Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich asked rhetorically whether President-elect Donald Trump has “decency.” Reich believes that Trump’s bullying — especially the verbal grenades launched from his Twitter account — pose “a clear and present danger to our democracy.” Reich cited, among other examples, Trump’s tweet-slam of union leader Chuck Jones as an example in an article he wrote for CNN.
Reich asserts that no president has ever “spoken directly to large numbers of his followers to disparage individual citizens” — as Trump has done. Reich’s hope is that Trump’s character assassinations will end when the public asks him, as red-baiting Joseph McCarthy was once asked, “Have you no decency, sir?” But many have asked that question about Trump and were recently informed by the electorate that he has decency enough for them. And when others in the media and public sphere have impugned his decency, Trump has invariably called the criticism “unfair!” (and worse) from his pulpit. His followers rally behind him, sympathizing with a victimized billionaire who has been elected to the most powerful position on earth.
Just had a very open and successful presidential election. Now professional protesters, incited by the media, are protesting. Very unfair!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 11, 2016
