Is the Country Becoming Trumpian? The Media is Fanning the Flames

I am watching the unwatchable Chuck Todd right now. He just gave out some poll numbers that you know fill him with joy.

A majority of some poll they did shows that most Americans want ground troops in Syria and most are opposed to having more Syrian refugees come in to the country.

I've said that I think Paris will make the GOP more Trumpian which I like.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2015/11/18/wanted-a-gop-presidential-candidate-who-is-actually-serious-about-foreign-policy/

http://lastmenandovermen.blogspot.com/2015/11/paris-attacks-will-solidify-gop-as.html

However, which I don't like so much-but could be part of the deal-is that it will also make the larger public-the independents-more Trumpian

Right now Todd is pressing Homeland Security Adviser Lisa Monaco on why Paris happened-what failures are behind  this? Haven't we underestimated ISIS?

He then starts quizzing her on Syrian refugees: how many are turned away. .In his mind this is how you judge the quality of the screening process-the more turned away the better.

I'd love to say that the odious Todd is alone here but this is the general tone. The Beltway seems to want to fan the flames of Trumpism-and Ben Carson. Hatred and fear of immigrants, especially those with the wrong religion.

There's the narrative among much of the Beltway that the President has had the wrong tone. He has really been criticized by some for how he spoke yesterday though he was exactly right.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/obama-republicans-syrian-refugees-orphans

John Kerry has also been criticized and smeared as justifying the Charlie Hebdo attack. This is the same silly attitude you saw in the Bush era. If I say someone did an evil thing for a particular motive this doesn't mean I'm justifying it. The Hebdo attack wasn't random. That's all he was saying.

But it's been declared 'a gaffe' that Kerry supposedly has to apologize for.

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/11/john-kerry-terrorist-attack-rationale-216023

Kevin Drum had a piece this morning that I dismissed initialy.

"Liberals Should Knock Off the Mockery Over Calls to Limit Syrian Refugees"

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2015/11/liberals-should-knock-mockery-over-calls-limit-syrian-refugees

I disagreed-and still do. I don't think that such miserable prejudice and fear deserves respect. But Drum's argument is that while liberals may think it's silly and contemptible, many average Americans don't. The idea that we should limit Syrian refugees in response to Friday makes sense to them and we liberals shouldn't mock that.

I don't agree but then, that's my nature. I don't feel much obligation to dignify things that don't deserve any dignity. I see this appeal to anti Muslim prejudice as craven and pathetic and not worthy of any respect, much less dignity.

But I guess it might turn out that he has a point-maybe many Americans are buying into this.

Silly me, I thought maybe America had learnt something since the Bush years.

Anyway, we'll see how much public opinion has been affected and how long it lasts. We've had wall to wall coverage from the media for four straight days now-understandably so-so this poll might reflect the immediate aftermath.

Then too you have to look at how the questions are framed. This makes all the difference. Even if a pollster was able to somehow cull the response from respondents, doesn't necessarily mean they really want ground troops. I sure hope not.

We will only know with time and more polls and other gauges.

But you wonder if Obama's decison to delay the shutdown of Gitmo is related to this.

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/11/guantanamo-gitmo-cuba-216030

UPDATE: On the other hand, once HRC gets out of the Dem primary she can certainly come across as very credible on defeating ISIS. The catch is that the emopgrogs in the Dem party will sniff that she sounds Republican.