Dick Robinson: Questionable respect for Trump supporters

In his March 19 column “No, not Trump, not ever,” David Brooks forthrightly characterized Donald Trump as immature, childish, unprepared, unrealistic, narcissistic and dishonest, among other flaws that make him “epically” unfit for the presidency. However, he urged “respect” for Trump’s supporters, “a coalition of the dispossessed” who have “suffered lost jobs, lost wages, lost dreams.”

It may be true that many Trump supporters fit the category of “dispossessed,” for whom sympathy about their dire economic and social circumstances is entirely warranted. However, I wonder if they are entitled to respect.

They are blindly putting their trust in someone who offers absolutely no proposals that could realistically address their discontent. They are enthusiastic participants in Trump’s circus performances, where dissenters deserve to be “punched in the nose.” Worse, they are slavishly signing on to a campaign founded on prejudice, ignorance and hatred.

If they really are applauding the exclusion of refugees on the basis of their religion, if they agree that Mexicans are rapists and criminals, if they agree that women are “bimbos” and disabled people are laughable, if they subscribe to his vision of military violence as the only valid response to international challenges, then I submit that they do not deserve our respect.

This story was originally published April 12, 2016 at 5:25 PM with the headline "Dick Robinson: Questionable respect for Trump supporters."