“Trump has no political background, only acquired political savvy, and offers no concrete programs to his supporters seems irrelevant. So why is he so popular?” Merv Kaufman wonders.
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How could this man manifest such enormous and unshakable appeal—and not just to working-class white folks? And why do these potential Republican voters apparently feel so disenfranchised?
One reason may be the brash and irresponsible promises made by GOP candidates in recent election campaigns. By this I mean, “On Day 1 of my presidency, I will…” What? Wipe out ObamaCare? Crush the energy-saving light-bulb revolution? Build a huge barrier wall that Mexico will pay for? Halt the influx of Middle East immigrants?…
For years, Republican political candidates have been guilty of making brash assertions, sidestepping the fact that, according to our hallowed Constitution (which they cite regularly in reverential rhetoric), there is a check-and-balance system built into our government’s three-ply
structure.
As should be clear but perhaps is not, the United States of America isn’t simply a fiefdom by which an elected leader can rule by edict. So promising to do anything on Day 1, other than find a way to get from point A to point B in the maze of corridors carved into the White House is pure speculation.
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For years, however, Republican voters have been hearing the words and savoring the promises, convinced that if and when their candidates take office, a whole world of change will occur—as of right that moment. That it never does has probably fueled the resentment and fury that a huge segment of the voting populace has obviously harbored.
So now—at a time when their party controls both houses of Congress and the opposition party’s chief executive is a certifiable lame duck— it would seem that each of these allegedly disenfranchised Republican voters, or perhaps perennial non-voters, is expressing keen outrage.
These are the folks, and there are obviously more than a few of them, who listen with interest to what Trump has been saying. That he has no political background, only acquired political savvy, and offers no concrete programs to his supporters seems irrelevant. His status as a political outsider has not ruled him out; it has, instead, effectively furthered his appeal.
The fact that he’s a know-nothing, a certifiable racist, a blowhard and an unredeemable bully appears not to matter. His followers seem willing to forgive or overlook his insults and crude innuendos. They envision him entering the White House with what equates to a giant broom and a sharp axe, prepared to signal the destruction of every policy and sanction he hates.
This will never happen—somebody must tell those folks. The Republican party? Its leadership has been predicting The Donald’s political demise since Day 1 of his campaign—only now waking up to the realization that he has unleashed a committed and unshakable enthusiasm among his followers, people who seem unfazed when he insults women, fellow candidates, revered political leaders
and even the Pope.
I guess the wakeup call came too late. The GOP missed it completely. That their organization is in shambles is now testament to their narrow political view…and perhaps to their arrogance.
Also, you know, if the dud that resulted from Mitt Romney’s attempted putdown of Trump is an accurate indicator, anyone attacking this man will never actually wound him. Where Ronald Reagan once seemed impervious, this man’s impenetrable.
God help us! And God help the United States of America.
