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Michael Gerson: Trump, Supporters ‘Xenophobic’ ‘European Right Wing’
NewsBusters ^ | August 12, 2015 | Jeffrey Meyer

Posted on 08/12/2015 8:27:52 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

During an appearance on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 on Tuesday, Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson took a swipe at supporters of Trump and accused them of being ultra-right wing, nationalist individuals.

Gerson, who has been a harsh critic of Trump, argued that the Republican presidential candidate and his supporters have a “resentment of outside, of Mexico, of China, and immigrants. That's more like a European right wing part, a UKIP, or a National Front in France.”

(VIDEO-AT-LINK)

The Washington Post columnist maintained that Trump’s candidacy was a “serious issue here” and “not all fun and games for the Republican Party” and pushed the liberal line that his candidacy would be a major problem long-term:

There is one type of populism that is kind of against ObamaCare, is concerned about government's role in our life. And the Republican Party has incorporated that populist, the Tea Party populism. There’s another kind of populism that is xenophobic. The resentment of outsiders, of Mexico, of China, and immigrants.

That's more like a European right wing party, a UKIP, or a National Front in France. Republicans can't incorporate that. They have to make clear that there are lines here. This is not the party. And that is going to take, I think, a serious early effort to define that clearly.

See relevant transcript below.

CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360

August 11, 2015

ANDERSON COOPER: David, do you agree with Michael that the idea that Republicans have to basically, if they want to try to weaken Trump now, or even get him out of the race, they have to start hitting him harder and sooner?

DAVID GERGEN: I don’t. Michael has written an awfully good column and I think people should read it. But I sense, Anderson, that Trump is defying gravity as you said last night. He is going to come down. If the Republicans get, everyone get’s to attack him, what it’s going to be is it will be an extended debate going past last Thursday night on into the future, on into August and into September. And if they were to force him out early, I think by beating up on him, I think that he would be more likely to run the third party candidacy if he feels victimized. Everybody’s ganged up on him. I think he is more likely to run third party.

If on the other hand, the candidates, almost to a person, begin putting forward what they believe, what their agendas are, what they would like to see happen in a way say a John Kasich has, that seem to be a much smarter way to deal with him. Let the press beat up on him. There are plenty of commentators out there right now who are going after him day after day after day. I think he to an extent enjoys that, the jousting. He likes the attention. But I don't think it is the right strategy for all the Republican candidates to start trying to force him out of the race right now

COOPER: Michael, what about that? Do you risk kind of doing more harm? Kind of poking somebody who is more than willing to fight back and fight back twice as hard

MICHAEL GERSON: I think Republicans have seen what happens when they don't really confront him. And he takes the stage and knows how to take it. I think there's a serious issue here. This is not all fun and games for the Republican Party. There is one type of populism that is kind of against ObamaCare, is concerned about government's role in our life. And the Republican Party has incorporated that populist, the Tea Party populism.

There’s another kind of populism that is xenophobic. The resentment of outsiders, of Mexico, of China, and immigrants. That's more like a European right wing party, a UKIP, or a National Front in France. Republicans can't incorporate that. They have to make clear that there are lines here. This is not the party. And that is going to take, I think, a serious early effort to define that clearly.


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Government; Politics
KEYWORDS: 2016election; andersoncooper; bush; cnn; demagogicparty; election2016; georgewbush; immigration; jeb; jebbush; jeffreymeyer; karlrove; memebuilding; michaelgerson; nationalism; newyork; partisanmediashill; partisanmediashills; teaparty; trump; washingtoncompost; washingtonpost
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1 posted on 08/12/2015 8:27:52 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Did they mention anything about Hillary being a lying Felon?


2 posted on 08/12/2015 8:29:34 PM PDT by Kickass Conservative (THEY LIVE, and we're the only ones wearing the Sunglasses... RIP Roddy Piper.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

European?

Scratch a Trump supporter and you’re more likely to find an American tea party rebel.


3 posted on 08/12/2015 8:35:35 PM PDT by Jim Robinson (Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

FFrance before any other country mentioned above.


4 posted on 08/12/2015 8:35:52 PM PDT by Paladin2 (Ive given up on aphostrophys and spell chek on my current device...)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Guilty as charged.


5 posted on 08/12/2015 8:36:23 PM PDT by dfwgator
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

European right wing = liberals who are racist


6 posted on 08/12/2015 8:36:50 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
This is just crazy talk.

We're not askeered of Xena.


7 posted on 08/12/2015 8:37:04 PM PDT by Salamander (We're ALL Dixie, now.)
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To: nickcarraway

Ok, scratch that European part, but yes to the Ultra-Right Wing Nationalist part.


8 posted on 08/12/2015 8:37:37 PM PDT by dfwgator
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To: Salamander

I’m all for rampant Lawless-ness.


9 posted on 08/12/2015 8:39:42 PM PDT by Rastus
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Maybe Michael Gerson is Trumpophobic.


10 posted on 08/12/2015 8:39:53 PM PDT by tumblindice (America's founding fathers: all armed conservatives.)
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To: Rastus

I knew it!

:D


11 posted on 08/12/2015 8:40:25 PM PDT by Salamander (We're ALL Dixie, now.)
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To: dfwgator

Like Marine Lake Pen. I don’t think she has anything in common with the U.S. right.


12 posted on 08/12/2015 8:40:32 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: dfwgator

America First! Harding and Reagan won landslides with that motto.


13 posted on 08/12/2015 8:41:09 PM PDT by cowboyusa
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
"One of Gerson's first columns was entitled "Letting Fear Rule", in which he compared skeptics of President Bush's immigration reform bill to nativist bigots of the 1880s.[20]"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Gerson#Criticisms_of_Gerson_as_a_speechwriter

14 posted on 08/12/2015 8:41:33 PM PDT by PghBaldy (12/14 - 930am -rampage begins... 12/15 - 1030am - Obama's advance team scouts photo-op locations.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

15 posted on 08/12/2015 8:41:44 PM PDT by grey_whiskers (The opinions are solely those of the author and are subject to change without notice.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I am very proud of being an ultra right-wing nationalist. I would be very ashamed to be be anything else.


16 posted on 08/12/2015 8:44:08 PM PDT by erkelly
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I don’t think that there is anything wrong with nationalism.

This is our country. America does not belong to the rest of the world.

We decide who gets in and when, and I am damn sick of our traitorous government cheapening the value of American citizenship by giving it away like candy to anyone who sneaks in here, because it is engaged in some insane scheme to replace the native population of this country.

To Hell with that crap and anyone who supports it.


17 posted on 08/12/2015 8:48:56 PM PDT by chris37 (Heartless)
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To: erkelly
Gerson is the textbook example of a disgusting traitor Globalist.
18 posted on 08/12/2015 8:49:43 PM PDT by cowboyusa
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To: PghBaldy

His only research is watching “Gangs of New York”


19 posted on 08/12/2015 8:51:37 PM PDT by Forward the Light Brigade (Into the Jaws of H*ll Onward! Ride to the sound of the guns!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Hey Gerson: FOAD.


20 posted on 08/12/2015 8:57:41 PM PDT by TTFlyer
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