Coordinating. A benign term, right? It means what you think it might: Getting all the parts aligned to work efficiently for greater effectiveness – like an athlete coordinates movement or a meeting planner coordinates agendas.
Gleichschaltung is the German word for it. Translated from German it means alignment. Colloquially, to Germans in the 1930s, it meant “getting in line.” Gleichschaltung , or coordinating, describes how the Nazi’s engineered their accumulation of popular power.
In his well supported and carefully written essay presented in the Huffington Post, What Those Who Studied Nazis Can Teach Us About The Strange Reaction To Donald Trump, Shawn Hamilton, suggests a striking similarity to the “Gleichschaltung” which took place in Nazi Germany to the rise of reactionary populism today and the embodiment of its mores and behaviors in Donald Trump. For the full article click here.
“Coordinating” has two components: reprehensible or abnormal behavior and the ignoring of it. Small acts of civil disobedience at first ignored or excused morph into larger acts that become not so civil. Trump’s verbal misogyny turns physical with his comment about “grabbing ____.” The coordinating is not the reprehensible behavior but the ignoring, the making of excuses, the explaining away of it as if it were normal and mainstream. It is just “locker room talk.”
Trump has changed the way candidates vie for office now. Throughout his campaign, he ignored the standard rules and protocols like reporting taxes (or even paying them), articulating plans, speaking factually, being respectful; small acts of disobedience. No one really complained enough and in ways to hold him accountable.
Those small acts became larger, more egregious and much less civil. We witnessed this escalation in the party debates and throughout the campaign. At first we were amused, a little later chagrined, perhaps embarrassed for the man. Later we were disgusted, appalled, and even filled with our own righteous indignation. But it was never enough to change the behavior. No one seemed to take seriously when, during a debate, he threatened to imprison his opponent. When after his election, he publicly backed off of that position, few protested, happy the conflict was avoided. This silence, this ignoring the threat, this legitimizing of it by publicly cancelling it is “coordinating.”
A serious and banner test will occur over the Emoluments Clause of the constitution. Clearly Trump is in violation of that clause – as very well may be most of his cabinet nominees. If on January 20th, Inauguration Day, he has not changed his position he is impeachable.
If we “coordinate,” that is turn our heads the other way, be the good person who does nothing, then what is to prevent further escalation and enabling, say, with the 1st amendment, the 13th, 14th, and 15th, the 19th or the 22nd which defines presidential term limits.
Shawn Hamilton does not ring the alarm bell frantically or irresponsibly in his article, nor do I intend to here. But we must loudly resist “coordinating” on every possible level with every possible elected official.
The most immediate way we can start to do this is by writing to your local congressperson insisting she prepare articles of impeachment and be ready to serve them.
Please, read Hamilton’s article. Read carefully the article from Michael Pfeifer on this web site for a clear explanation of the Emoluments Clause. Also see an example of a letter to your congressperson. Then get writing.
Submitted by Mark Kumming