GOP chickens have come home to roost (and damn, are they ugly).
Wide-eyed disbelief from both DEMs and the GOP ruling class at the rise of Trump. I'm not too surprised at all.
Has no one been paying attention to right-wing media for the past 20 years? They have created an echo chamber of semi-veiled victim-hood, hate-baiting, division of "real America" vs. ethnicity/diversity. They have convinced much of white heartland America that the GOP stands for Christianity, morality, and that the GOP is the only one that can protect them from a ever-present Big Evil. They have created a subclass of America that doesn't believe science all that much. They spout that policies of a "trickle-down economy" is the best way to support the hard working lower class. They declare that GOP will bring a smaller government (% increase of federal spending: Reagan 186%, George W 101% George H 54%, Obama 53%, Carter 43%, Clinton 32%... [cite below]). Studies consistently show that Fox Viewers are the least informed. Hell, watching Fox News makes you less informed than watching no news at all [cite below]! Yet Fox News is better and more accurate than much of the right-wing radio and internet media.
America is losing their shit over the fact that Trump is leading this election and saying what he's saying. Well Trump is just parroting the same bat shit nonsense fear-mongering non-truths that right-wing media and call-in listeners have been saying for years - only now with cocky WWF bravado and Jerry Springer showmanship.
The GOP ruling class has many intellectuals with strong policy understanding. These leaders/pollsters/politicians know well that they can't win elections unless they get this subset of America behind them. So they have fed this right-wing info beast and have fed off of this beast.
And now the GOP primary leader is a WWF hateful baboon. At least he's open about his beliefs and where he stands on issues. The truth is I agree with Trump on the issues more than Cruz or Rubio - which is another way to say I'd rather get shot in the head than to be eaten by a shark. [I've included a pretty inclusive issue chart that you might find useful]
But I am somewhat thankful that at least Trump has put these cards on the table for the larger public to see. I encourage you to look at the issues and don't be fooled into believing that Trump's stance on issues is uncommon. He just has a different strategy about how to convey his beliefs. This is the modern Grand Old Party.
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useconomy.about.com/...
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