Trump has taught me to fear my fellow Americans - Note for a discussion, "E Pluribus Unum? What Keeps the United States United"

Richard Cohen, Washington Post

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Excerpt:

History nags. It admonishes. “American exceptionalism” is a phrase that refers to the past, not necessarily the future. Nothing is guaranteed. I’d like to think that Americans really are exceptional, that we have an exceptional faith in democracy and the rule of law. I now have some doubt. I always knew who Trump was. It’s the American people who have come as a surprise.

Comment to this article [without typos]:

tdorman31
10:25 AM EDT

Trump's support is mostly from white men, mostly blue collar workers, from rural areas. Rural poverty, especially in Appalachia, is a serious problem that we must address and fast. Manufacturing, long ago left the urban areas for suburbia. Then it moved to rural areas where manufacturers became major employers. Now, manufacturing is moving, en masse, from rural areas to go overseas, especially to China. The average wage in China is much lower than the minimum wage here. If we don't address rural poverty, especially in Appalachia, we will have more Donald Trumps.

You are absolutely correct about the threat Trump represents. In Austria, the Freedom Party, which was established by former Nazis in the 1950s, almost won the Presidential election there. It could happen here too. We are not immune. The problem of rural poverty must be addressed. The more they hurt the more they support Trump! If you look at Hofer's support in Austria, it is remarkably similar to Trump's - rural men, blue collar workers, and the uneducated. We must solve the problem of rural poverty now.