Since Trump began to run for Presidency he has been the target of jokes on the left. I have heard people gloat that Trump is “destroying the Republican Party. “ I have heard people say there is no need to watch the Republican debates. I have seen so many just brush off any chance at all of Trump to win the election.
I have a serious fear that people are taking Trump as a joke and don’t fully realize what is taking place on the right-wing. Rather than Trump “destroying the Republican Party” I think he’s more evolving it (or devolving, whichever you prefer.)
Over the past 8 years Trump has consistently pointed his finger at President Obama demanding a birth certificate. Eventually, just to shut him up, the President obliged. In doing so though Donald established himself as, what seems like, a leader on the right. He seems to have established himself as someone who will speak truth to power and expose a massive lie in our nation’s leadership.
Regardless of whether or not Trump’s stances in the past were at all consistent with his current banter, his current banter is what draws crowds. There is just about nothing that can hold him back either it seems. He’s the only candidate in history who could joke about shooting someone in the main shopping district of New York and not lose support but continue to win several primaries.
A leftist might have at first looked at him as a joke who was destroying the Republican Party and brushed him off, and then continued to be baffled when his support never faltered. Why, though? Just because a leftist may look at Trump and think he’s crazy doesn’t mean the people he’s appealing to aren’t just as crazy. Please remember, the Tea Party Republicans were re-elected in 2014 to the House of Representatives. Trump is not a new ideal to this kind of right-wing extremism. He may have been more direct rhetoric than others but is his constituency that different?
He has said he’s bringing in new voters to the political process. I would believe it. There is a serious despair throughout this country. On the left that despair has led many to find Bernie Sanders as someone who could find a way to improve things (mirroring the rest of the developed world.) That same despair is held by people on the right too, they just have a perspective which is polarized to the opposite end.
Trump’s popularity grew because both the left and the right couldn’t stop talking about him and this led the media to make profit. Any time Trump said anything incendiary he probably received some approval from anyone in what would become his base. That may not have sold them yet, though. He stayed in the media though because the left-wing needed to criticize and condemn him. No matter how he was received by whichever side, the media made money off Trump so it kept giving him free campaign promotion. What sold Trump to his voter base was the fact that the media kept bombarding them with his rhetoric because they kept making profit from his viral incendiary comments. The more his base heard him talk the more it liked him because there is that general feeling of despair in this country and people wanted an answer.
The exact same thing helped Sanders grow as well but because Sanders only said things which were incendiary to the media executives who made money off Trump, Sanders never got any air time. The internet is a modern-day miracle for Sanders exposure.
The left of the US has a serious tendency to brush off the right-wing as a joke and posture with clever retorts, acting ethically superior. I agree with just about everything the left says, but whether or not you feel like you are ethically superior to someone else doesn’t make that someone else go away. Trump is not going away. When you can joke about shooting someone in public and then win primaries your base is loyal.
How to beat him:
Its not as easy as you may think.
He’s not a guaranteed loss by any stretch. The business interests may begin to pump out commercials for Marco Rubio (who is seeming like their SuperPAC favorite) to beat Trump. Then again, Trump’s following is extremely loyal. They don’t even need Trump to discuss concrete ideas for a cheer.
From the real clear politics graph it seems Sanders has the best chance to win over all:
www.realclearpolitics.com/...
It’s difficult to tell though. Contests are very close, polls can always change, and there is still that despair.
Ultimately the best way to defeat Trump, or any other Republican, is to vote against him. For whom is your decision (full disclosure, I prefer Sanders.)
Electability.
Just because I had the last section I believe a discussion on this is necessary as well because now we have a contest of strategy during the race and in-office.
During the race, I’d say it’s smartest to vote for the candidate who will inspire the most people to go the polls to elect that person. In this case we also have to think outside the normal 2-party system because when the general election comes to pass, independent voters need to be factored in.
Democrats will usually stay loyal to the candidate their party nominates. After that it’s just a question of getting off our asses and voting. Independents aren’t such a given, and the majority of US is registered Independents feeling that exact same despair.
Will scandals hurt a candidate’s electability in the eyes of an Independent? Will a candidates political history hurt them in the eyes of an Independent? Will an Independent be swayed by years of endless smearing?
I’m not giving a definitive answer to any of the above questions, but I think one of the Democratic candidates has taken a lot more attacks. Having taken attacks may mean the candidate is more equipped for self-defense in a debate. It also may mean that candidate will have a harder time winning in the end because of constant reminders. An attack could also make the attacker look like a less respectable candidate. Who knows.
Effectiveness while in office
Regarding whether Sanders or Clinton will get more done if elected. I’d say, with this congress it might be about even. Sanders has taken a lot of heat for his eccentric center-left proposals to give everyone healthcare; pundits saying these things would never get through congress. In perspective though, has President Obama really been so effective over the past 8 years? Is it too far fetched though hope that a Sanders election would create such a political earthquake as to inspire more likeminded people to run for office; or to inspire the public support to pressure the current congresspeople to vote to support a Sanders policy?
While we’re discussing obstruction of Obama, do we really think this current congress wont obstruct a Clinton Presidency? The Republicans very openly detest Hillary Clinton. Furthermore after spending 6 years obstructing President Obama because he was black and trying again and again to regulate women’s vagina’s, does anyone really think they would work with a President who has a vagina? Excuse my bluntness but we are dealing with bigots and sexists.
The Republican Party has been shifting to the extreme right for quite some time. Trump did not start the shift, I don’t believe he is ending the shift either. I don’t think I need to say a Trump Presidency would likely crash the global economy.
Ultimately, I would say vote with your conscience for what you want America to look like for your children. At this point, it really seems like all bets are off.
