There Is a "Basket of Deplorables," and They Do Support Trump

Tons of polling demonstrate this "deplorable" phenomenon. Saying it might not be wise.

A fascist by any name is deplorable. (thanks @ilduce2016)

I wish Hillary Clinton didn't open up the "basket of deplorables" can of worms, but she did. As Charles Blow points out in today's NYTimes, there are things that are true that politicians shouldn't say:

What Clinton said was impolitic, but it was not incorrect. There are things a politician cannot say. Luckily, I’m not a politician.

Donald Trump is a deplorable candidate — to put it charitably — and anyone who helps him advance his racial, religious and ethnic bigotry is part of that bigotry. Period. Anyone who elevates a sexist is part of that sexism. The same goes for xenophobia. You can’t conveniently separate yourself from the detestable part of him because you sense in him the promise of cultural or economic advantage. That hair cannot be split.

Furthermore, one doesn’t have to actively hate to contribute to a culture that allows hate to flourish.

Donald Trump has gathered behind him a deplorable rabble. He's also gathered next to them a bunch of people that dislike him but feel he'll represent their ideologies and economic interests more than Clinton will, thus we have two "baskets." Hillary spoke of both, and the political media seized on only one because it sizzled. Typical -- the political media as vultures (more on that in another post).

Charles Blow gets to it:

It doesn’t matter how lovely your family, how honorable your work or service, how devout your faith — if you place ideological adherence or economic self interest above the moral imperative to condemn and denounce a demagogue, then you are deplorable.

If you analyze, as some political commentators have, what Hillary Clinton was both intending to convey and hoping to accomplice, you sense that she might have been making a bold gambit: peeling off a segment of Trumps supporters who would say, "Oh my God, she's right, do I want to stand with them?"

So the real basket of deplorables aren't coming her way but the better basket might yield some supporters who reflect on what she said and abandon Donald Trump.

As usual, in this day of journalists pushing their narratives -- OMG SHE SAID WHAT? -- instead of calmly analyzing the inherent truth of something when you allow it to exist in context, you get this political hysteria because THAT'S MUCH MORE FUN.

But it isn't, it's degrading, uninformative, and bad for the country. Hopefully, voters will somehow sort it out. Otherwise, the outcome the coming election will be deplorable indeed.