Members of the Congressional Black Caucus fiercely criticized the way Donald Trump delivered his brief admission Friday that President Barack Obama was born in the United States, saying it was insufficient and demanding an apology for Trump’s years-long push of ‘birther’ claims.
‘This is a disgusting day,’ said Rep. G.K. Butterfield, a Democrat from North Carolina and chair of the CBC … ‘Trump is a disgusting fraud.’
One by one, members tore into Trump, calling him an array of names including ‘hater,’ ‘bigot’ and ‘racial arsonist.’
(CNN, September 16, 2016)
No doubt what most members find so galling and appalling is that Trump’s three-sentence, thirty-second admission contained two brazen lies:
- He blamed Hillary for birtherism, which is like Adolf Hitler blaming Franklin Roosevelt for Nazism.
- He sought praise for finally admitting what has always been true, which is like Lance Armstrong seeking praise for finally admitting that the people he destroyed to protect his doping lies were actually telling the truth.
But every American should be outraged by the way this warmongering draft dodger used war veterans as props to make his weak admission look strong. Not to mention the outrageous way he staged this admission at his new DC hotel and used the press to promote it, but refused to answer a single question – like, Why now, Mr. Trump?
All the same, these black politicians are no more worthy of praise for finally denouncing Trump than Trump is for finally admitting the truth. After all, some of us were denouncing Trump in even more meaningful ways over five years ago.
Here, for example, is what I wrote in “Trump for President? Don’t Be a Sucker,” April 8, 2011.
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We all knew that Trump was a self-aggrandizing buffoon. But he has now exposed himself as a self-deluding racist as well.
This is why I urge the rich folks he depends on to patronize his eponymous resorts and buy up his eponymous condominiums to begin shunning him – just as they would a two-bit racist like David Duke. I urge this especially of the Black Hollywood and sports stars he likes to feature as extras in his one-man freak show.
Trump is entitled to say whatever he likes. But, at the very least, he should suffer truth and consequences for accusing this country’s first black president of being a Kenyan Muslim who has perpetrated ‘the biggest con in U.S. history.’
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Hence, instead of hurling feckless insults at Trump, members of the Congressional Black Caucus would be far more worthy of praise if they launched a coordinated campaign with Latinos, Muslims and white progressive to boycott every business that bears his name.
In other words, dare people to cross picket lines protesting racism, xenophobia, and misogyny to line this huckster’s pockets with their money. I doubt any self-respecting person would … and fewer people would attend his racist rallies, which masquerade as campaign events.
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