It’s true what Glenn Beck says: Donald Trump isn’t a conservative. But he’s a racist, which is close enough.
What Trump is, really, is an interesting experiment who tests how much of the Republican Party’s appeal is ideological and about “small” government, low taxes, the denial of health care, and religion, and how much is more tribal, and just about being white and keeping your money away from minorities.
Or maybe it has been reduced to nothing other than winning. It’s not as if they can cite any personal benefit from having a GOP POTUS or detriment from a DEM POTUS.
Not all benefits can be measured in dollars-and-cents.
The idea of a psychic wage holds good in politics, too.
Wasn’t that my point? “Winning” as the psychic wage.
Aren’t those 2 things the same. Isn’t the thinking behind smaller government, at least in part, keeping money from the brown folks?
They’re related, certainly.
But they’re not entirely the same.
If you’re an oligarch, you want lower costs to doing business, which means less work doing government compliance.
If you’re a small businessman, you want lower fees, fewer barriers to entry (for you, not for your competitor), less risk of legal problems and fines, and lower labor costs.
If you’re a bigot, you don’t want the Feds telling you that you can’t bigot.
But, for the rest, they don’t necessarily benefit in any direct way from “smaller” government and the Democrats are generally helpful on the tax front (low rates, plenty of rebates/credits) for middle class and lower middle class folks.
So, for most “working” folks, they’re voting on “moral” issues related to their religiosity. And the rest are buying into the tribal white vs. the rest game that Fox peddles nightly.
Racism and small government are not entirely the same the same way the civil war wasn’t entirely about slavery.
It was only when black people started receiving welfare that was previously denied to them that “small government” became a nationally competitive platform. People would be amazed at the generosity of American public welfare in the 50’s & 60’s, when it was distributed exclusively to whites.
The oligarchs are piggy-backing on the racism; without that racism, nobody would be so full-throatedly advocating slashing environmental regulations and workplace safety rules and demanding the minimum wage be kept low. Racism is a necessary and sufficient component of popular “small government” advocacy (which liberals never tire of reminding us never seem to apply to the military — and, in fact, I actually just then finally passed the thresshold of being tired of reminding us).
Yes, it’s really just a question of what you think the government should and shouldn’t be doing. Rounding up 11 million people and constructing a security zone across a thousand miles of desert is not a small project, but somehow it doesn’t conflict with their small government philosophy.
Yeah, I mean low taxes for rich people has a fairly narrow appeal, and people don’t want their own health care taken away. The only way conservative politicians get votes is by appealing to racism, there’s nothing mysterious about that. That was Nixon’s whole strategy, clearly articulated, to the turn the South Republican. It’s not a secret.
This is nearly a rhetorical question. He’s clearly tribal. Full-crazy, gonzo tribal.
The GOP is still deeply ill with NegroPOTUSitis. And it appears that the symptoms of this disease will last long after the initial contact with the infectious agent.
Big crowds in Alabama — He is today’s George Wallace.
In general agreement. For me this goes back to 2008, campaigning in central Florida. Asked a check-out clerk in a Home Depot about the candidates. Fear about Obama: He’ll take it from me and give it to them. For seven years this is what Fox has been saying in text and subtext. This is what Trump has tapped into: racial resentment (even though there may be no facts to support it).
What Americans are is increasingly angry- the middle class is being ground into the dirt while their corrupt, lying politicians cater to the elite. Rather than draw attention to their corrupt governing stategy that have resulted in this sad state, the Republican party has becoming increasingly reliant on pushing the populist fascist button to fool their voters and blame their failing economic status on the other- minorities, gays, liberals, non-Christians- anyone who isn’t part of the tribe. Because of his background as a media figure and the freedom from being an elected politician that actually has to govern, Trump has easily hijacked the right’s distract the rubes strategy with his own proto-fascist rhetoric. Of course the oligarchs that think they control the Republican party are now aghast, because he’s not their billionaire.
What the the polls show is that populist responses to the plight of working America- expanding social security, improving education, infrastructure spending, etc.. are popular with voters of both parties. I think Trump knows this and regardless, being the guy who’s going to make the trains run on time while deporting all the illegals is probably going to keep him out front until the field considerably narrows or Roger Ailes can find some really good dirt to spread.
You’re missing one word: scapegoating.
I’ve heard the word “fascism” mentioned more in this past month than I ever did even during the nadir — or height of, depending on your perspective — of the Bush administration.
The United States is slipping into something ugly. I think it may in fact already be there, only the symptoms haven’t fully developed.
The US has been a fascist state since at least 1947. It’s clearly an oligarchy now. By clearly, I mean, it’s absolutely clear that the US is an oligarchy.
Capitalism -> Fascism -> Oligarchy -> Aristocracy
The oligarchs, who own and operate this country have more money than they’ll ever spend, and are just trying to move things over one more notch to the aristocracy that they would be the founding members of.
Aristocracy is a lot more fun than oligarchy for oligarchs, because it means that they can stop playing with puppets and just run shit directly. For now, they still have to shift their money around through corporations and banks to the right actors, and that is an operating expense they’d rather not have.
Booman asks:
He is if he wins.
Bet on it.
I will never forget the experience I had at one of Bush II’s first inauguration balls. I was playing in a swing big band…retro was certainly in order for these folks…at an A- list or possibly B list ball. Upwards of 600 people, all in their tuxes and ball gowns, all working Republicans…you know, the ones who were going to replace the working Democrats in the federal employment structure once the firings and hirings began…in a big venue somewhere in midtown DC.
You can learn a lot watching from the bandstand, and if you’re dressed just like the audience…which we were…you can learn a lot by mingling on the breaks as well. These people were not ideologues, they were on the make in DC and their ship had once again come in. 98% white, late ’30s through ’50s, they could care less about what Bush stood for or what he was going to do just as long as they made money from it. Venal, nasty faces progressively appeared from behind their oh-so-polite fronts as they got more and more drunk. Boehner faces. Hundreds of them, pushing up to the bar and barking their orders at the servants…mostly black. Eye rolling drunks by the end. Everywhere.
It was positively disgusting.
Is Trump a good Republican?
He is if he makes money for the Republican party…which you can bet he has told them in no uncertain terms that he will.
All the rest?
All of it?
The art of the deal. Also known as “politics.”
Watch.
If he shows real signs of being able to win…which he is doing right now, and not just in the south but in every working class/middle class area of the U.S…he’ll be welcomed w/open arms.
Winners write history.
They write the checks, too.
Watch.
AG
from TOD
http://theobamadiary.com/2015/08/22/west-wing-week-a-look-ahead/#comment-1387379
“small” government, low taxes, the denial of health care, and religion
You can add to those GOP buzz terms: balanced budget, fiscal responsibility, strong defense, individual freedom, individual responsibility, family values.
Almost ALL of these have the root appeal in a fundamental fear/dislike/hatred of primarily black people and people who don’t speak English well (drives conservatives bats), but secondarily the other “others”.
“Small government” – meaning, don’t have any programs that help those lazy blah thugs.
“Low taxes” – well, everyone wants low taxes, but most people will vote for measures that raise taxes to meet a clear need their community has. This term gains much of it’s emotional power from the idea that their taxes are going to the you-know-whos.
“Denial of health care” – look, the main reason the GOP is able to fight universal health care and get the support they do – well, in addition to flat-out lying about costs and the media supporting them – is the fear that some of the subsidies go to the blahs and the illegals.
“Religion” – O’bummer went to a Christian church for over 20 years and heard fire-and-brimstone sermons from Rev Wright but they still are convinced he’s a Muslim. This is because conservatives don’t consider black Christian churches “real” Xtian – ditto mainstream Catholics, liberal Lutherans, etc. Most of the people attracted to the religious dogma don’t read their own holy book and violate most of the commandments. Religion IS tribalism – based around fear of the other.
And so on for the others.
In short, all of the approved GOP buzzwords were designed to appeal to the racists. And if you read the transcripts of the worst hate radio hosts, that becomes very clear. So when Trump does his end-run around couching his message in approved terminology of COURSE he hits a nerve with the base.
And although some of the more educated, wealthier Republicans are uncomfortable with his direct act they too will come around in the end. Just as they came around about the behavior of the O’Reilly and Hannity and Limbaughs.
I like how you say if we read the transcripts. Because, obviously, it is behind our human ability to actually listen to them in real time. Which, in fact, is certainly true of me.
I wouldn’t suggest anyone actually listen to them. But sometimes research requires that you read a transcript someone else made.
The only good Republican is a…don’t get me started.
Trump has allowed the base to break away from their handlers. The alliance of “good republicans”, i.e. establishment conservatives, and the base of religious, racist elements had been controlled by money. And the base has always resented the way their corrupt leaders have kowtowed to the monied interests that bankrolled them.
Trump doesn’t answer to anyone and that scares the establishment wing of the GOP because they may lose control of the beast they created. As Pat Buchanan said: “For there simply aren’t that many chamber-of-commerce and country-club Republicans.”