Trumpism
What is Trumpism? Who follows Trump and Why? What is the strategy of keeping Trump followers loyal?
There are three groups of people that follow Trump:
1) Evangelists - who have one issue, abortion.
2) Trumpites - discussed here, the white working-class that has been disenfranchised
3) Alt-Right and those who support policies that harm minorities
How were Trumpites Created
People, Trumpites, are hurting. They have lost good jobs in the smelters, steel plants, coal mines, manufacturing, etc. for decades. They were good jobs that you could raise your family on … buy a house, send your kids to college, have a few cars, and a big tv. Now they have jobs in Walmart or Amazon, and their wives and kids have jobs …. And all of the family working together can’t pay the mortgage. Drugs, debt, college loans, etc. are all the fruits of this new reality. People are hurting. Many of them are from the white working class and believe in Trumpism.
Here is what they are angry about:
- Layoffs in steel, coal, minerals, etc. that lead to a loss of their middle-class way of life
- Left out of the technology revolution without the education to catch up
- Low Minimum Wages in the jobs that are left
- Automation pushing them out of skilled labor jobs
- Outsourcing of factories to Mexico, China, and Canadia, etc.
Retaliation is Their Creed
The hurting people are angry and they want to retaliate. Read Hillbilly Elegy. Of course, Trump doesn’t have the answer, but he saw them. They may even know they are being exploited, but angry, hurting people just want to strike out and destroy the system.
Trump is their agent. That
Hunter S. Thompson saw this forty years ago is amazing. He called it the “ethic of total retaliation” against a technologically advanced and economically changing America in which they (the working class) feel they’d been counted out and left behind.
Thompson saw the appeal of that retaliatory ethic. That most of the nation and the media still doesn’t get it, is also amazing.
Bikers Were the First Wave
In the mid-1980s new motorcycles from Asia threatened to put Harley motorcycles out of business. The new motorcycles cost less, performed better, and were more efficient. But, they were made overseas and Harley's were American-made. The Bikers were loyal to Harley and were angry at what was happening to their jobs and the jobs of other Americans. And they wanted to retaliate against those that had agreed to trade deals and those that had failed to protect American jobs.
The current wave of Trumpites has chosen Trump as their agent to push back against the elites and liberals, who they see as being the architects of destroying American jobs. Their contempt spreads beyond the original job loss issues and spreads to other issues dear to liberals. The kind of thumb in your eye retaliation.
Who are the US (Trumpites) and Them (the enemies)
The US is the hardworking, mostly white men, that have lost the middle-class way of life as factories moved overseas and U.S. plants were automated.
The THEM are anyone that was responsible for the US losing their middle-class way of life including Mexico (outsourcing and immigrants) and China (outsourcing), Blacks (affirmative action), College kids (robots, technology), and Liberals (for all of the above and not seeing them).
Trump Game Plan
The Trump game plan is to be confrontational toward the THEM. The THEM that took the jobs whether in reality or appearance. The THEM that offered no alternative. The THEM that executed the outsourcing (China, Mexico). The immigrants that are potentially taking their future jobs. The welfare cheaters that are driving up their taxes and making America poorer (preception, it doesn't have to be real). The Wall becomes a symbol of protecting American jobs, the American way of life.
Trump Strategy for the Trumpites
Reality TV drama. Tie up the media. Break the rules. Attack THEM. Control the Agenda. Tell lies boldly, loudly, and frequently without apology to create a new Reality. I would give Trump an A+ on executing this strategy.
Impeachment
The Trump being impeached in the House and vindicated (perception) in the Senate would be the ultimate victory for Trump. In my opinion, this would be his ticket to ride into the White House in 2020 fully vindicated and empowered to be King.
What is the Counter to Trumpism?
There is no counter to two of the three groups that support Trump. The evangelists and the alt-right are religions and as such are not approachable by logic. Many Trumpites are loyal Americans who want what is best of their families.
The liberals would be helped if they let go of symbols that do not precisely support their policies. The most glaring inaccurate symbol is the anti-WALL symbol. Most Democrats are for good border security and actively fund policies that make the border more secure including walls, drones, border control agents, etc. Trump has selected the wall as a symbol to represent security, let him have it. Simultaneously, fund humanitarian changes that improve border conditions and reduces the power of the drug cartels (another blog).
Ignore the reality tv created by Trump and the Media. Focus on family issues such as health insurance, wages, college tuition, interest rates on college loans, affordable housing, and even issues that once were poor people issues like food stamps, lunch programs, and public housing.
Footnote
Why are the Progressives getting more traction than the more traditional Democrats? Because they see people are hurting and they offer solutions. The discussion at this point is not whether their approach is viable, the point is that the Progressives are acknowledging that people are hurting, just like Trumpism does. And like Trumpism, they are advocating throwing out the baby with the bathwater, if necessary.
#trumpism #livingwage
