So one of Trump’s “top strategists,” Stephanie Cegielski, has resigned in protest over his recent tweet on the atrocity in Lahore, and written an open letter to his followers denouncing her boss. This has been seized upon by various “progressives” as a great cudgel with which to beat the Donald about his goodish head. One of his own inner circle, giving him a “brutal” beatdown! Surely that will shake the rabble to their senses!
Somehow I doubt if Trump supporters will be swayed by her message; they seem impervious to any punctures in their bubble of delusion. But frankly, why should we respect the “insights” of someone who was inane enough to “believe” in Trump in the first place? And not only that, but eager to work for him? Someone who was “excited” by his misogynist attacks on female reporters, excited by his “politically incorrect” statements — Mexicans as murderers, barring Muslims, “bringing back waterboarding and worse,” “too bad we can’t beat up protestors anymore,” tweeting false stats from racist websites to push “black on white crime” fearmongering, etc., etc. She was excited by all this, and helped propagate these messages for months on end.
And now, only now, with his ridiculous statement about Pakistan — which was certainly no more ridiculous and megalomaniacal than many other statements she has been happy to promote — she suddenly finds he has gone too far? This is hard to believe. She was very happy — excited, eager — to help Trump inject virulent poison into the political debate day after day. Even if, as she now claims, she did it only to help launch a “protest” campaign, not actually elect Trump, what does it say that she was happy to do such things — under any circumstances, for whatever reason?
It’s good, I guess, that she has stopped helping propagate the messages of hatred, ignorance, violence and division which she was “excited” about pushing until last week. But her evident lack of common sense, common decency, intellectual acumen or depth of insight — as amply demonstrated by her ardent, “devoted” service to Trump in the first place — certainly undermines her effectiveness as Trump critic, to say the least. For even now, she expresses not the slightest regret for the vicious tropes she helped propound. Obviously, she still believes that Mexican immigrants are murderers and rapists, that we should build a “Great Wall” and “make the Mexicans pay for it,” that we should ban Muslims from entering the country, that we should target the families of suspected terrorists, that we should torture people and so on. There are no regrets at all about the neofascist message she’s been pushing — just disappointment in the messenger.
Well, don’t worry, Ms. Cegielski. Thanks in no small part to your own efforts, you can be sure the next unvarnished neofascist to seek high office will display all the “serious” policy chops you require in a “strong leader” who will “make America great again.” Trump is but a forerunner for the apotheosis to come. So keep the faith!