The Donald Trump era has sprouted so many trees that it is difficult to see the forest. The drama over the Mueller investigation, the daily inflammatory tweets, the gift to corporations masquerading as “tax reform,” the regular assaults on the FBI … all these things and more obscure the tectonic shift that Republicans, and some Democrats, are resisting.
The United States has been moving inexorably toward a more inclusive, more diverse, more tolerant society. Civil rights, gay rights and women’s rights have been central to this progress since the 1950s. It has been messy, uneven and episodic, but the trend line is unmistakable. Even in the George W. Bush years, the progress continued, albeit with hiccups and a disastrous, illegal, dishonest war.
Resistance to this progress is part of the story, but the deeper truth of this moment in American history is implicit in immigration and immigration “reform.” The specific issues — the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA, the great Wall of Trump, fear of terrorism — are secondary. The real issue is the fear of white Americans that “their” country is at risk.
The Census Bureau predicts that non-white children will slide into the majority as early as 2020. By 2044, the bureau predicts, the United States will no longer be a white majority nation. This shift is due to many things, including birth rates, immigration and increasing numbers of families that are multi-ethnic.
Consider the Trump administration’s latest offer on DACA. Trump promises a path to citizenship for these innocent Americans — but it is a Faustian bargain. The trade-offs are the real motive: A dramatic reduction in overall immigration, reducing by more than half the number of refugees accepted into the country, ending so-called chain migration and ending the visa lottery system in favor of a merit-based system.
The change to “chain migration” is particularly mean-spirited, as it severely limits the ability of immigrant families to reunite extended family.
The way Trump describes the visa lottery system, as a random acceptance of anyone including terrorists, is demagoguery at its worst. The lottery system has been an effective way of making the system as equitable as possible and it requires serious vetting of candidates. His characterization is a bald-faced lie.
Trump’s careless comments in an Oval Office meeting about the desirability of immigrants from Norway were revealing. They’re white. Not that any Norwegian of sound mind would wish to become an American, at least not the current iteration of American.
Donald Trump, his nasty, boyish muse Stephen Miller, and overt racists like Richard Spencer and Steve Bannon, are all operating from the same fear and resentment. They see the future as predicted by the Census Bureau and will resort to any means to stanch the inflow of people of color. Using anecdotes to portray Mexicans as drug dealers and rapists or Muslims as terrorists is pure propaganda, giving cover to the real motivation.
These policy proposals are not about safety and security. They are about white hegemony.
The fear of loss motivates a great deal of conservative politics. The various efforts to protect “religious liberty” are nothing of the sort. They are intended to re-establish the de facto pre-eminence of Christianity in our schools and communities. The angry cries of All Lives Matter in response to Black Lives Matter are responses to the fear that white dominance and the subtle subjugation of minorities are under siege. The anti-feminist backlash, seen recently in the characterization of independent women as “she-devils,” is a conservative longing to return to the time when women knew their place.
When the history of this era is written, there will be three central themes. Things like Russian influence in elections and Trump’s dalliance with Stormy Daniels will be sidebars.
Will we come to our senses and disarm the world before we intentionally or mistakenly immolate the planet with nuclear warfare? Will we halt the decimation of the planet by acknowledging the damages inflicted by greenhouse gases? And will we continue to be a beacon of light for freedom and opportunity, or will we close our borders and our hearts in order to preserve privilege and prosperity for only those most like us?
That is the essential struggle playing out in plain sight, if we can see beyond the trees.
Steve Nelson lives in Boulder, Colo., and Sharon. He can be reached at stevehutnelson@ gmail.com.