The Mystery of the Trump Candidacy

The candidacy of Donald Trump continues to mystify me, because I cannot comprehend how such a distasteful person can be so enthusiastically embraced by so many Americans.  In attempting to understand this rather disturbing phenomenon, I have come up with the following ideas or observations:

1.      America’s fascination with celebrity and wealth – A significant part of our population is obsessed with the lives of the rich and famous; possessed by an almost religious awe of these TV and cinema figures that causes them to ascribe special powers and insight to them.  Trump supporters are somehow willing to overlook hideous character flaws in the hope that his business and Reality TV success can translate to similar marvels for the nation.

2.      A population of desperate economic left-behinds – The US economy is in a post-industrial transition.  Globalization and immigration have conspired to create a deep fear of economic doom in many quarters.  The three major complaints are that (a) jobs have fled overseas or been outsourced, that (b) unfair trade practices have eliminated jobs, and (c) that illegal immigrants have taken many of the remaining jobs at the lower end of the economic spectrum.  Add to this the elimination of many jobs due to automation and you have a perfect storm of economic despair for some part of the population.  Poor job prospects can understandably lead to desperate acts, and those affected will grab onto anything that promises relief, even if there is not a shred of evidence that the proposed solution is realistic, or, as in the case of Trump, the only ‘proposal’ is to ‘make better deals’ and ‘win’.  Economics is a complex topic and people do not generally have the patience or the intellect to see past the demagoguery and simplistic declarations.  The truth is that there is no simple quick fix to our economic challenges and the only sensible course is to pursue carefully planned and researched bi-partisan policies that will hopefully create new jobs without jeopardizing the fragile recovery from the near economic disaster of 2008.  But people don’t want to hear that.

3.      Fear of the ‘New America’ or Decline of the ‘Real America’ – Change is always unsettling.  For some part of America the many changes in our society have sparked a frantic sense of isolation and alienation.  This is not a new phenomenon – every wave of immigration and flurry of social change has produced a similar reaction.  However absurd it may seem, Trump seems to represent a return to a more comfortable and familiar world.  What are the changes that people seek to turn back?  Ethnic and religious diversity is probably the most prominent, especially as it also incorporates the economic fear of immigrants taking away jobs, and the security fear of fifth column terrorism.  The increasing indifference to religion and the growth of agnosticism and atheism – a general sense that we are ‘turning away from God’ and no longer the Christian nation that the founders built – is another big one.  Then there is the continuing liberalization of views on sexual orientation and sexual activity, which is seen as a corollary to the rejection of Christian faith and morality.  Add to that the racial tension that appears to have heightened in recent years due to the public focus on police shootings and treatment of black men, and the fear that crime and drug addiction are on the rise and that our society is at risk for some sort of orgy of violence and decay.  These changes are real, but they have been amplified through the right wing blogosphere and media to create a sense of impending doom and disintegration of the America that we knew and loved!  Trump has harnessed this unease and ‘dared’ to speak out in incredibly racist and xenophobic ways that are interpreted as courageous because they flout the conventions of political correctness.  I would argue that reality TV and social media have de-sensitized us to this type of incendiary speech.  Thoughtful, respectful dialog is no longer valued by the general public because it has no drama and will not attract views, shares and ‘likes’.  Political correctness may indeed have been pushed too far, but the race-baiting and xenophobia of Donald Trump will only exacerbate the situation, not improve it.

4.      The Scary World Disorientation – The rise of ISIS, replacing Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden as the new American nightmare, has people understandably on edge.  We are also seeing the resurgence of Russia and the growing challenge of a more aggressive China.  Tough, xenophobic talk and promises of dramatic action are always the easiest way to comfort and reassure a nervous public, even if they would obviously play into the hands of our adversaries.  Trump has mastered the art of the demagogue and armchair warrior.  Careful diplomacy and long-term military strategy are clearly the required attributes of the next US president, but a significant number of people will be dazzled and bewitched by saber-rattling and chest-beating.  Some people long for the good old cold war days when we stood on the brink of total annihilation of the human race but didn’t have to fear a bomb or some nut with an AK-47 at our local shopping center.  We all would love a quick fix to the terrorism problem, but beware of anyone who promises one!  As we have seen in the past, today’s quick fix is tomorrow’s unintended consequence that turns out to be worse than the original problem.

These are a few of the conditions that appear to buttress the Trump candidacy.  In previous blog entries I have expressed my fear that Trump is a megalomaniac not so dissimilar to the likes of Mussolini (whose bluster and facial expressions he seems almost to mimic) and Hitler.  With our long history of democratic rule and the relative stability of our nation it is unlikely that a Trump presidency could devolve into a tyrannical state.  However, one cannot dismiss the dangers associated with a personality like Trump - a man who:

1    1.   Engages in the lowest forms of insult and slander of his opponents to gain favor with an audience.
2.      Tells lie after lie and refuses to acknowledge or correct them.
3.      Is extremely thin-skinned, has absolutely no self-humor and is hyper-sensitive about any criticism.
4.      Brags about himself and his accomplishments with not the slightest hint of humility.
5.      Never backs down from a quarrel, but rather doubles down and escalates in all cases.
6.      Rarely takes the advice of others and relies almost solely on instinct and reaction.
7.      Preens and gloats and struts with a smugness that masks a deep insecurity and a fearsome ego.
8.      Makes no apparent effort to master the details of any issue or topic or to acknowledge the complexity of problems he says he will ‘fix’
9.      Promotes the most absurd conspiracy theories such as the Obama birther theory, the rigged election theory, the theory that somehow Obama and the democrats are in league with terrorists or ‘Muslims’, the Obama as a secret Muslim theory, the Obama inciting race riots theory, etc.
10.  Ridicules or insults women, other religions, handicapped people, Hispanic people and anyone who disagrees with him.

These are the character traits of a dictator, a demagogue and a megalomaniac.  Putting a man like this at the helm of the most powerful nation on earth because he makes good theater might be the worst mistake that we could ever make.