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KamaAina

(78,249 posts)
Wed Mar 9, 2016, 02:43 PM Mar 2016

Millions of ordinary Americans support Donald Drumpf. Here's why

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/mar/07/donald-trump-why-americans-support

Let us now address the greatest American mystery at the moment: what motivates the supporters of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump?

I call it a “mystery” because the working-class white people who make up the bulk of Trump’s fan base show up in amazing numbers for the candidate, filling stadiums and airport hangars, but their views, by and large, do not appear in our prestige newspapers. On their opinion pages, these publications take care to represent demographic categories of nearly every kind, but “blue-collar” is one they persistently overlook. The views of working-class people are so foreign to that universe that when New York Times columnist Nick Kristof wanted to “engage” a Trump supporter last week, he made one up, along with this imaginary person’s responses to his questions....

Or so we’re told. Last week, I decided to watch several hours of Trump speeches for myself. I saw the man ramble and boast and threaten and even seem to gloat when protesters were ejected from the arenas in which he spoke. I was disgusted by these things, as I have been disgusted by Trump for 20 years. But I also noticed something surprising. In each of the speeches I watched, Trump spent a good part of his time talking about an entirely legitimate issue, one that could even be called leftwing.
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Yes, Donald Trump talked about trade. In fact, to judge by how much time he spent talking about it, trade may be his single biggest concern – not white supremacy. Not even his plan to build a wall along the Mexican border, the issue that first won him political fame. He did it again during the debate on 3 March: asked about his political excommunication by Mitt Romney, he chose to pivot and talk about … trade.
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Johonny

(20,818 posts)
1. Millions of Americans have been brain washed to not even consider voting for liberal or moderate dem
Wed Mar 9, 2016, 02:47 PM
Mar 2016

They fear the mythical liberal and thus are forced to sort through GOP candidates that care not a * for them. Every 4 years they latch onto the one they find least repulsive and pretend this candidate is for working class people because they pretend to care the best. The GOP solutions are never beneficial to them and rather than wake up and stop fearing the mythical liberal they get madder and madder then vote for the same solutions again and again.

brewens

(13,538 posts)
4. Those of us that would like the looting stopped and to see our tax
Wed Mar 9, 2016, 03:12 PM
Mar 2016

dollars go to things that help us are told we want "free stuff". By default that means taking away a whole shit ton of free stuff from the people at the top. That's what has them scared.

 

tabasco

(22,974 posts)
13. Incessant, pervasive right-wing propaganda on the corporate mass media
Wed Mar 9, 2016, 05:21 PM
Mar 2016

has trained working class people to vote for the people who keep them in chains.

ghostsinthemachine

(3,569 posts)
3. I think that is agood talking point. That shit is real to Americans
Wed Mar 9, 2016, 03:11 PM
Mar 2016

losing their jobs to cheaper labor. The problem is that Trump will want to bring starvation wages to Americans....

All along I've said Trump is a pretty liberal guy. Why the Rethugs aren't behind him (except with knives).

 

Wellstone ruled

(34,661 posts)
5. Call it the Joe Six Pack Fake Noise
Wed Mar 9, 2016, 03:15 PM
Mar 2016

syndrome. These folks are busting their butts and are frustrated with the lack of upward mobility. And they have bought into Fake Noises Roger Ailes demagoguery message. Much like Stockholm Syndrome.

scarletwoman

(31,893 posts)
6. Thomas Frank is the writer of this piece, I think that needs to be pointed out.
Wed Mar 9, 2016, 03:20 PM
Mar 2016

People tend to not click on links, so I wanted to get that information out in this thread.

Thomas Frank has always been, imho, an excellent analyst and commentator, and I think he's done another great job with this piece.

Dsocialoutcast99

(11 posts)
11. I SAW HIM ON TV!!
Wed Mar 9, 2016, 04:53 PM
Mar 2016

HE WILL BULLY ALL THOSE OTHER IGNORANT WORLD LEADERS BECAUSE I SAW HOW HE 'FIRED' THAT KNOW IT ALL ON 'THE APPRENTICE'. I really think after meeting a few Trump supporters that is all it took, why they think he can lead, I SAW HIM ON TV...

Twitter feeds show that the only world leaders that support a Trump presidency are 3rd world dictators because it would weaken the U.S.! Great Britain parliamentary members want to bar him from EVER entering their country!

What makes anyone think other countries would ever listen to, (rather they would laugh at) Donald Trump, let alone want to pay for a wall leading to Mexico, or appease to his trade ideas?

America has become a nation of semi-idiots it seems, believe Trump can bully other nations, make everyone as rich as he is, a presidential candidate who only appeals to their bigotry and anger. "Just read my book" he says and you should have plenty of 'money'. And it is a mystery how much money he actually has! "It can change many times from day to day" he says. His MEGLOMANIA seems to be contagious to many angry mostly white men!

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