heywood on 29/2/2016 at 18:28

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I live in Southern NH, in the Boston metro area, and Trump is very popular in this part of the country, so I know a lot of people who are pro-Trump. Some typical reasons people cite are:
He's a real person, not a career politician who just blows smoke up your arse
He's a tough guy who won't get walked over in foreign policy matters
His wealth makes him independent, not bought and paid for by the party and its big donors
He's a deal maker who might actually get something done in Washington
He'll protect American jobs

A lot of it is wishful thinking but perhaps there is a kernel of merit in the second and third items, maybe even the fourth.

I'm sad to say he has a shot at winning the general election. His anti-immigration position gives him crossover appeal with blue collar Democrats who are tired of losing manufacturing jobs. His xenophobic talk taps into a swell of anti-Muslim sentiment. And he has a history of being politically centrist, so he doesn't scare off voters in this part of the country like a true religious conservative would. The more religious conservative red states are a guaranteed Republican victory anyway, and he seems to have found a path to the Republican nomination without pandering to that voting block. Not to mention Hillary Clinton is probably going to be the weakest Democratic nominee since Walter Mondale.

I'm really upset that the Democratic party leadership decided that it was Hillary's turn and discouraged everyone else from getting into the race. Seems like the party establishment and their cohorts in the mainstream media are on her side as well vs. Sanders. Tomorrow is a big primary day (so-called super Tuesday) and I have a bad feeling that Trump and Clinton will be all but unbeatable after tomorrow night, which is too bad because there is no way in hell I'm going to vote for either of them.

I voted for Bernie Sanders in the New Hampshire primary, which is a new thing for me since I have traditionally been socially liberal but center-right on fiscal matters and a bit anti-authoritarian. Never been a big government guy, but right now I'm in a mood to support anyone who opposes the current power base. Also, the lower and middle classes have really taken it on the chin over the last decade and deserve a president who will really represent their interest (and I believe Bernie will more than the others). Not to mention I wanted some Democratic alternative to Hillary Clinton.

Strangely, some Trump supporters I know were also tempted by Bernie Sanders. They both have some crossover appeal due to their perceived independence and straight talk, but also some of the same negatives such as policy ideas they couldn't hope to implement without a different Congress. The Congressional races that nobody is talking about will probably have a bigger impact than the Presidential election anyway.

Anyway, getting back to the egomaniac Trump, he doesn't scare me anywhere near as much as the ideologue Ted Cruz. A lot of what comes out of The Donald's mouth is trolling the media to dominate the news cycle.

Muzman on 29/2/2016 at 18:52

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Trump would almost be worth it for the show.
I don't know about him being a fascist strongman though. I have this feeling he'll be a mostly limp puppet of whatever Cheney Tsars manage to worm their way into his good graces and it'll be mainly steady-as-she-goes for the most part with little adventure.
Almost sounds like a good thing.

The stuff people think about him though! Wowsers. "He's a good businessman"- He's a thoroughly mediocre one, especially for real estate. His main achievement seems to be being an unreconstructed 80s style tycoon who isn't completely bankrupt or in jail.
"He'll be tough in foreign policy" - oh good grief. He's the blustery idiot of Putin's dreams. He's coming back from every deal with the magic beans every time. Without the shield of Wall Street culture to give him a leg up he's nothing.

He's kind of Nasty Reagan. He'll talk so that people will confirm him as god saviour and greatest forever, but didn't actually do a whole lot on close inspection.

With an ego of that size though it's also hard to see him not digging in and ruining something good and proper along the way at the same time.

Medlar on 29/2/2016 at 20:03

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Looks like we've drawn out a lurker, welcome zoog. Inter-Mensch? A little tough eh?

ZylonBane on 1/3/2016 at 00:38

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And there we go.

Pyrian on 1/3/2016 at 00:53

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Does (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin%27s_law) Godwin's law still apply if someone brings Hitler up approvingly?