October 28, 2024

Trump’s MSG Rally Draws Historical Comparisons

Yesterday, former President Donald Trump held a rally in the heart of New York City at the famed Madison Square Garden. It’s a venue well known for being the home of a couple of professional sports teams, a frequent stop for well-known bands and musicians — and the location of one of the most infamous events in America leading up to World War II. In 1939, a group called the “German-American Bund” held what was on the outside a celebration of George Washington’s 207the birthday, but was really a show of support to Nazi Germany’s rise to power in Europe.

Why this particular comparison? Various politicians over the years have conducted rallies and similar events without invoking such historical precedents. However, the Trump campaign has increasingly embraced rhetoric that borders on fascism and is overtly racist. While yesterday’s event may have superficially contrasted with that of 85 years ago by being distinctly pro-Jewish — or more accurately, pro-Israel — the specter of history was palpable as Trump and other speakers persistently criticized immigrants in general, with a specific focus on Latinos. An opening act, purportedly a “comedian,” derogatorily labeled Puerto Rico as an island of trash. Another speaker asserted that “America is for Americans — and Americans only,” presenting a grim counterpoint to the ideals embodied by the Statue of Liberty, located a scant five miles from the venue. The main speaker of the evening doubled down on his recent statements, characterizing immigrants as an invasive force of violent and/or unstable criminals, and described the United States as “an occupied country.”

(It should be noted that the Trump campaign claims that the comedian’s statements don’t reflect those of the former president or his campaign as a whole. However, it’s quite curious that his speech was loaded into the teleprompter word for word, considering that campaigns usually vet every single detail that goes into those machines. We report, you decide.)

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Presidents Are Not Kings

An important thing to remember about the United States is, recent Supreme Court rulings aside, the President is not a King. By that I mean, while most presidents have an ambitious agenda on Inauguration Day, it often comes to a screeching halt when it comes to getting the other two branches of government to help enact that agenda. For instance, President Joe Biden has repeatedly been stymied by the Republican-led House of Representatives; and executive actions he’s signed (like multiple attempts to forgive student debt loans) have been struck down by the conservative-led majority of the Supreme Court.

You can easily see why both campaigns are working hard to not only get their respective candidates elected, but also enough representatives and senators in place to actually enact their policies. While the top of the ticket is neck-and-neck between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, control of both houses of Congress is just as tight, with Republicans having a bit of an edge. The Senate is currently just barely controlled by Democrats, 51-49, but with 23 Democratic seats up for reelection to the GOP’s 11, the numbers are not looking good for the blue team. The House, which elects all 435 members every two years, is currently split 220-212 to the Republicans’ favor (with three vacancies), but only about 24 of those seats are at all competitive.

This means both campaigns are very concerned over “ticket splitting”, where a person may vote for one party for President, but a different party for the lower races on the ballot. It’s one thing to get your candidate elected, but if the winner takes office while immediately being hog-tied by divided government, that means that their hopes, goals, and agenda from the campaign are largely off the table. On top of that, while the Supreme Court is of course not up for a vote, keep in mind the so-called “McConnell Rule” where a President’s nominations for open positions on the Court can now be halted by a Senate of the opposing party. Moreover, there are some concerns that, since every cabinet post has to be approved by the Senate as well, this could bring to a halt a new administration’s ability to organize.

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Pennsylvania: Key(stone) to the Election?

Finally, for my Pennsylvania readers, I wanted to bring to your attention a story posted earlier today by NPR, where Morning Edition hosts Michel Martin and Steve Inskeep traveled around the Keystone State to get a feel for how the candidates’ messages are resonating. Check it out here:

https://www.npr.org/2024/10/28/g-s1-30043/harris-trump-election-pennsylvania-voters-swing-state