The terrifying reason Donald Trump is winning: The infantilized conservative base wants rage, not id

[applegrove]

The terrifying reason Donald Trump is winning: The infantilized conservative base wants rage, not ideas

by Sean Illing at Salon

http://www.salon.com/2015/09/09/the_terrifying_reason_donald_trump_is_winning_the_infantilized_conservative_base_wants_rage_not_ideas/

"SNIP..........


As best I can tell, Jeb’s strategy is to engage Trump (so as not to appear meek) without adopting Trump’s tactics. At a recent campaign stop, Jeb countered Trump by emphasizing his political stamina: “The ‘low energy’ candidate this week has only been six days, sixteen hours a day campaigning with joy in my heart.” He also released a video last week that highlighted all of the liberal positions that Trump has taken in the past.

Here’s a bit of unsolicited advice for Jeb: You’re missing the point. Trump supporters (read: the conservative base) don’t care if you’re campaigning with “joy in your heart.” Nor do they care if Trump once identified as a liberal. And they certainly don’t care about the “power of your ideas.” What Trump understands (and what Bush clearly doesn’t) is that the people flocking to Trump are doing so because they don’t give a damn about policy or substance or facts. They want to hear someone tell the establishment that it’s full of shit, and Bush is the establishment. Trump may not have ideas or political acumen or a basic sense of decency, but he knows what alienated conservatives want to hear – and that’s enough.

Trump’s success (and Jeb’s decline) shows how easy it is to openly infantilize the conservative base. You don’t need ideas to win over Republicans anymore; you simply have to reflect their paranoia and frustration, with as much bombast and superficiality as possible.

Donald Trump gets it, Jeb Bush doesn’t – and that’s why Trump is winning.



...........SNIP"

[riderinthestorm]

1. K&R. This I believe nt

[world wide wally]

2. Trump is only into being "successful"

It doesn't matter what it is or what it is at. His casinos are gaudy and cheesey because it sells the image of gambling. If he was making movies, he would make slasher films because they are cheap and rake in big bucks. He is just doing the same thing with the country. Racism is selling, so he is selling racism.

[smirkymonkey]

3. "Racism is selling, so he is selling racism".

That is it exactly! He is first and foremost a businessman. However, he has failed many times and lets hope this is going to be another one of his massive failures.