PHILIP MARTIN: Not rooting for this story

There's no cheering in the press box.

That's supposed to be one of the cardinal rules of sports writing, though it sometimes seems more honored in breach than in observance. Sportswriters aren't the only ones who ought to heed this dictum: journalists ought to make every effort to lay aside whatever personal feelings and opinions they might have when reporting a story. While I'd contend perfect objectivity is unobtainable and that we shouldn't pretend to it, reporters have an obligation to present a fair depiction of what's going on. They shouldn't root. Not even for the story.

What I do here and elsewhere in this newspaper is different from reporting. I'm supposed to have an opinion. I'm supposed to practice criticism. That doesn't mean I'm supposed to be a partisan hack repeating talking points or floating trial balloons for my buddies embedded in the business of politics. I don't do that, and couldn't if I wanted to because I don't have many friends in positions to feed me inside dope. But I'll admit that sometimes I root for the story.

There is part of me that would like to see Donald Trump become the Republican Party's presidential nominee. It would be a great story if an actual fascist--and Trump has earned the designation even if he hasn't embraced it--were to head the ticket for one of the country's dominant political parties. While I think this scenario ranks pretty high on the list of things Americans shouldn't be afraid of (right up there with poisoned Halloween candy, shark attacks and terrorism), were it to happen, we'd enjoy some fascinating chaos. The Republican Party would be torn apart--someone representing the values of mainstream conservative voters would likely step forward as a third-party option--and the Democratic nominee-to-be would stroll to victory.

Trump would continue to say outrageous things, and Trump's opponent would denounce him in increasingly emphatic terms, and columns like this one would write themselves. That in itself might be reason enough to root for the story.

Only I'm not rooting for it. This is not the College Football Playoff system. As much fun as it might be to parse Trump's appeal and what his remarkable illiberalism means for America, sometimes citizenship has to be put ahead of self-interest. The only responsible thing to do at this point is to report the truth: that the Trump candidacy has enjoyed such success is something of which we should all be ashamed.

I understand why Trump appeals to some people. He tells them what they want to hear, he appeals to their insecurities and validates their prejudices. He presents himself as an alternative to an enervated, frustrated, checked-and-balanced governmental scheme that presents as indecisive and ineffective. He posits himself as the solution, an American strongman unwilling to submit to the niceties of diplomacy or the mandates of the judiciary. He will build a wall and make the murderous rapey Mexicans pay for it. He will "surveil" the mosques. He will waterboard. He will do what is necessary to prevent Syrian immigrants from finding sanctuary in what we used to call the "land of the free and the home of the brave," what he calls "a dumping ground for the rest of the world."

Trump is a bully who appeals to cowards. It's only responsible to point that out. He has deformed public discourse, as his rivals for the Republican nomination (profiles in courage, all of them) have noted his poll numbers and followed his lead, appealing to our worst instincts.

It's not harmless to have Trump host Saturday Night Live or appear on Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show. To treat his simplistic outrage and belligerence as a showman's shtick--something akin to Jack Benny's frugality or Don Rickles' hostility--recklessly downplays the genuine ugliness Trump exhibits. Treating him as a kind of cartoon character, The Donald, tends to exempt him from standards of decency generally applied to grownups. Trump's hateful mocking of a disabled New York Times reporter (and his subsequent disingenuous attempt to deny that he was personally acquainted with the man) are just the latest signifiers of his character.

While I don't think there are enough fearful ugly Americans to elect Trump, it's disappointing that his Republican rivals and the Republican National Committee haven't done more to distance themselves from him. I imagine the RNC is working on it. Last week The Wall Street Journal reported Republican strategist Liz Mair is launching a group which will wage a "guerrilla campaign" against his candidacy.

It's about time. All decent Americans, no matter what their political leanings, ought to recognize the moral necessity of cutting off this narcissist's spotlight. He's trolling America; we should cease to feed him. We need to tell the truth about Trump. He's not a legitimate candidate, he's a demagogue and a liar. We shouldn't find this stuff amusing anymore.

I'm not rooting for this story. I'm rooting for this story to be over.

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Philip Martin is a columnist and critic for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Email him at pmartin@arkansasonline.com and read his blog at blooddirtandangels.com.

Editorial on 12/01/2015

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