Thursday, February 15, 2018

The Trump Supporter


In November 2016, to the surprise of many – including the candidate himself – Donald J. trump was elected President of the United States. His election and presidency have been called into question by many on numerous fronts. There are issues of personal character that would doom most politicians; issues of policy, to the extent that he has a consistent policy for more than a day; issues of leadership as he relies on bullying, insult and disrespect towards anyone who stands in his way. Nevertheless, his approval rating holds steady in the mid-30s% – albeit a record low contrasted with other previous presidents. But he holds a solid bedrock of support in spite of his moral / ethical / divisive shortcomings.

“Trump Supporters” gave Trump his 2016 victory, and he remains indebted to them. I said early in 2016 that to truly understand the Trump phenomena, the real meaningful American story was not Trump himself but his adherents. If one is opposed to Donald Trump, then one is obligated to find a proper understanding of the base that supports him. Yet who are they? To lump them together and call them simply “Republicans” is inaccurate. Rather, they are a community of diverse interests committed to their own separate agendas, loosely affiliated for expediency because there is no other place for them to go. Given an alternative, or a failure of Trump to deliver on their expectations, they would be gone. More precisely, Trump Supporters break down into roughly three groups.

Group 1 Trump Supporters include the despicable neo-Nazis, racists and fringe conspiracy believers who have been invited into “respectability” by Trump’s racial, anti-immigrant, anti-government and anti-media rhetoric. These neo-Nazis look to attack the judicial decisions of the past 70 years reaffirming America as a place where all citizens are treated equally and respectfully. They see America as a haven only for those of white Western European descent, that all others are the cause of America’s problems and their own personal failures. They are also ready to believe any imagined plot that comes along pitting the government against its citizens; outright destruction of the government is a prime objective. It is hard to imagine any common ground between this small but vocal and disruptive group and the rest of America. Ostracism is still the best response, but Trump still needs, and has a fairly safe lock on, their votes.

Group 2 Trump Supporters include those who see Trump as the opening for their individual social / political / religious / economic agendas. After years of government being the bulwark against these agendas, Trump promises to pull out such roadblocks, open the floodgates, and go down the road of unrestrained, selfishly myopic pursuits with minimal concern for “the greater good.” Legislative Republicans close their eyes and make the choice to “bargain with the devil,” despite risking long-term permanent damage to the Republican Party brand as 2016 voters drift away. Even though few have confidence, trust or respect in Trump, they suffer in silence for now and get done what they can while they can on their long-delayed political agendas. Further, many fear that crossing Trump will mean their defeat in the 2018 Republican primary elections by ultra-conservative Trump supporters who will likely determine Republican Party nominees without regard for their chances in the general election.

In addition, Wall Street sees opportunities to roll back the restrictions placed on them after their 2008 financial implosion. Energy companies and western ranchers see public lands becoming available for exploitation. Real estate developers see a rollback of “impact statements” and other regulations to let them build what and where they want. Businesspeople seeking cost cutting, price-setting / market domination, trade protections, and further monopolistic efforts see avoidance of previous levels of oversight. Religious leaders ignore Trump’s irreligious and immoral words and actions to get favorable legislation and judges – turning to Caesar to give them what God apparently has not delivered. For these businesspeople, clergy, and politicians, it is all about holding your nose and blinding your eyes to achieve personal wins from a man you pray your son would never become. For this group, the only interest is self-interest – and Santa Claus lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Group 3 Trump supporters include those people who feel that the last two decades have decimated the Promise of the American Dream for them. They are not “despicable” or selfish people. They are angry people who feel their needs and views have been ignored, even ridiculed, certainly unresponded to during the past three presidencies. They feel that government has gotten too intrusive into their lives, has built too many limitations on their business and private affairs. They sense that providing opportunities to others, however well-intentioned, has come at the expense of limiting opportunities to them. They have seen the economy and GDP grow steadily for some while they sit stagnant at the margins. They have seen America – the dominant post-WWII world leader – seemingly slide from its preeminence. Their future, once assured, now seems a future in doubt.

All of this happened while they have struggled to feed, clothe, educate and raise their families, and hold on to a way of life that had once worked for them, their parents, and their grandparents. It is one thing to aspire for cleaner air from new kinds of energy sources; it is another to throw thousands of life-long coal workers out of the only job they know with no recourse – a job they took in good faith because America said it needed electricity. Change is the enemy, not a friend, and government / big business / society have been all about change. They cross demographic groups, though are concentrated in older, white, males with less formal education. Having previously felt powerless to stop these trends, they now see an opportunity to reverse that course and make their agenda the country’s agenda.

Donald Trump spoke for their anger; still speaks for their frustrations, however coarsely; and affirms the “global and national conspiracy” that seems determined to work against their interests. Willing to ignore his excesses, his disrespectful conduct and his untruths, in 2016 they saw an opportunity to speak up and be noticed by voting for a man who would speak for them. Given that he was expected to lose, such a protest vote seemed safe. Many were as surprised to wake up and find out that he had become their president. They are now slow to discard Trump, even as each day shows him to be the fraud that Mitt Romney once accused him of being, because there is still no other alternative voice.

Who is principally responsible for creating this block of Trump supporters? The recent Congresses of the United States who have accomplished little over these past years, and less as each year comes and goes. Today, politics override governance; the quest for power rolls over the need for governance and solutions. People of all stripes are hurting, even though for different if not conflicting reasons. From DACA kids to soccer moms to farm families, they see politicians strutting around just trying to save their own jobs; living lives of special privilege and exemptions versus everyday Americans; taking “back door” money representing special corporate and institutional interests; working part-time days; avoiding tough decisions; failing to fund and budget the country properly; listening only to voters on one side or the other of the political spectrum; avoiding speaking the truth to the citizenry; raising doomsday alarms while doing nothing to prevent it; supporting partisan causes and prioritizing Party loyalty over national good. In the past, some Trump Supporters voted Democratic, some Republican. Today they share an anger at the institutions that are failing them. In fact, many non-Trump voters feel the same frustration and anger at our non-performing government, but just do not see Trump as the answer.

The Group 1 Trump Supporters need to be called out and pointedly rejected by all Americans at every opportunity. They are the antithesis of what America is and aspires to be. The Group 2 Trump Supporters need to be fought at the ballot box, in the courts, in local government, and in the marketplace competition for our dollars to move them back to “common good” versus “personal good.” But the Group 3 Trump Supporters need attention, dialog, and support from non-Trump Supporters. They are neighbors, just another part of the American Story. People may not see eye to eye on everything; may live different lifestyles and have different beliefs about some things; may get in each other’s way at times. But we all want to be left alone to get on with living our lives in peace; at our core we are not all that different. None of us really wins if we cannot find ways to balance our beliefs, accommodate each other, and work together. It all starts with being of good character, acting from better intentions, while being considerate and helpful to others. It is the spirit of middle-ground compromise that has made our democracy work from its beginning. Is that really so impossible for us to do now?

©   2018   Randy Bell                         www.ThoughtsFromTheMountain.blogspot.com