icon bookmark-bicon bookmarkicon cameraicon checkicon chevron downicon chevron lefticon chevron righticon chevron upicon closeicon v-compressicon downloadicon editicon v-expandicon fbicon fileicon filtericon flag ruicon full chevron downicon full chevron lefticon full chevron righticon full chevron upicon gpicon insicon mailicon moveicon-musicicon mutedicon nomutedicon okicon v-pauseicon v-playicon searchicon shareicon sign inicon sign upicon stepbackicon stepforicon swipe downicon tagicon tagsicon tgicon trashicon twicon vkicon yticon wticon fm
14 Nov, 2016 16:53

‘Obama did nothing to restrain things’ - Michael Smith

‘Obama did nothing to restrain things’ - Michael Smith

The Liberals gave us Trump, because they didn’t really address the underlying problems that Americans have, attorney and author Michael Smith told RT America’s Chris Hedges.

With the election of Donald Trump Americans, expect changes in the US. As for them, it is repudiation of the neo-liberal policies of the ruling financial and political elites. But will anything change, or will Trump’s presidency trigger unrest and potentially harsher and more violent forms of state control?

Where did Donald Trump come from? Chris Hedges discussed what to expect under a Donald Trump-led US with Michael Smith, attorney and co-editor of Imagine: Living in a Socialist USA. 

It’s like a fairy tale. It’s like this monster that was conjured up. Where did he come from? I think he expressed the real frustration and anger of a lot of people who were sick of the corporate liberal elite [both Democratic and Republican.] He was smart enough to be able plug into that. The guy was a reality TV star, so he knew what he was doing. He came out with all that demagoguery about Muslims, Mexicans, rapists, etc."

"[The attack on Free Trade agreements were] key. The states that he won, which had gone over to Obama twice: the Rust Belt, where I come from, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania – they all voted for him, based on his demagoguery about how he was going to bring jobs back, which ain’t going to happen.”

I think a lot of the people voted for Trump would get offended if you called them racists. Even though there are some hard-line racists like the Ku Klux Klan, or something outright, who supported him.”

Obama didn’t do anything to restrain things. They’re still killing Black people in the streets; they attacked the Dakota Access pipeline in October viciously with weapons, dogs, and rubber bullets; put hundreds of people in jails all across the states. Obama presided over the closing down of the Occupy Movement.”

The Liberals gave us Trump, because they didn’t really address the underlying problems that we, Americans, have. There was a lot of glitz, Obama’s campaign, hope in change. But of you look closely at his rhetoric – it was vapid, you could read anything you wanted into it; he was really good at it,” attorney Michael Smith said.

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.

Podcasts
0:00
23:13
0:00
25:0