The elites of the GOP are having a cow over The Donald as their new standard-bearer. How could this have happened? Out of 18 people running, how could a lewd, bombastic demagogue push his way to the top of the Republican food chain?
Call it Political Science 101.
Donald Trump managed to pull together a base of disparate, discouraged and utterly confused voters. He did it by teaching the whys and wherefores of how the political system really works. Many supporters of Trump were impressed by his knowledge and personal experience in being one of those who manipulate the system for their own pocketbooks. He said that the system was rigged against the working class, and he should know. He took advantage of the liberal (yes, I will use that word here) laws as to Big Money contributing to political campaign coffers. In turn, politicians do the bidding of those who bought their way into influence.
Trump’s standing as a TV star, New York developer and overall pitchman gave him credibility. Blue-collar and middle-class workers, who have felt the government no longer worked for them or cared as to their fears, experienced a big “ah-ha!” moment. Trump educated these folks on the status quo of how politics works: Corporations have lobbyists and deep pockets that stack the deck. The wealthy pay relatively little in taxes while the working stiffs’ national and local taxes continue to go higher. The children of the societal elites go to the best schools, get the good jobs. Meanwhile, many in places like Indiana and Pennsylvania have seen their jobs moved out of the country. Their college-educated kids live at home due to lack of employment and staggering college debt.
In speech after speech, Trump hammered home how ridiculous the nominating process is, and at every turn, Party elites run the table. Many who earn nominations to various offices are approved and funded by entities who support policies that hurt the everyday American. In his lectures to this disaffected population, he explained why their votes never changed anything: Promises made time and again in campaigns were forgotten once the lure of all that money and status went to the heads of these supposedly populist lawmakers.
Trump simply connected the dots as to why government is not working for many Americans. For their part, his supporters don’t care about how Trump will solve the problems we face. It is enough that somebody explained it to them, who "gets it”, and promises to do something about it. How will he build that wall and get Mexico to pay for it? How will he make manufacturers stop moving jobs overseas? What will be the process and costs to round up millions of illegal aliens and send them home? This stuff is all insignificant to the Trump voters. Their hero is unbought and unbowed by the slings and arrows of those who are angry that their modus operandi has been challenged.
Going forward, it will be a lot tougher for Trump to fix things from that of merely shining a light on politics as usual. For now, his supporters are satisfied that their message has been sent to the GOP – “We’ve had it with you!”