Stepping away briefly from the planetary reaction to the apparent demise of Osama bin Laden [please log-in for continuing international reaction to that story], this article from Germany shows again how interesting it can be to see oneself through the eyes of others. Unfortunately, in the case of Donald Trump, what those others happen to see is nothing short of alarming.
For Der Spiegel, columnist Marc Pitzke warns his readers that if they thought the 2008 U.S. presidential race was nasty, they had batter strap themselves in for one of the most shocking campaigns on record in 2012:
In the gestating Republican primary campaign, the real estate shark and speculator has quickly taken the lead – as a political clown, comedy act and caricature of himself. But what’s not so funny is this: Trump is setting the tone. The fact that an airhead like Trump is able to determine the content of news reports says a lot about the political state of America.
Without having formally declared himself a candidate, Trump, with the help of an obliging media, has already succeeded in dragging the race for the White House deep into the mud. His absurd contention that President Obama may not have been born in the United States prompted the latter to present his birth certificate. “A low-point for American politics,” opined The New York Times. “Embarrassing” and “worrisome,” seconded The Washington Post.
Welcome to the U.S. presidential election, or at least its flashy overture. For those who thought the last episode four years ago had fallen far enough below the belt – with its escalating tirades and racist overtones, it is time to prepare for more record lows.
Because Trump openly says what the angry far-right minority thinks, without filter, without shame, or any sense of decorum. Cheerfully, he stabs at a hornet’s nest, catering to the racist stereotypes of Americans who still haven’t accepted the fact that a Black man was elected president.
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