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politics and politicians Title: The new explanation: Trump voters are dangerous Well, the unenviable task of answering that question falls to Matt Lewis this week, and hes hot on the trail of a fresh explanation. You see, The Donald is the answer for people who are so beat down, left behind and simply angry that they feel theres nothing left to lose, so they might as well go crazy. (Some emphasis added) Its logical: If youve got nothing to lose, and Candidate A is telling you he can magically fix all your problems and Candidate B is telling you he will do his best, but politics is hard and change takes time why wouldnt you take a chance with Candidate A?
The problem, of course, is for those of us who do have something to lose. Now, I realize that by saying this, I risk sounding like an elitist. It is ironic that I, the son of a prison guard could sound like an elitist in chastising a billionaire real estate mogul, but its important for those of us observing and writing about this to simultaneously realize two things: 1). There are a lot of vulnerable people out there who are understandably hurt and frustrated, and have lost faith in the American Dream, and 2). Vulnerable people are the most easily manipulated by false prophets. Whether its a stranger approaching you in a dark alley, or someone entering the voting booth, the most dangerous person youll encounter is someone who believes he has nothing left to lose. Dangerous? Easily manipulated by false prophets? In terms of the five stages of grief, I think Matt has successfully cleared denial and anger and is currently teetering between bargaining and depression. (Were still a good ways from acceptance, though.) Theres at least one cautionary note Id send Matts way, however, and its the same one which Ive brought up with other folks in the past. No matter how dismayed you may be over Trumps ascendancy and no matter how soon you think its coming to an end, its probably never a good strategy to frame your explanation for his success in the form of an insult to the people who are supporting him. Lets assume for a moment that youre right and that Trump will eventually fall out of favor. Youre probably going to want his supporters to back your candidate. Or at least youll hope that theyll show up and vote for somebody without a D after their name. Ticking them off accomplishes nothing. I completely agree that there is a large swath of voters out there (and theyre not all Republicans
many of them might not even normally be voters) who feel completely abandoned by the government and the leadership of both parties. People like that would certainly be attracted to a new voice echoing the things they feel. But that doesnt mean that they are desperate or have nothing left to lose. Maybe theyre just tired of the status quo and want something better. That may be precisely the opposite of desperation
it just might be hope. But in any event, all of this is based on some assumptions which arent looking quite so iron clad these days. Lets review all the things weve known so far, shall we? Im not endorsing anyone at this point, Matt. We have a broad, diverse field with a bunch of talented folks in it. But at some point we may have to just acknowledge that Trump may not just dry up and blow away. When the time comes, Im going to vote for the GOP nominee. But by now you must have had one or two nights where you lay awake and the thought crept into your head saying that it just might be Trump. I was going to type a final rejoinder to drive the point home for you, Matt, but really
this says it all: Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top Page Up Full Thread Page Down Bottom/Latest Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 15.
#8. To: TooConservative (#0)
Trump is a great candidate. He says what a lot of us believe. He has a track record of real success in business and has made a lot of money through work (as opposed to through collecting donations). He is directly addressing issues that the Republican Party has chosen to get on the wrong side of. He's got a lot of passionate people supporting him. The other eunuchs do not inspire anybody. Trump's a good speaker, and he's fun to watch, and he handles himself very well when punched: he punches back, hard, and he wins the point. He's going to be the nominee, and bring in so many people that he is going to take over the GOP and change its doctrine. And as head of the Party, which the President is, he will remove the staff that fought him, and put in better staff, people with vision, people who are not decades long losers. It's High Noon in America, and the first posse of villains that got off the train to shoot the hero were the media. They got gunned down at the Fox corral. Now the Establishment GOP has come into the square, and they're about to get gunned down. Once they're gone, tossing out Boss Hogg Biden and his screaming harpy running mate will be a piece of cake. Then we'll have elected the new sheriff mayor also, and things will get better for the whole country. TRUMP - IT'S HIGH NOON IN AMERICA
Fresh on Drudge:
#23. To: TooConservative (#15)
Biden Warren v Trump Rubio. Trump wins. 8 years. Rubio succeeds, 8 years. Completely different country in 16 years. A better one. Unless we go nuts for imperialism.
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