Trump Voters Aren\u2019t Stupid<\/p>\n
As a lifelong liberal, Democrat, and political junkie; one of the most perplexing problems I have is describing why Donald Trump ever received, and continues to get, such deep support. Deep in the sense that while current polling shows him at 33% approval rating, that third is deep, strong, and committed to his cause.<\/p>\n
How did a billionaire from New York City get millions of working class, mostly white, often rural or suburban voters to not only vote for him, but believe in him deeply? Watching the Huntington, West Virginia rally last night it is absolutely clear his support is intact. While the chants of \u201clock her up\u201d seem outdated, the sheer emotional connection is apparent. Maybe I\u2019m showing my \u201ccosmopolitan bias\u201d (still haven\u2019t quite figured out what that means), but how do t-shirts and MAGA hat folks relate to a guy whose idea of casual dress is a golf shirt and slacks?<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s why many from the \u201cResistance\u201d think Trump voters are stupid.<\/p>\n
First: Trump supporters are all biased against the first black President, and the election results are payback<\/em>. That may be true for a few, but it doesn\u2019t explain the phenomena of the Obama\/Trump crossover voter, which carried the election in places like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.<\/p>\n Second: they live in an \u201calternative universe,\u201d where Fox News, Sinclair, and Clear Channel Broadcast groups control the \u201cfacts\u201d and the rest is dismissed as \u201cfake news.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Again this may be true for some (having watch Hannity on Fox last night, it is hard to imagine that the same set of facts can be twisted into such a different outcome.) I believe most Americans are discerning enough to filter whatever they hear, either from Fox, MSNBC or elsewhere. We ALL know a \u201csales pitch\u201d when we hear it, whether it\u2019s Hannity or Joe Scarborough.<\/p>\n Third, Donald Trump has sold them a \u201cpig in a poke<\/em>\u201d (so in case that doesn\u2019t make sense, a pig in a poke is a pig in a bag, if you buy it you don\u2019t know what the pig looks like.) <\/em>It means that the true \u201cTrumper\u201d believes that everything, from \u201cthe Wall\u201d to the \u201cMuslim Ban\u201d to \u201cClean Coal\u201d is going to happen, and Trump will make it so.<\/p>\n I think most Trump supporters understand that Trump is a salesman, just like other politicians. They are hoping that he CAN achieve some of his promises, and that they are well aware that a billionaire from New York City really doesn\u2019t relate to them. What they do want is change, a nation where things are better for them<\/strong>. They feel that the both political parties have abandoned them for others, and that this is the only reasonable alternative.<\/p>\n I also think that many Trump supporters believe that ALL elections are stolen, won by cheaters, and that the Russian involvement is just another form of cheating. Like taxes, professional wrestling, and The Apprentice, <\/em>it isn\u2019t about the cheating, it’s about the outcome. With that view, it\u2019s easier to see why there\u2019s outrage about trying to change the election results, especially when it’s Trump\u2019s \u201cteam,\u201d the Republicans, that are letting the investigations happen. Trump won \u201cfair and square.\u201d Even more outrageous: that at this \u201clate date,\u201d investigators are looking at Trump\u2019s finances for the past twenty years or more. Again, if he outwitted the law then, it\u2019s \u201cno fair\u201d to go back now.<\/p>\n So what will change?<\/p>\n For some true believers, nothing will change their minds. Nixon on the day he resigned had a 29% approval rating. If Trump leaves office before the end of his term, there will be a significant chunk of Americans who will feel cheated, and will believe the system took \u201ctheir President\u201d from them.<\/p>\n Many Trump supporters will continue to look for a candidate or party that really represents their needs and views. Trump tapped into that, and Obama did too in 2008, but neither party has found a consistent message that works.<\/p>\n Most Trump voters aren\u2019t stupid. They voted for their perceived needs, and they are hoping for the best from what seems like a rigged system. Regardless of the outcome of the current Constitutional crisis, that perception won\u2019t change.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"