was "just selling false hopes and lies." [...]
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Donald Trump's comments on judge Curiel being too biased to preside over the Trump University litigation because he is Mexican or of Mexican heritage:
At a public event: "But I have a judge who is a hater of Donald Trump.. A hater. He's a hater. His name is Gonzalo Curiel . . ." Donald Trump told the Wall Street Journal Curieil's Mexican heritage is an "absolute conflict". Trump also stated "I'm building a wall. It's an inherent conflict of interest".
https://www.wsj.com/articles/donald-trump-keeps-up-attacks-on-judge-gonzalo-curiel-1464911442
Paul Ryan on the "definition of racism", i.e. Trump's words linked and quoted above:
From a separate telephone interview of Paul Ryan:
"Look.. The comment about the judge the other day just was out of left field from my mind. It's reasoning I don't relate to. I completely disagree with the thinking behind that."
Trump criticized by top Republicans for those words and more:
Donald Trump attempting to justify those words:
Interview of Donald Trump by Wolf Blitzer in 2012 regarding the Birther Hoax:
Donald Trump concedes Obama's American citizenship but does so only while accusing Hillary Clinton of starting the Birther Hoax
Patti Solis Doyle, former 2008 campaign manager for Hillary Clinton, corrects the record on Trump's assertion Hillary Clinton started the Birther Hoax
The Access Hollywood Tape
Donald Trump appearing on Howard Stern's show: