Washington Post editorial: Trump, Breitbart 'normalizing bigotry'
By Editorial Board September 30 at 6:26 PM
ONE OF the most disturbing aspects of the presidential candidacy of Donald Trump is the legitimization it has provided for extremist discourse. Rhetoric that properly has been taboo in this country for a generation overt racism, sexism, anti-Semitism has begun to seep back into politics, with Mr. Trump and his closest associates providing cover. A telling example appeared this week in the form of a personal attack on the website Breitbart, whose executive chairman is Stephen K. Bannon, Mr. Trumps campaign chairman. Its subject was Anne Applebaum, who is one of The Posts most distinguished opinion columnists, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and as the item repeatedly and gratuitously pointed out a woman of Jewish origin.
Nominally a response to Ms. Applebaums writings about populist movements in Europe and their resemblances to the Trump campaign, the piece was written by an obscure Polish American writer who has an agreement with the foreign ministry of Polands right-wing nationalist government to assist with communications. He described Ms. Applebaum as manipulating a shadowy global network of journalists and commentators (including this editorial page) in order to slander the current regime in Warsaw, which has been accused by the European Commission, the Council of Europe and the Obama administration of endangering democratic checks and balances.
Hell hath no fury like a Polish, Jewish, American elitist scorned, proclaimed the Breitbart article. Anyone who doubts the intention of the Polish foreign ministrys chosen propagandist in using those terms need only read the comments beneath the article, which uncensored by Breitbart staff reek with anti-Semitic slurs.
We sought Mr. Bannons reaction to his websites publication of the article, and in particular to its identification of Ms. Applebaum as Jewish. The only response from an aide was that the Trump campaign chairman was on leave from the website. In other words, Mr. Bannon has no objection. Expect more openly anti-Semitic rants at his website and, if Mr. Trump is elected, in the United States at large.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/donald-trump-is-normalizing-bigotry/2016/09/30/9d754b2e-8731-11e6-a3ef-f35afb41797f_story.html?utm_term=.83453fb07816