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"deplorables " from hillary clinton

supporters of Republican rival Donald Trump belonged in a "basket of deplorables" of people who were racist, homophobic, sexist, xenophobic, or Islamophobic.- hillary cinton

Donald Trump is wrong about Hillary Clinton's 'deplorable' remarks








Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said half the supporters of Republican rival Donald Trump belonged in a "basket of deplorables" of people who were racist, homophobic, sexist, xenophobic, or Islamophobic.

Eric ZornContact ReporterChange of Subject

"It was said with such anger, such unbelievable anger, and I think this is the biggest mistake of the political season. I really do." — Donald Trump, speaking Monday on Fox News about Hillary Clinton's accusation that half his supporters belong in a "basket of deplorables."

First, no, there wasn't a hint of anger in Clinton's voice Friday when she called out "the racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic (and) Islamophobic" elements in Trump's base. "Unfortunately there are people like that," she said in a matter-of-fact, even slightly sorrowful tone obvious to anyone who has watched video of the moment. "And he has lifted them up."

It was reminiscent of Trump's hyperbolic assessment of moderator Megyn Kelly's exchange with him at a Republican primary debate in the summer of 2015: "She had great anger when she was questioning me … she became very angry," he said, even though viewers plainly saw that Kelly was calm and measured when pressing Trump on remarks he'd made that were critical of women.

Second, no, Clinton's remarks were not "the biggest mistake of the political season."

Trump's seemingly gynecological assessment of Kelly's demeanor — "there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her ... wherever" — was a bigger mistake.

As was Trump's bashing of the Gold Star family that criticized him during a speech to the Democratic National Convention.

As was Trump's spastic imitation of a disabled reporter with whom he had differences.

As was Trump's declaration that American-born U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel couldn't be fair when presiding over a lawsuit against Trump University because he "is of Mexican heritage" — a remark that Republican U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan called "textbook" racism.

As was Trump's denial that he knew who famed white supremacist David Duke.

As was Trump's cavalier dismissal of the service record of Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, who was a prisoner of war in North Vietnam for five years: "He's a war hero because he was captured," Trump said. "I like people who weren't captured."

As was Trump's preposterous assertion that he knows more about how to combat the Islamic State than U.S. military generals.

As was Trump's invitation to his pals in Russia to do additional computer hacking into Democratic party servers.

As was … well, you get the idea. Trump has cornered the market on preposterous, offensive, ill-advised and utterly false utterances.

And third, no, Clinton's remarks probably weren't a mistake at all. The words seemed pretty well-scripted as she delivered them — this was not a classic political gaffe in which someone inadvertently blurts out what he or she really thinks, but a well-aimed shot at a disquieting weakness in the Trump campaign.

His fervid nationalistic rhetoric hasgiven succor to racists, homophobes, xenophobes and Islamophobes. In drawing them from the margins (back) into the mainstream, Trump is creating a social climate that increasingly threatens the progress America has made toward pluralism and multiculturalism.

The next day Clinton issued a qualified retraction, saying she regretted the specificity of the "half" estimate that has so aggrieved those who presumably think of themselves in the non-deplorable half. "What's really deplorable is that Donald Trump hired a major advocate for the so-called 'alt-right' movement to run his campaign," she went on, "and that David Duke and other white supremacists see him as a champion of their values."

She left it to the media to unearth poll after poll suggesting that birthers, racists and religious bigots are generously represented among likely Trump voters. Why would that be? What does it tell us about the consequences of a Trump victory in November?

It's a national conversation the Clinton campaign was pleased to have kick-started.

But yes, Clinton short-circuited that conversation with a blunder that may actually rank up there with the biggest mistakes of the political season: She chose not to go public with the information that she'd been diagnosed with pneumonia Friday and to take it easy while she recovered, and instead to try to power through and hope no one noticed.

We've all seen the result by now — a health "episode" captured on video as Clinton was leaving early Sunday from a 9/11 memorial service in New York, reportedly suffering from the heat. She appeared nearly to collapse while being helped into an SUV, a frightening moment that, combined with her failure to disclose the pneumonia diagnosis, drew out from the fringes the wild rumors that she's actually suffering from a seriously debilitating condition.

If she's unable to clear that up — prove a negative and reassure voters that she's up to the rigors of one of the most rigorous jobs in the world — then we may not return to the topic of the passionate support Trump enjoys among the very worst of us.

And that would be deplorable.

Twitter @EricZorn

Copyright © 2016, Chicago Tribune

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