That's no surprise, of course, because Trump's campaign rhetoric relied on exaggerated speech and few concrete proposals. Critics instead took cues from a litany of what would have been called gaffes in any other presidential campaign — phrases and tweets that were either vaguely or pointedly racist, sexist or anti-immigrant.
They also took the hint from a contingent (but certainly not all) of Trump supporters who were open white supremacists, homophobes, misogynists and religious fanatics.
But how we came to be on the verge of a Trump presidency is still a mystery to some, as are the implications.
On Saturday afternoon, author and activist Arun Gupta, who founded the Occupied Wall Street Journal and whose work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian and The Nation, among other publications, will speak in St. Petersburg at St. Pete's main public library branch on 9th Avenue North.
In an event titled Trumplandia: How to Understand the Rise of Trump and How to Counter Trumpism, Gupta plans on detailing the events that led to his rise, how we should see it in a historical context, how Trump's brand of politics — which Gupta called "libidinal" —lent itself to a successful campaign, and whether what we're seeing is another rise of fascism.
On that last question, Gupta told CL in an email, the answer is yes — but to use 1930s Europe as an analog would be inaccurate.
"Trump has joined some of the most extreme sectors of capitalism, the Christian right, and military rule with white nationalism and a dictatorial persona," Gupta said. "We are witnessing the development of American fascism, but we don't know how far it will go, and we should not think it will be like European fascism of nearly a century ago. Trump is closer to right-wing strongmen in the developing world, particularly those in Turkey, India, and the Philippines."
Part of Trump's success — in addition to scapegoating minorities, liberals and the media for the loss of the American Dream — was predicated on using "libidinal politics," which Gupta said is basically turning the presidential race into something from which pleasure could be derived, "like watching a baseball game, eating ice cream, or spending the day at the beach."
Entertainment, in other words.
And his rallies sure had the entertainment factor nailed, right down to the T-shirt cannons.
"[P]eople flocked to Trump rallies not just to hear his message but the pleasure they got in being part of a crowd that he empowered to vent their rage at scapegoats like globalists, Mexicans, Muslims, the media, and liberals," he said.
Perhaps most importantly, Gupta said he'll talk about ways to counter "Trumpism" — how to build effective mass movements, where to focus energy and activism between now and 2020, and whether progressives should try to effect change within the Democratic Party or break off into a third party.
Trumplandia: How to Understand the Rise of Trump and How to Counter Trumpism takes place Saturday, Jan. 7 from 3-5 p.m. at the St. Petersburg Public Library Main Branch, 3745 9th Ave. N., St. Petersburg, 33713.
More details here.
This article appears in Jan 5-12, 2017.