Misunderstanding the Conservatism of Trump's Base

[Twangbanger]

Attempt to explain the Trump Phenomenon, v13.1:

Donald Trump?s Conservative 2016 Supporters

I'll give this writer credit for nailing some main-street beliefs which I've seen exhibited here on INGO; he's done a better job at this than previous efforts.

 

[Mgderf]

I think he's onto something.

 

[Cpt Caveman]

I think Trump intends to appear to want the republican nomination. He will either do or say something soon that will keep the republicans from nominating him then he will run 3rd party and split the vote allowing hillary to waltz right into the white house. Trump is about trump not America.
I hope I'm wrong. Time will tell.

 

[MilliJac]

So Trump's supporters are actually Democrats. Huh.

 

[Hornett]

You can't leave out the total incompetence of the RNC on top of what he says in the article, pulling true conservatives to Trump.
Even though, deep down inside, they know Trump is not conservative, he is better than ANYTHING the RNC can come up with.

 

[IndyDave1776]

I see several points, some of which coincide with the linked article, some of which do not.

1. Trump's supporters are pragmatic. They see that more of the same is consistently failing to work, and son of a b*tch, here comes the RNC trying to force more 'more of the same' down our throats.

2. Conservative supporters can see that Trump is probably not doing much better than 70% conservative when held to close scrutiny. Establishment Rs like Jeb will talk a good game and in practice come in just a few percentage points right of center. So, am it going to go with a 52% conservative who talks like a John Bircher or a 70% conservative who I expect to fall really close to what he is saying, if for no better reason, he really just doesn't give a damn.

3. Social conservatives are widely misunderstood and misrepresented. We really don't want to establish a theocracy. We want left the hell alone, we want the leftist offensive put on ice, AND WE DON'T WANT DRAGOONED INTO PAYING FOR OR BEING FORCED TO GIVE OFFICIAL IMPRIMATUR TO OTHER PEOPLE'S, WELL, LIFE CHOICES--AND WE REFUSE TO ACCEPT OUR CHILDREN BEING SHANGHAIED INTO THE LEFTIST AGENDA AT SCHOOL. Abortion will be a perennial sticking point because it turns on the notion of not allowing the murder of an innocent human life by people who reject the notion that any life exists.

4. We want a president whose goal in office is to further the well-being of the United States, not special interest groups, not the select few who 'own' establishment candidates, and not the rest of the world. This has been at the top of Trump's bucket list since I started noticing him when I was a kid, which has been quite a long time back at this point. Neither Republicans nor Democrats can offer this, with a rare few exceptions that never gain traction because the establishment sees to it that they don't. Incidentally, I like Cruz and in most regards he would probably make a better president, but on the other hand, he wouldn't be where he is right now without Trump blocking for him. That said, I would be content if there were to be a reversal. We will have to see where that goes.

5. Immigration should be obvious. Aside from a select few, including those who own the leadership of both parties, most people are vulnerable to being undercut by immigration in a number of regards, especially economically. It seems that I could beat Reince Priebus in the head with a baseball bat until I pounded his head completely flat without driving that point into his thick skull.

6. We're tired of being f**ked with. Government needs to do what it needs to do and leave us the hell alone. We have enough serious problems that the federal government does NOT need to constantly launch new law enforcement offensives against paperwork errors (with astronomical fines to go with them). We don't need micromanaged. We don't need a nanny. We don't need told where or how to live withing the broad limitation of not harming others in the process. We don't need told what products we may or may not buy. We don't need told what fuels we may or may not use. We don't need government shoved up our asses over and over again. Even if Trump isn't the Second Coming of Thomas Jefferson, at minimum he understands priorities.

7. Last but most certainly not least, Trump is the first candidate in decades to have serious potential to break the establishment stranglehold. Even if I accept the majority of the criticisms directed at Trump, I would still rather get where I am going riding in an ugly car than have a pretty one that always sits broken down in the driveway telling me how good that trip is going to be.

 

[IndyDave1776]

You can't leave out the total incompetence of the RNC on top of what he says in the article, pulling true conservatives to Trump.
Even though, deep down inside, they know Trump is not conservative, he is better than ANYTHING the RNC can come up with.

 

[JettaKnight]

The man killed the United States Football League.


Need I say more? How out of touch can you be? Only leftist hate football. What other beloved American love will he destroy once in the White House?

 

[BugI02]

That was a mercy killing. No harm, no foul

 

[pudly]

The man killed the United States Football League.


Need I say more? How out of touch can you be? Only leftist hate football. What other beloved American love will he destroy once in the White House?

Think only leftists hate football? I'm slowly drifting away from it after being a fan for the last 40+ years. Between the showboating after virtually every play, political correctness, BLM, political favoritism (keeping Rush Limbaugh from buying into a team) and ridiculous salaries, it is only a matter of time before I stop watching entirely. I've already long since turned off basketball and their recent anti-gun promos have only sealed that decision.

 

[ArcadiaGP]

I see several points, some of which coincide with the linked article, some of which do not.

1. Trump's supporters are pragmatic. They see that more of the same is consistently failing to work, and son of a b*tch, here comes the RNC trying to force more 'more of the same' down our throats.

I disagree with #1. I don't think it exists. I think his supporters use it as an excuse... so they feel slightly less shame in supporting him.

#1 is what talk radio told them the reason is. It's what I heard from the very beginning coming out of the GOPe and RADIOe crowd. No, they don't like him because he's a reflection of "how the people feel about politics"... that's just nonsense at this point. They either really hate immigration, or they're just gullible and think he's an actual Republican.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

Interesting read.

Think only leftists hate football? I'm slowly drifting away from it after being a fan for the last 40+ years. Between the showboating after virtually every play, political correctness, BLM, political favoritism (keeping Rush Limbaugh from buying into a team) and ridiculous salaries, it is only a matter of time before I stop watching entirely. I've already long since turned off basketball and their recent anti-gun promos have only sealed that decision.

I'm there with you, pretty much. I still watch the Colts and I'll be pulling for Denver this weekend. If Denver loses, I doubt I watch the Super Bowl. I've gotten to where I hardly even watch college football like I used to. And I used to keep up on recruiting, spring practices, and summer camps...but not so much anymore.

 

[JettaKnight]

Think only leftists hate football? I'm slowly drifting away from it after being a fan for the last 40+ years. Between the showboating after virtually every play, political correctness, BLM, political favoritism (keeping Rush Limbaugh from buying into a team) and ridiculous salaries, it is only a matter of time before I stop watching entirely. I've already long since turned off basketball and their recent anti-gun promos have only sealed that decision.

The NFL may go the way of Jai Alai if they keep it up. Actually, I see basketball going first.

 

[Jludo]

I think Trump intends to appear to want the republican nomination. He will either do or say something soon that will keep the republicans from nominating him then he will run 3rd party and split the vote allowing hillary to waltz right into the white house. Trump is about trump not America.
I hope I'm wrong. Time will tell.

My question would be what could he possibly do or say that would lose him his supporters?

 

[IndyDave1776]

I disagree with #1. I don't think it exists. I think his supporters use it as an excuse... so they feel slightly less shame in supporting him.

#1 is what talk radio told them the reason is. It's what I heard from the very beginning coming out of the GOPe and RADIOe crowd. No, they don't like him because he's a reflection of "how the people feel about politics"... that's just nonsense at this point. They either really hate immigration, or they're just gullible and think he's an actual Republican.

OK, but it is far more gullible to think that Jeb, Rubio, TubO'Lard, or Kasich are more 'actual Republican' than Trump is.

As for the underlying principle: How do you propose to argue that the establishment is offering anything different, or that different results are going to be achieved. The establishment consistently comes to us with hat in hand telling us all the good things they are going to do, and upon taking office, collectively tell us to f**k off as they do more of the same, with the typical difference between an R and a D being that of going the wrong direction at the speed limit as opposed to floorboarding it.

We do have an immigration problem, it needed fixed decades ago, and so far, no one has managed to do it, largely because their owners don't want it done. Why support more of the same?

 

[IndyDave1776]

My question would be what could he possibly do or say that would lose him his supporters?

I don't know about anyone else, but I really don't think there is anything within reason he could say to accomplish that. Short of telling us what perfect statesmen Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, and the family Kim were, I just don't see it happening. We have been telling wht GOP what we want for decades, they pay some lip service to it during the election cycle, and then forget all about it by mid-November, and they either just don't get it, or more likely, they are being paid too well to get it. After Bush, Dole, Bush, McStupid, Romney, and now the utmost efforts to shove Jeb down our throats, I just don't see it changing.

Cruz stands a reasonable chance of pulling out front before its over, and that wouldn't be a bad thing, so long as he isn't secretly owned. The remainder seem to be a bunch of lap dogs who make their livings from some really evil laps. Then again, the same thing happens on the other side of the aisle, only both the candidates and the laps both are significantly more evil.

 

[Jludo]

I don't know about anyone else, but I really don't think there is anything within reason he could say to accomplish that. Short of telling us what perfect statesmen Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, and the family Kim were, I just don't see it happening. We have been telling wht GOP what we want for decades, they pay some lip service to it during the election cycle, and then forget all about it by mid-November, and they either just don't get it, or more likely, they are being paid too well to get it. After Bush, Dole, Bush, McStupid, Romney, and now the utmost efforts to shove Jeb down our throats, I just don't see it changing.

Cruz stands a reasonable chance of pulling out front before its over, and that wouldn't be a bad thing, so long as he isn't secretly owned. The remainder seem to be a bunch of lap dogs who make their livings from some really evil laps. Then again, the same thing happens on the other side of the aisle, only both the candidates and the laps both are significantly more evil.

Yea that's their brilliance, as long as both nominees are bought and paid for crony capitalists, the general election doesn't matter (even though in the electorates minds it's the most important vote they'll cast)

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

Yea that's their brilliance, as long as both nominees are bought and paid for crony capitalists, the general election doesn't matter (even though in the electorates minds it's the most important vote they'll cast)

As long as crony capitalists know that we voters will continue to vote for the nominees that they decide to give us..............

 

[mrjarrell]

I don't know about anyone else, but I really don't think there is anything within reason he could say to accomplish that. Short of telling us what perfect statesmen Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, and the family Kim were, I just don't see it happening. We have been telling wht GOP what we want for decades, they pay some lip service to it during the election cycle, and then forget all about it by mid-November, and they either just don't get it, or more likely, they are being paid too well to get it. After Bush, Dole, Bush, McStupid, Romney, and now the utmost efforts to shove Jeb down our throats, I just don't see it changing.

Cruz stands a reasonable chance of pulling out front before its over, and that wouldn't be a bad thing, so long as he isn't secretly owned. The remainder seem to be a bunch of lap dogs who make their livings from some really evil laps. Then again, the same thing happens on the other side of the aisle, only both the candidates and the laps both are significantly more evil.

It isn't a secret as to who owns Cruz. The same people who gave him a million dollar "loan". His wife's employer, Goldman Sachs. He's owned by the same people that own Obama and the Fed.

 

[Lowe0]

3. Social conservatives are widely misunderstood and misrepresented. We really don't want to establish a theocracy. We want left the hell alone, we want the leftist offensive put on ice, AND WE DON'T WANT DRAGOONED INTO PAYING FOR OR BEING FORCED TO GIVE OFFICIAL IMPRIMATUR TO OTHER PEOPLE'S, WELL, LIFE CHOICES--AND WE REFUSE TO ACCEPT OUR CHILDREN BEING SHANGHAIED INTO THE LEFTIST AGENDA AT SCHOOL. Abortion will be a perennial sticking point because it turns on the notion of not allowing the murder of an innocent human life by people who reject the notion that any life exists.

And yet how many social conservatives are really campaigning for the removal of government from everyone's life choices?