Michael Gerson on the Dangerous Donald

This column is dense, but illustrates how unfit for the Presidency, the race baiting Donald Trump is and just how dangerous he is to the moral fabric of the U.S.A.

"If political leadership can increase dehumanization — as the evidence seems to indicate — Trump is guilty of it. He has falsely asserted that “thousands and thousands” of Muslims cheered after the World Trade Center came down and that Syrian refugees are entering the United States with “cellphones with ISIS flags on them.” He has called for a ban on Muslim immigration and the establishment of a database to track Muslims in the United States. “I want surveillance of these people,” Trump has said. And: “We’re going to have to do things that we never did before.” 

"Trump has turned legitimate concerns about terrorism into the indictment of a religion. In his rhetoric, the distinction between “these people” and the American “we” is clear enough. But there is a problem, other than the obvious ethical one. Bruneau and Kteily also surveyed Muslim Americans. And the more they feel dehumanized, the less likely they are to report activities that might be related to radicalization."

"This is a vicious and dangerous cycle: dehumanizing rhetoric, leading to distrust of government and law enforcement, contributing to tragedies that feed dehumanizing rhetoric. Both our ideals and our safety are compromised when politicians provide permission for bigotry."

Link to Gerson column