Trump phenomena explained

[Big Fin]

This is a really long read, but probably does the best job I have read of explaining the popularity of Donald Trump, and how the media, the big money donors, and the insiders are so out of touch with America that they cannot fathom how their game has fallen apart in front of their eyes.

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/how-america-made-donald-trump-unstoppable-20160224

Even more insight as to why the media and the insiders are going to come after Trump in a way like we have never seen before. In my personal opinion, I am not sure what to make of the guy. When he started his campaign, I laughed. Seeing how well he has analyzed the landscape and executed his strategy, it makes this article that much more "spot on."

I have come to the point of having so much disgust and distrust of the existing system, that I hope Trump and Sanders are the candidates. If it is Trump and Clinton, I suspect that behind the scenes a few of the big money R's will gladly let Clinton win if that means it can keep Trump from overthrowing the incestuous paradigm under which the two parties, their power brokers, their money, and the MSM currently operate.

I almost say, "Can it be any worse than the last sixteen years?" but when I have said that in the past, it did get worse. But, I am willing to tolerate four years of mayhem if it results in serious change to the current system. The fact that Trump could see how disconnected the parties and their donors are from Main Street America and develop a strategy to capitalize on that and implode their house of cards, says something about his foresight.

All other things aside; his huge ego, off the cuff comments for shock effect, his bold predictions that will not come to fruition, and that terrible hair do, the guy is giving me a lot of reasons to laugh at the squirming going.

Anyhow if you have an interest in history of politics in this country, that is a great article. If Trump can pull it off, I think we are seeing one of those ground shifting times that come along once in a generation, and not because of him being some messiah, rather because he has seen the house of cards for what it is and he seems focused on bringing it down. History will judge if such shift was for the better or the worse. Right now, I'm about ready to hedge my bet that it will make it better for us outsiders. As for the fate of the insiders ..... that would imply that I give a damn.

 

[noharleyyet]

I am so disappointed at the lip service the media gives citizen dissatisfaction. It's as if they are ridiculing voter discontent. Media pundits should be hammering this nail daily. I guess the fix is good if you're in on it.

 

[Big Fin]

I am so disappointed at the lip service the media gives citizen dissatisfaction. It's as if they are ridiculing voter discontent. Media pundits should be hammering this nail daily. I guess the fix is good if you're in on it.

Agreed, 100%.

 

[airlocksniffer]

At the least, the primary is very entertaining on the R side. Only gif I can come up with:

Trump v Sanders would be a great thing if only to screw with the establishment.

 

[Lawnboy]

I agree. I used to watch with amusement at Trump and what he was saying for what seemed like shock value but now I watch as the house of cards is starting to fall for the Republicans.

I guess I'm sick of seeing the business as usual that has gone on both sides and personally am willing to see something different tried.

 

[Nameless Range]

I read that article this morning and it is definitely worth the read. I largely agree with your take. Though, I have some concerns about Trump, currently without conclusions.

Is our own desire to see the establishment, both R and D, squirm and struggle, allowing us to accept something we typically would not? Seeing the disconnected, bought and sold establishment insiders suffer defeat would indeed be satisfying. But I continue to come back to the question you posed, "Can it get any worse?" It sure as chit could get worse. It could get #*ing terrible.

IMO, the most important consideration regarding candidate choice when it comes to president is that of Existential Risk. Despite debate over Executive Power, we have ample evidence that presidents have the ability to start, or at the very least incite war. In extreme instances that are entirely plausible if improbable, they have the ability to extinguish society as we know it.

The whole idea of a president is outdated and dangerous IMO. Both Bernie's and The Donald's rise is a product of the internet. The bullshit of establishment candidates is too easy to see anymore. And without attempting to offend a generation, once the baby-boomers die off, this country will change significantly, for better or worse. This is the beginning.

That said, while we all wring our hands over guns and public lands, I don't know how to weigh the consideration that "cooler heads prevail". I don't know how to factor in what it means that we could possibly have an unprofessional, childish, racist xenophobe for president.

The status-quo is garbage. The detachment the insiders have from the rest of the country is huge. It's gross and it needs to end. Trump would be a roll of the dice. As would the victory of any of the other existing candidates. I'm uncomfortable either way. The dice is weighted differently for each, as is the probability of paying up on an unknown wager.

Just the way I feel.

 

[VAspeedgoat]

The only thing I can say to those, like me, that are very apprehensive of what may happen with a President Trump, is that sometimes a dumster fire feels pretty good on a cold night. Then again I went to WVU and such stuff was commonplace for the kickoff to every weekend...........on Wednesday night.:hump::hump::hump:

 

[Irrelevant]

For those that like stats, you might enjoy this one. Though I found it to be a pretty scary article highlighting the views of those who support Trump (at least in South Carolina, though statistically you can extrapolate the results). Sure the guy is stirring up the media and the election system, which is great to see, but he's a freakin' racist that actively believes we should be oppressing minorities and muslims. For all the talk the 2nd amendment gets how about the freedom of religion? Or are we content to pick and choose our constitutional support?

http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2016/02/trump-clinton-still-have-big-sc-leads.html

 

[belly-deep]

Interesting read, Randy. And I agree with your analysis.

 

[Big Fin]

By many accounts, the National Review is the media mouthpiece for those pulling the puppet strings over at the RNC. Yesterday, they called for an all out war on Trump. They are scared chitless. The money hogging franchise model they have is going down the tubes thanks to what Nameless Range pointed out; demographics and the democracy of the internet. Little they can do to stop it, but they will spend billions trying.

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/431858/donald-trump-2016-campaign-must-be-stopped

The RNC could have just as well sent out an SOS as opposed to having one of their lackeys write this one.

 

[belly-deep]

Sure the guy is stirring up the media and the election system, which is great to see, but he's a freakin' racist that actively believes we should be oppressing minorities and muslims. For all the talk the 2nd amendment gets how about the freedom of religion? Or are we content to pick and choose our constitutional support?

How is stopping citizens of another country from coming into ours illegally "oppression?"

I think the term of racism is thrown around a little too freely these days.

 

[dcopas78]

Even more insight as to why the media and the insiders are going to come after Trump in a way like we have never seen before.

And I believe the harder they come after him, the more concrete his support becomes.

 

[Irrelevant]

How is stopping citizens of another country from coming into ours illegally "oppression?"

I think the term of racism is thrown around a little too freely these days.

It's not just illegally we're talking about, he supports a ban on Muslims immigrating to the country. America was built on immigrants, all immigrants, just just select ones from select areas! 99.999% of us have ancestors that immigrated here from elsewhere. But now we're going to stop that flow because of their religion or where they come from or the color of their skin? Yep, because that's 'MERICAN!

DT called mexican immigrants all rapists, even though statistically they commit rape at a fraction of the per capita rate as white people. How is directing lying about a race in order to incite fear and self-promotion not racism?

 

[Elkmagnet]

Randy. I agree with most of you points and many of the points of the article.
The one point I question is whether or not this is actually the beginning of some type of change or whether it'll be looked back upon as some type of anomaly that got away from the establishment. My concern is that if either Donald or Burnie were elected the rule makers may see it fit to further massage the rules in the favor of two specific parties. Making it even harder for this to ever happen again. One thing's for sure if Donald Trump were to get elected he damn well better be considered a successful president by his voters or the people themselves may never consider taking a risk like this again.



Nameless range I also agree with your point only as of right now I see this as a risk worth taking. We can sit back and watch things get worse every election over generations or we can roll the dice and try to shock the system now to try and turn this thing around.
We all know the arteries are clogged the question is do you hope they're not too bad or do you want to dive in and get a stent put in?
Everyone's opinion will be different

 

[DeepCountry]

neffa3, calm down and lay off the Koolaid. Talking points from the left or right don't fly well on this site. See things as you wish, but your beliefs, just like my beliefs, are just that. Beliefs, not necessarily facts. Insults and name-calling are the tools of desperate people. So, instead of trying to start a food fight, let's consider what completely shaking up the status quo might mean or bring. I, for one, agree that it is quite possible that we cannot do any worse, and maybe tearing this 'thing' to the ground may be just what we need to get back on track. Gotta hit rock bottom before recovery can begin. Not a Trump fan, but even less of an establishment fan, left or right. And like Randy, I find it all completely entertaining!!!

 

[Gerald Martin]

King Trump. Brace yourselves, America. It's really happening.

All you need to know in the last line of the article.

I have a feeling that result of the election cycle will be very similar to other situations I've observed in life. People become willing to enthusiastically make ill conceived choices because of their sense of frustration over how they perceive things to be. The rationale, of "it can't be worse than what it is now, so bring about change and damn the consequences" brought Crown Prince Barry into office with a "hope and change slogan".
There are still a lot of people hoping for change, except now the political pendulum seems to be swinging to the other side of the aisle and Trump has the ability to make President Obama seem like an amateur regent.
I see very few who support Trump doing so for policy they think he will enact. They like the idea that he is seems to be completely unscripted and mocks what they find most frustrating in politics
.
Personally, my view on the personal integrity and character of a candidate is very important. When I look at a three marriages, multiple bankruptcies, blatant xenophobia, and way he conducts himself around other people, I see a man who has a lifetime history of using others to get what he wants. When the going gets tough, the Donald is off to get something else.
Part of his attraction to voters is the understanding that the Donald is going to get what he wants and his supporters are hoping that what is good for Donald is good for them. Trump is smart enough to know what appeals to those frustrated with the current state of political process and he is willing to pay lip service to whatever they hold dear in order to keep their support.

My conclusion is that after the Donald wins the beauty pageant, the calls of all us geeks handed a phone number with a husky promise of a romantic evening, will be met with that beautiful robotic female voice. " I'm sorry, the number you have called has been disconnected or is no longer in service."

Those who gambled on the idea that it can't be any worse than what we have now will watch the current insiders in Washington, figure out a way to retain position and influence. Sinking the ship because there are lots of rats on it doesn't kill the rats. They just swim to the other ship.

King Donald or Hillary Clinton and a ramp up of all the liberal policies I despise....? I feel like I need a good hike in the mountains and an enema.

 

[Marshian]

"Like autoerotic asphyxiation, supporting Donald Trump is an activity many people prefer to enjoy in a private setting, like in a shower or a voting booth." Best line in the article. Thanks for sharing Randy. I found this very entertaining, and am enjoying the establishment shake-up of both parties. At least he's pro-public lands. I'll bite on that issue only if it comes to that.

 

[BuzzH]

I guess when these asshat politicians stop listening to those they represent...a piper needs to be paid.

This has been brewing for a long, long time...the bill has finally come due in the form of Trump.

The miserable part is, rather than learning, the establishment R's are doubling down on stupidity with guys like Cruz and Rubio...

Any lesson worth learning, is worth learning the hard way...and the R's are going to learn a hard lesson.

 

[Nemont]

I can understand a frustrated electorate who yearns for leadership, for the life of me I cannot figure out why they believe Trump is the antidote for that frustration. Of course given the rest of the field that is trying it becomes some what clearer.

Trump has changed positions so often and with such ease and because of who is sitting in front of him at the time that I don't know how anyone can believe him anything that comes out of his mouth. For the social warriors he has been pro choice crowd until he wasn't, for the NRA crowd he was for the Assault Weapons Ban until he wasn't, for the fiscal conservatives he wants medicare for all like Bernie but he wants to put it on our credit card, it goes on an on.

Pick an issue and there has never been a time Trump hasn't been on multiple sides of it.

He is just a floppy haired cartoon character that some how nothing sticks to but an ego maniac at the controls of power and setting policy usually ends up a huge disaster.

Nemont

 

[belly-deep]

It's not just illegally we're talking about, he supports a ban on Muslims immigrating to the country. America was built on immigrants, all immigrants, just just select ones from select areas! 99.999% of us have ancestors that immigrated here from elsewhere. But now we're going to stop that flow because of their religion or where they come from or the color of their skin? Yep, because that's 'MERICAN!

DT called mexican immigrants all rapists, even though statistically they commit rape at a fraction of the per capita rate as white people. How is directing lying about a race in order to incite fear and self-promotion not racism?

Once again, you don't tell the whole story.

Trump said that he would like a ban on Muslims until we can figure out how to scrutinize them better so as to avoid Islamic terrorism in our country.

And please, show me where he said "all" Mexicans are rapists. Please.

You're a knee-jerk kind of guy, obviously.

The "America was built on immigration" is getting old, too. Obviously a lot of people are descendants of immigrants. But I don't know why that should control the argument in 2016. America was also built on Christianity. And mostly Europeans. So if we want to follow tradition, maybe we should only allow Christian Europeans?