In addition to the deplorable terrorist attacks in Brussels, Belgium, and President Obama’s historic trip to Cuba and Argentina, last week was full of events, leaving the presidential candidates with much to talk about. The former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton took on this issue in a speech laying out her plan to combat terrorism, declaring that, “we must fight them in the air, we must fight them on the ground, and we have to fight them in cyberspace,” and criticizing her Republican opponents for their ignorance of the problems plaguing the world and how to face them.
The former Secretary referred to the comments filled with racism and intolerance which apparently are the only things that comes out of the Republicans’ mouths lately. The republican front runner, Donald Trump, after a terrible reception at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s Policy Conference, said he wants to deny entry to any of the more than 1.5 billion Muslims who inhabit this planet. Comments that incite his political base even if they do terrible damage to the public discourse. But Donald Trump is not the only one.
The Cuban-American senator from Texas and presidential candidate, Ted Cruz, is no stranger when it comes to inappropriate comments made about minority communities. After the terrorist attacks, Senator Cruz said that we must empower police departments to patrol more often neighborhoods inhabited by Muslims, comparing it with the strategy used to combat gang violence. This kind of rhetoric is very dangerous because history teaches us what happens when police forces have a license to discriminate and monitor certain minority groups without having reason to do so.
It is obvious, based on what they say and how they behave, that the Republican candidates are very comfortable when flirting with totalitarian ideas driven by the fear and uncertainty of voters. We all agree in saying that slavery, the Holocaust, and the internment camps for the Japanese, among others, are negative marks in the history of mankind. But many these events began in the same way as these candidates demonize the Muslim community, which has nothing to do with the fight against violent and unscrupulous group that hides behind religion. A true leader does not encourage our fear, they vanishes them with solutions that unite us, and they do not use divisive rhetoric.
Since last June the media has not stopped criticizing Trump for his racist rhetoric and more recently to provoke violence between his supporters and those who protest at his events. But let us not forget that they are all the same. The more we learn about Ted Cruz and his totalitarian ideas the more we realize that no matter who wins this Republican presidential primary it will give us the same result, leaving the Republican Party looking to survive in a society that is not on the side of racism and intolerance.
Friends, there is still time to register to vote. Although the Republican side options are very poor, Democrats have candidates ready to lead with an inclusive, intelligent, and realistic plans to combat terrorism and other problems facing us.
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