1/31/17

Radical opposition

Question: why did so many voters choose Trump?

Discussion: Donald Trump is an extremely unappealing person, whose personality, private behavior, business career, and public programs are all odious. In addition, his association with racists, crazed right wingers, and fantasists would seem to label him as mostly crazy.  Yet voters elected him President. How can that be?

To be sure, there was widespread and vehement hatred for Hillary. Many voters were credulous believers in what Fox News and Rush Limbaugh fed them. Some voters thought Trump, or the Republicans, would make money for them, or prevent abortions, or block the borders, or do some other thing they wanted.

At bottom, though, perhaps the simplest and best explanation is that they voted for Trump for the same reason that even more voters voted for Obama. What? Well, consider. Why do voters favor one politician over another? Most politicians promise exactly the same thing: I will make you richer and happier. How so? Voters mostly don't know, or don't think they know, or don't care. Many don't believe the politicians one way or the other, and most don't feel interested in or capable of analyzing the political issues. For the vast majority of voters, then, it comes down to who they think the politician is.

Answer: But why, then, pick a horrible man like Trump? And how can he compare with the noble Obama? Well, what the two have in common is that they both represent radical change. With regular politicians it's basically all bla, bla, bla. They would do this, they would do that, they would do the opposite. How? Never mind, it's too complicated even when spelled out. Nobody really cares. But Obama and Trump personify dramatic change--Obama because he's black, handsome, young, eloquent, and radically opposed to his predecessor; Trump because he's authentically the disruptive lout that he is, and radically opposed to his predecessor.

Sic semper tyrannus publicae

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