Donald Trumps momentum has nothing to do with his ability to articulate his positions or his policies. He won't win any personality contests or debates. His demeanor may be imposing and his New York brashness may put off people, but what The Donald has going for him is way bigger than he is.

What is carrying him to the White House is what he rightly described last night in the debate. It is a Movement.

He said it almost as a throw away line, but it is the truth: He said to Hillary, "Why didn't you do anything about all these issues before this movement came along?"

Once again, the man who has blown up all of the traditional campaign templates, who defies the pollsters, and who is for all intensive purposes a bigot, racist, arrogant and selfish real estate developer who has ripped off thousands of his employees, and a man who degrades and uses women, has once again surprised the pundits by surviving his TV confrontation with Don Hillary.

Why?

It is the Movement that is providing the wave Trump is riding. The Movement of voters who have decided they simply will not stick their collective heads out, to accept the empty promises of the Washington Elites, only to have the Establishment chop off their hopes... Again.

Social movements, like teams that play above their talent level, are a phenomena. They can be unexplainable, because they are made up of entirely unique elements of timing and history that may never be repeatable.

Trump never set out to be a politician, let alone the President. But he sensed a need, paddled in the direction of the swell, and BOOM, he dropped right in to a wave that seems to be building toward the shore.

​The rest of the political surfers can only watch from outside the break.

If I were consulting Trump, here is how I would have him respond to Hillary Clinton's incredibly stupid comments about the millions of voters supporting his candidacy:

"Calling my supporters 'deplorables' is hate speech. Plain and simple, it illustrates her bigotry. Placing millions of our fellow Americans in a blasphemous 'basket' is unacceptable behaviour for someone aspiring to the nation's highest office, or for any political office for that matter.

Using such a pejorative description of a broad cross section of our fellow citizens from all walks of life is the epitome of arrogance and condescension. She is suggesting that we are all ignorant bigots. This is narrow-minded, slanderous hatred.

Her suggestion that 'you could put them all into a basket' is an ad hominem attack on millions of Americans, people who work hard, try to support their families, to follow the rules, to participate in the democracy we all enjoy. It is guilt by association, classifying her opposition as "racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic, you name it" is no different than generalizing that all Muslims are terrorists.

There is no excuse for a person with her level of education, experience in public service and social policy to exhibit so much hatred for fellow Americans who disagree with her politically.

Finally, I challenge our Fourth Estate, the news media, to recognize this soft bigotry for what it is; to report this transgression accurately without their usual spin.  

I have to wonder, if I had said, "Mrs. Clinton's supporters are despicable", what would have been the mainstream press' response?

Every one of the millions of voters who cast their vote for me in the primaries can only imagine how vehemently the press would have called for me to drop out of the race.

​Of course we can expect a reaction from these comments; the press and the Democrats will use moral relativism to suggest that her idiotic accusations are no worse than my recommendation to vet all Muslim immigrants until we can determine who they are and what their motives are for coming to our country in an era of international terrorist attacks on innocent citizens.

The difference is I can back up my security recommendations with facts. Hillary is simply spewing personal animosity for those that disagree with her policies. That, my fellow Americans, is bigotry defined."

(This piece first appeared in the Op Ed pages of The Coast News, September 2, 2016)
 
The controversy over the protest by Colin Kaepernick to remain seated during a pregame singing of the National Anthem is not about the young man. He is simply a symptom of the larger disease many Americans are suffering over the flawed assumption that we all love America in the same way.
 
I don't for a minute think Colin hates America. Same with most Black Lives Matters people, or Occupy Wall Street or any number of disgruntled minority groups that yell obscenities at our veterans or walk on the American flag.
 
I think, and I can only hope I am right, that he is doing something to bring attention to a condition that is, at least in his mind, deprecating the legacy of the America we all love. I want to believe Colin is a truly patriotic American.
 
Otherwise, I would have to assume he is just an idiot. His insular protest comes off as self absorbed and petulant. Not the best way to stir interest and sympathy for your cause.
 
He may be confused, immature and misinformed, but I believe his motives are noble.and more importantly, he is by no means alone in his sentiments. That fact alone is extremely sad and disturbing. He is certainly right about one thing, there is conflict in our American family and we must confront it, or it will consume us.
 
We can agree that there are pockets of extreme poverty, despair and violence in America. We can also agree that there is a disproportionate amount of crime and law enforcement activity in the poorest black neighborhoods, which more often than is acceptable, leads to a tragic loss of life. No one element of our society is entirely to blame. The condition of the inner cities is a much bigger problem than any simplistic policy initiative, or symbolic protest by a football player, is going to fix.
 
So here is my take: Instead of pointing out how many flaws, indignities and weaknesses that our homeland has, people like Kaepernick, who have issues with how authority is exercised in the poorest inner cities of our country, would serve their goals much more effectively by celebrating the American Dream, rather than disrespecting it.
 
By pointing to his own experience as an example of how it can be realized, and then, in more private ways, Kaepernick could put together non-profit foundations, support volunteer action committees and neighborhood representatives who, in the true spirit of American-style entrepreneurial action and opportunity, would work toward a consolidated resolution of the injustices he is pointing at, which certainly do occur. This kind of direct action would engender widespread support, from all walks of politics and race.
 
Patriots who respect the ideals of America, aspire to build communities, not to divide and destroy them.
 
Bill and Melinda Gates develop and operate hundreds of charities and foundations all over the world. No one can challenge their efforts to make the world a better place. They also represent true American ideals and are ambassadors for freedom and opportunity. Ditto with many other popular and successful black leaders such as Magic Johnson.
 
Some of us disagree with Kaepernick's way of protesting, but most Americans of any political persuasion agree that our nation is not perfect. Like any living, breathing thing, our Americanism is made up of humans. Our police departments are made up of humans. The inner cities are too. None of us are perfect.
 
Politically, we have our differences, but ideologically, we are all Americans. We are family.
 
It is vital that we all appreciate how so many imperfect fellow Americans, of all persuasions, have historically sacrificed so much, just so all of us descendents of the much harder times before and during the founding of our unique experiment in human self management, could be handed the opportunity, and dare I say, the obligation, to work together toward a more perfect union.