Lately I have been surprised by the punditry’s amazement that The Donald is scooping up many of the evangelicals that TRUSted (snicker) thought he owned. These people are yearning for a Strong Man which does not bode well for the USA. They believe Trump will protect them and “make America great again”, as if somehow having a Democratic President (or maybe a black one?) has ruined the country.
A number of years ago I came across a reference to a free book, Bob Altemeyer's The Authoritarians that detailed his series of experiments with students at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg Canada. His findings explained a lot of things for me, including why my mother was so certain, right wing and angry in her political beliefs, but seemed unable to explain any details of said beliefs. After reading this book, it is clear that her being raised by a Baptist minister was the main factor.
While the book was written in 2006 after Dubyuhs re-election, Bob has updated his investigation in 2010 to encompass the Tea Party. I am hoping he will look at the Trump disturbance in the force as well. In retrospect, I probably found this book from a post in DK, back when I was still a lurker.
Anyway, Trump has license from his supporters (and the media) to be outrageous, vile and bellicose and they somehow believe that someone who says he is strong and says anything that comes into his head will be able to “protect” the country.