If "The Don" gets into the White House, will Ivanka be the First Lady?
6
Trump's popularity at this moment is clearly an indication of the lack of mass appeal for Republican party. How does this reconcile with the fact that both house and senate are led by R majorities? Non sequitur, it does not compute. That's the nature of cognitive dissonance.
48
DB writes: "He is deeply rooted in the currents of our time."
Indeed, but Brooks fails to remind his readers how FOX/GOP have promoted and used Trump for years as a type of ShockTroop vs Democratic politicians and for GOP ideology. They have emboldened and seduced him and fed the ego greatly. Now the monster is a beast and they don't know what to do. So practically every pundit with GOP leanings, like Brooks, now plays a part in trying to disassemble the Trump. (Brooks may have a crummy memory, but most readers of this column don't.)
Indeed, but Brooks fails to remind his readers how FOX/GOP have promoted and used Trump for years as a type of ShockTroop vs Democratic politicians and for GOP ideology. They have emboldened and seduced him and fed the ego greatly. Now the monster is a beast and they don't know what to do. So practically every pundit with GOP leanings, like Brooks, now plays a part in trying to disassemble the Trump. (Brooks may have a crummy memory, but most readers of this column don't.)
87
I wonder how the Koch Bros feel about DT.
22
Nobody is talking about the numerous failures on his resume. No one wants to dig and find right under the surface numerous examples of Trump the bully, Trump the man who cheats people in business deals. It's fascinating that he declared Lindsey Graham unfit for the private sector. Really? Donald Trump would never have succeeded running a public company with real shareholders and a board. He has bankrupted companies, and only because his company is a private company has he been able to advance in the private sector. No public company would hire Donald Trump as an executive, let alone as CEO.... And I know this, because I am a CEO.
118
Well Bill put W in office ,Bush inherently placed Mr. Obama upon his pedestal and in turn the torch may be tossed to someone like Trump.Now one must consider the scandals of Mr. Clinton and the public tire and ire of it. Iraq in no minute fragment caused the Bush and consequential Republican collapse even though Iraq was thoroughly supported and approved by Democrat vote. Thank you Mr. Lieberman Schumer Ms. Clinton ect. Like Obama Mr. Trump is a virtual Iraq reluctant somewhere between a Rand Paul and his father. Inordinately Mr. Trump as Television star is nearly as remote as President Reagans film career .
5
Lord, how the conservatives like David Brooks try and try to say TRUMP ISN'T ONE OF US!!!
But he is. And nobody sums up the modern conservative the way Trump does.
It sure galls conservatives like Brooks that their own party is crazy for Trump.
https://emcphd.wordpress.com
But he is. And nobody sums up the modern conservative the way Trump does.
It sure galls conservatives like Brooks that their own party is crazy for Trump.
https://emcphd.wordpress.com
87
"after" not "afar" Autocorrect is merciless on typos...
5
Honestly people, take a close look at the Trump positions documented in the Peter Wehner article. Here's a quote from it:
"Mr. Trump has supported massive tax increases on the wealthy, a Canadian-style single-payer health care system and is a fierce protectionist. He once declared himself “strongly pro-choice” and favored drug legalization. Earlier this year he accused Republicans who want to reform entitlement programs – the essential task for those who favor limited government — of “attacking” Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid."
He took all those positions just within the past decade.
I support Bernie Sanders, just to let you know my preferences.
However, among Republican candidates, is it not conceivable that Trump might actually be by far the best? To me, that is still very much an open question, and frankly I find myself cheering him on.
"Mr. Trump has supported massive tax increases on the wealthy, a Canadian-style single-payer health care system and is a fierce protectionist. He once declared himself “strongly pro-choice” and favored drug legalization. Earlier this year he accused Republicans who want to reform entitlement programs – the essential task for those who favor limited government — of “attacking” Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid."
He took all those positions just within the past decade.
I support Bernie Sanders, just to let you know my preferences.
However, among Republican candidates, is it not conceivable that Trump might actually be by far the best? To me, that is still very much an open question, and frankly I find myself cheering him on.
48
To those who have been caught up in this Trump carnival act, a suggestion. Research the events surrounding October 14-28, 1962. Then ask yourself, if Mr. Trump had occupied the White House at that time, what would have been the consequences? That's right.
37
If you take this argument to its logical end, though, the conclusion "he won't be president" does not necessarily follow. If he is the embodiment of populist dissatisfaction, and this is 'his time', he could win. There's obviously an eye-rolling undercurrent of 'oh, no, that will never happen' behind this article (and others). But wishful thinking is sometimes nothing more, and there's a big bunch of people that - at least so far - don't seem to be rolling their eyes at the prospect of voting for him. It's probably way too early to predict anything, but if Jeb Bush doesn't gain traction, and Hillary falters (which is certainly not outside the realm of 'yeah, that could happen'), people should realize that it would be the ultimate ego achievement for him to go for the win, if it seems within reach.
16
The man, perennially broke and in massive debt, saw how much money poured in for Sarah Palin afar her ludicrous run for national office. That is the whole story.
https://emcphd.wordpress.com
https://emcphd.wordpress.com
36
Oh, he's gonna get that GOP nomination, just you wait! Then LOL!
14
There is nothing in Donald Trump's biography that suggests he has earned the privilege to stand before his fellow citizens and ask for them to place their trust in him to lead this nation forward. When Pope Francis visits the US in September, perhaps the American people will have the sense to recognize that a true leader is wise, humble, patient and kind -- not an egotistical blowhard.
60
What was in Obama's background that qualified him to "lead" the nation?
14
His well written books presented the impression of a responsible person who would not put his own interests above all else.
83
bumper cars???
maybe you mean demolision derby cause that sure looks more like the republican field and Donnie the dumb is just the craziest driver making for the most nutty stunts
he lives to bring attention to himself and he doesn't care from what cause or presective
imagine an out of control commander in chief with no patience, no consultation and no real experience. He is a loser a big loser. Say it with me David the dude is a loser.
maybe you mean demolision derby cause that sure looks more like the republican field and Donnie the dumb is just the craziest driver making for the most nutty stunts
he lives to bring attention to himself and he doesn't care from what cause or presective
imagine an out of control commander in chief with no patience, no consultation and no real experience. He is a loser a big loser. Say it with me David the dude is a loser.
29
Too many people are buying into the hype.
Trump never financed businesses. He is perennially broke - in hock to banks up to his hairline - and he uses other people's money when he backs something. Generally, developers merely pay him a fee to use his name so they can remain in the background and the rubes will think The Great Trump built something. Same with "his" apparel line. This is just branding. He is paid for the use of his name.
His only product is his manufactured image.
What can you say about a man who lost everything in the casino business? A business in which people thrust their money at you in a rigged game?
Trump started with $35,000,000 from his daddy and in no time ran it into $950,000,000 worth of debt.
His main income for years was that TV game show.
Don't buy the myth.
When he says "I'm really rich" just picture Fredo Corleone crying "I'm smart!" and you will get the picture.
In the world of business, Trump is no genius. He is Milli Vanilli.
https://emcphd.wordpress.com
Trump never financed businesses. He is perennially broke - in hock to banks up to his hairline - and he uses other people's money when he backs something. Generally, developers merely pay him a fee to use his name so they can remain in the background and the rubes will think The Great Trump built something. Same with "his" apparel line. This is just branding. He is paid for the use of his name.
His only product is his manufactured image.
What can you say about a man who lost everything in the casino business? A business in which people thrust their money at you in a rigged game?
Trump started with $35,000,000 from his daddy and in no time ran it into $950,000,000 worth of debt.
His main income for years was that TV game show.
Don't buy the myth.
When he says "I'm really rich" just picture Fredo Corleone crying "I'm smart!" and you will get the picture.
In the world of business, Trump is no genius. He is Milli Vanilli.
https://emcphd.wordpress.com
71
What is happening is that Protestant whites, who have long had obvious built-in advantages both economically and in terms of social standing because of their race, are now feeling threatened. They - particularly the evangelists - see the number of "minorities" increasing, they are now less and less able to secure a good education, they see China flexing its muscles, and Jews and Catholics dominant in high political positions and on the U.S. Supreme Court. Is it any surprise that in their justified fear of losing their guarantee of a future as safe as their past they are behaving like frightened children? This is so easy for them, since they get their moral compass from a narrow reading of an ancient text, have been let down by dummies like Georgie the Dumbush, and could not beat Obama in the past two elections.
Such scared people, burdened with low self esteem, armed and anxious, are very dangerous and will be easily led by the likes of Trump.
Such scared people, burdened with low self esteem, armed and anxious, are very dangerous and will be easily led by the likes of Trump.
47
Trump could be another Andrew Jackson. He comes from the same background; belonging to the same religion that believes in predestination. The predestined are considered the equivalent of wheat to be preserved to the barn; the non-predestined are the equivalent of chaff that is blown away by the breeze. This is dangerous thinking in a nuclear age. Who, within, or outside the US borders would play the Native American role in a Trump Presidency? It could be argued that Trump is too sophisticated to harbor such ideas, but religious belief that is inherited runs very deep.
3
Donald Trump's campaign reminds me very much of Jesse Ventura's campaign and of his tenure as governor here in Minnesota. During his campaign, his straightforward and often simplistic answers appealed to the frustrated and confused. His name-calling and sarcasm appealed to the judgmental and angry. His contrast from the conventional bureaucrats seemed to bring great promise of change -- and relief. All of this was enough for him to win the governorship.
However, soon after he became governor, it was apparent that he did not have the broad perspective, stable temperament and innate confidence to be the leader that we all had wanted him to be. Instead, he became even more defensive and condescending. It seemed that ultimately, he became desperate and then detached. His simplistic world view did not match the realities of the job. He went back to being a much more comfortable celebrity, surrounding by adoring fans.
Sound familiar?
However, soon after he became governor, it was apparent that he did not have the broad perspective, stable temperament and innate confidence to be the leader that we all had wanted him to be. Instead, he became even more defensive and condescending. It seemed that ultimately, he became desperate and then detached. His simplistic world view did not match the realities of the job. He went back to being a much more comfortable celebrity, surrounding by adoring fans.
Sound familiar?
46
It sounds exactly like what Obama did, albeit a dumbed down, negative version.
5
AACNY: I trust you're kidding. President Obama is a very bright, patient, highly educated man with proven compassion for the less fortunate. His policies are complex, sophisticated responses to real problems. He does not offer simplistic slogans or programs. He is the antithesis of the loud mouth phony wrestler and the loud mouth carnival barker.
144
Mr. Trump said over the weekend: "“I wish good luck to all of the Republican candidates that traveled to California to beg for money etc. from the Koch Brothers." "Puppets"
In one sentence he managed to sum up what many consider to be a major problem with today's politics.
If we throw the baby out, let's make sure we keep some of the bathwater.
In one sentence he managed to sum up what many consider to be a major problem with today's politics.
If we throw the baby out, let's make sure we keep some of the bathwater.
18
If Mr. Trump's appeal is based on "alienation, economic uncertainty, and a craving for extremely confident leadership", doesn't this recall German electorate in the mid-1930's?
82
As has been said here before, Donald Trump's allure is that he is a breath of fresh air speaking up on issues that have been ignored by politicians from both parties, but that are of importance to the average voter.
But the smugness that emerges from this and other similar articles indicates that the pundits, Brooks included, have been sniffing glue for too long to recognize it.
People are speaking, and it's primarily outside of the "politically correct and anointed candidate talking points" world that the majority of politicians and media are in. And they wonder why they aren't taken seriously.
But the smugness that emerges from this and other similar articles indicates that the pundits, Brooks included, have been sniffing glue for too long to recognize it.
People are speaking, and it's primarily outside of the "politically correct and anointed candidate talking points" world that the majority of politicians and media are in. And they wonder why they aren't taken seriously.
12
They are part of the group that Americans are rebelling against. They just haven't realized it yet.
9
Trump is the dark personification of the Republican message.
It isn't just that he's a narcissist -- it is the Republican message of narcissism, and the crazy idea that everyone can be John Galt ... if only the Federal government can be destroyed.
You are wrong though that Trump thinks he can solve every problem -- he has no intention of solving any real problems, nor does he actually present anything which is a solution. This is why his supporters love him -- they don't want solutions either.
You are bang on target however with "Never before have we experienced a moment with so much public alienation and so much private, assertive and fragile self-esteem. "
Trump's supporters are alienated from reality: the world is too complex, too technological, too brown, females are too uppity now and make too much money.
When you say Trump's support base ....skews slightly more secular and educated than the average Republican" ... the religious part makes perfect sense. No Christian could possibly respect the Donald.
The education part? Find me a Trump supporter with a post-graduate degree?
It isn't just that he's a narcissist -- it is the Republican message of narcissism, and the crazy idea that everyone can be John Galt ... if only the Federal government can be destroyed.
You are wrong though that Trump thinks he can solve every problem -- he has no intention of solving any real problems, nor does he actually present anything which is a solution. This is why his supporters love him -- they don't want solutions either.
You are bang on target however with "Never before have we experienced a moment with so much public alienation and so much private, assertive and fragile self-esteem. "
Trump's supporters are alienated from reality: the world is too complex, too technological, too brown, females are too uppity now and make too much money.
When you say Trump's support base ....skews slightly more secular and educated than the average Republican" ... the religious part makes perfect sense. No Christian could possibly respect the Donald.
The education part? Find me a Trump supporter with a post-graduate degree?
46
"Find me a Trump supporter with a post-graduate degree?" Probably not one
12
You misread the paragraph. Mr. Brooks suggested Trump's supporters are more secular and less educated, not more secular and more educated.
13
I don't think I will watch the GOP debate... if I'm really in the mood to see a bunch of clowns, I'll go to the circus...
28
Matt Bai's recent book, "All the Truth is Out" suggests that Trump is a fit because we now live in the age of "reality politics" and Trump, a "reality" celebrity, is a natural fit. Be interested in seeing how his supporters match up against reality tv.
9
Perhaps the overlooked important question is "what kind of president would Donald Trump be if he were elected?" Really. Would he work hard? As a person without a political history, being president would be huge redirecting of his mental and physical energy. Right now his role is easy for him because he is doing his usual style work of entertaining, boasting, selling his product (himself), and creating an image. He has zero experience in doing anything that is solely directed toward being constructive for the public good. It is presumed that even his past charitable work has been more for self enhancement and ego.
So, what kind of president would such a person be? Or, is he secretly hoping his current political stardom will soon burnout, and we will all be better of if he soon did leave the political stage because he really is not made for it, especially at the highest level of being president.
So, what kind of president would such a person be? Or, is he secretly hoping his current political stardom will soon burnout, and we will all be better of if he soon did leave the political stage because he really is not made for it, especially at the highest level of being president.
14
Trump could and would do nothing to reduce the off shoring of jobs. Someone needs ask him what specific measures he would take to "get a better deal with China". What?
What he might do if he were elected president is to turn on the base of the Republican party and say "You're losers! Quit whining and get an education if you want a job." I doubt that they would like him must then, but that is probably what many of them need to hear. Guess what? The easy life is over. If you are unskilled, you probably will live a lean life. If you are skilled, you may have to re-train. This is the new economy, this is how it has always been for humanity except for a few decades when America was king after WWII. Guess what? We are up to the challenge. If Trump is ready to give that message, then maybe he would be good for America.
What he might do if he were elected president is to turn on the base of the Republican party and say "You're losers! Quit whining and get an education if you want a job." I doubt that they would like him must then, but that is probably what many of them need to hear. Guess what? The easy life is over. If you are unskilled, you probably will live a lean life. If you are skilled, you may have to re-train. This is the new economy, this is how it has always been for humanity except for a few decades when America was king after WWII. Guess what? We are up to the challenge. If Trump is ready to give that message, then maybe he would be good for America.
Trump is wonderful theater and he's taking the Republicans to places where the professionals wouldn't dare set foot. What's he got to lose? He speaks the truth of the down-trodden, disenfranchised and ignored folks who pay their bills and raise their children to believe in America and the American Dream. He steps on toes everywhere. He owes no one anything, in political terms. How refreshing! He doesn't have to mount the runway for the Kochs or Rodger Ailes or Rush Limbaugh. He'll buy them and put them out of work! Frankly, I'm enjoying the show until the "real" candidates start saying the same things and then we'll watch the Democrats win another one while the Republicans stand around and wonder what happened and bemoan the stupidity of the electorate.
Make no mistake, Mr. Obama is president because the Republicans refuse to listen to Americans. They only listen to each other. The Democrats win the White House because the Republican leadership are ideologues who long ago lost touch with the general electorate. Local elections are a different matter. Throw enough money and name recognition at the locals and you win. The national elections are a different matter altogether.
Long live The Donald! Let's hope he pushes the other candidates off the stand and we can have a real election.
Make no mistake, Mr. Obama is president because the Republicans refuse to listen to Americans. They only listen to each other. The Democrats win the White House because the Republican leadership are ideologues who long ago lost touch with the general electorate. Local elections are a different matter. Throw enough money and name recognition at the locals and you win. The national elections are a different matter altogether.
Long live The Donald! Let's hope he pushes the other candidates off the stand and we can have a real election.
7
You fail to mention one point on which both Trump and Sanders have been quite vocal: immigration is a problem for the working class, and is not an unalloyed good, as all other politicians in both the Republican and Democratic Parties are insisting.
Virtually everybody in the public knows that these politicians are lying through their teeth about immigration. How can they not hold in contempt those who lie as they do, and rally to leaders who will speak the truth?
And it's not as if there don't exist solutions to the problem of immigration in general and illegal immigration in particular: we can restrict legal immigration and prevent most illegal immigration simply by adopting obvious policies. It is only because our ordinary politicians won't even allow such discussions to take place that they go around screaming "la la racism la la" while holding their fingers in their ears whenever the subject of immigration comes up.
It's worthwhile remembering that Trump's poll numbers shot up right after the murder in SF of a young woman by an illegal alien with 7 felonies who had been deported 5 times.
Does any other politician -- does President Obama -- have an answer as to how this murder might have been prevented, given their own stated policies?
No. And that's how the public knows how contemptible they are in their lies.
Virtually everybody in the public knows that these politicians are lying through their teeth about immigration. How can they not hold in contempt those who lie as they do, and rally to leaders who will speak the truth?
And it's not as if there don't exist solutions to the problem of immigration in general and illegal immigration in particular: we can restrict legal immigration and prevent most illegal immigration simply by adopting obvious policies. It is only because our ordinary politicians won't even allow such discussions to take place that they go around screaming "la la racism la la" while holding their fingers in their ears whenever the subject of immigration comes up.
It's worthwhile remembering that Trump's poll numbers shot up right after the murder in SF of a young woman by an illegal alien with 7 felonies who had been deported 5 times.
Does any other politician -- does President Obama -- have an answer as to how this murder might have been prevented, given their own stated policies?
No. And that's how the public knows how contemptible they are in their lies.
8
It is astounding to me how nearly every Trump supporter claims to know what "the people" want and what "the people" are thinking. It's as though Trump were collecting on entourage of psychics. Or maybe they just coincidentally sound like the instructions on a box of freeze-dried pomp.
3
I'm tired of Trump and Sanders being lumped together in every article.
30
Me, too. One is serious; the other is just entertainment. Once again, a lamentable exercise in false equivalency.
7
Trump, the GOP's monster, did not create the sensation he merely exploits what the GOP base feels. That is why all the talk about his crash and burn after the McCain comment did not happen.
There is more. Why is it when the have-nots talk about taxing the rich or income redistribution is class warfare or class conflict (Sanders) and when the rich talk about how lazy the have-nots are or the 47% (or is it 43%) takers it is not class warfare. Maybe Mr. Brooks can explain that before he talks about class warfare or class conflict in his next column.
There is more. Why is it when the have-nots talk about taxing the rich or income redistribution is class warfare or class conflict (Sanders) and when the rich talk about how lazy the have-nots are or the 47% (or is it 43%) takers it is not class warfare. Maybe Mr. Brooks can explain that before he talks about class warfare or class conflict in his next column.
7
Mr. Brooks, while you may be more or less correct regarding Mr. Trump, on Democrats in general: Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Joe Biden, you are judgmental and downright stupid. You write what you, as a Republican, would prefer to happen, without basing it on either facts or logic.
8
I am a left leaning person so the current GOP field hold no interest for me. But I went to his web site which is plastered all over his signs and hats I guess. I looked around a little and was struck. Most candidates, even the one I disagree with have somewhere on their sites policy positions. Things that they, the candidate would support or be against would they be elected president.
On Trump's site I see lots of self aggrandizing about his books, TV shows, Business success, but one thing I cannot find granted I didn't dig really deep was a policy position on anything. This tells me he is not in the least bit serious about being President of the US but is very interested in the attention being a candidate gives him. What an insult to the American Public.
On Trump's site I see lots of self aggrandizing about his books, TV shows, Business success, but one thing I cannot find granted I didn't dig really deep was a policy position on anything. This tells me he is not in the least bit serious about being President of the US but is very interested in the attention being a candidate gives him. What an insult to the American Public.
23
Policy will be Trump's undoing. Unfortunately, it will be Sanders' as well. Once Bernie starts getting into specifics, like 90% tax rates, Americans will be reminded why they dislike socialism.
1
Not true. The 90% tax rate was a Republican (1950') policy, and of course it is crazy. What Bernie has done is lined up with Modern Monetary Theorists who believe that yes, tax rates are too high right now, not too low. They support eliminating the FICA tax, which would give a couple with a combined income of $100,000 an extra $650 a month to spend (same tax relief on the employer end too).
Republicans don't care about the middle class, so they don't support this measure.
Republicans don't care about the middle class, so they don't support this measure.
3
As usual, this is insightful and quite timely.
As one who serves a community that includes a wide range of political perspectives, your point about Trump's appeal and fitting the current social climate seems to be on target.
But I see a clear grouping around those who support Mr. Trump. They are almost entirely those who feel they have failed to achieve relative to their neighbors and are looking for an external reason for their failure. They are the group that would have been most racist when overt racism was socially acceptable, and are now somewhat racist, somewhat sexist, and very classist. They fear they may be inherently and irredeemably failures at heart, due to some inner flaw. They are terrified others will recognize this and call them so (we put fear of public failure more heavily on men, so they tend to be male). Strident denouncement of anyone who receives formal help - beneficiaries of Affirmative Action (includes all persons of color and women), anyone specifically mentioned in EOE or employment diversity policies, and everyone who receives any form of public assistance are therefore targets of attack. The argument they feel defends them from charges of failure is that they would have achieved, if only those in charge weren't so busy giving extra help to other groups. This under-achieving group is clearly definable.
As one who serves a community that includes a wide range of political perspectives, your point about Trump's appeal and fitting the current social climate seems to be on target.
But I see a clear grouping around those who support Mr. Trump. They are almost entirely those who feel they have failed to achieve relative to their neighbors and are looking for an external reason for their failure. They are the group that would have been most racist when overt racism was socially acceptable, and are now somewhat racist, somewhat sexist, and very classist. They fear they may be inherently and irredeemably failures at heart, due to some inner flaw. They are terrified others will recognize this and call them so (we put fear of public failure more heavily on men, so they tend to be male). Strident denouncement of anyone who receives formal help - beneficiaries of Affirmative Action (includes all persons of color and women), anyone specifically mentioned in EOE or employment diversity policies, and everyone who receives any form of public assistance are therefore targets of attack. The argument they feel defends them from charges of failure is that they would have achieved, if only those in charge weren't so busy giving extra help to other groups. This under-achieving group is clearly definable.
12
So many brag about how great it is that "we" sent a probe past Pluto. But, if these people met the engineers and scientists who actually did it, they'd label them elitists. The difference between these technologists and politicians is that the technology actually has to work. In contrast, politicians can tell lies and pander to the "base" (a really good word for this group) and still get away with it when they are wrong. Magic and fantasy sell.
8
Everyone should read 'It Can't Happen Here' by sinclair lewis. It is a mid 1930's novel about how someone like Donald Trump gets elected president.
12
But for the facile dismissive reference to Senator Sanders as a "conviction politician comfortable with class conflict," you correctly conclude that Donald Trump is not an aberration. He is a hyperbolic salesman of the times. Inherent in his genius is his demise. As skilled as he can be in selling all things Trump, he has no choice but to focus on his consumers: the lowest common denominator among GOP primary voters. But Trump did not build that. We, during our generation, did. By wilfully voting for or acquiescing in nurturing, feeding, and "constitutionally" butressing an increasingly corrupt electoral process. Politicians like Trump are the icing on our half-baked political cake. Enjoy for now! The heartburn comes later.
7
It's so easy to make fun of "the Donald". Too easy. It's that kind of attitude that begets candidates like socialists and business moguls.
When you dismiss candidates that have this kind of appeal, whether it's Sanders or Trump, you dismiss the concerns of people who support them.
Isn't it time to STOP dismissing the concerns of Americans? That's the reason these outlying candidates are doing so well. They DON'T do that.
Perhaps the democrats need to rustle up a new identity group, call it the "Unheard Voters" or "Disenfranchised Voters". Then they can declare a "War on" this group. A completely new "identity" for them to go after.
When you dismiss candidates that have this kind of appeal, whether it's Sanders or Trump, you dismiss the concerns of people who support them.
Isn't it time to STOP dismissing the concerns of Americans? That's the reason these outlying candidates are doing so well. They DON'T do that.
Perhaps the democrats need to rustle up a new identity group, call it the "Unheard Voters" or "Disenfranchised Voters". Then they can declare a "War on" this group. A completely new "identity" for them to go after.
6
Trying to reason with an Obama supporter is like trying to talk Kanye West and Kim Kardashian into toning it down a bit.
2
Since you don't define his appeal, it is hard to define, much less dismiss the concerns of his supporters.
Based on the comments to articles and columns, there are two sources of his appeal: his stance on the issues, which is apparently the same stance as every other Republican candidate and the brash, arrogant and discourteous manner shown in public appearances.
No one dismisses the concerns of his supporters. The concerns are valid. It's just that the solutions offered by the Republican candidates are vague or non-viable. As for those who support Mr. Trump because he is rich, brash, arrogant and discourteous, aren't those characteristics embraced by the Tea Party?
Based on the comments to articles and columns, there are two sources of his appeal: his stance on the issues, which is apparently the same stance as every other Republican candidate and the brash, arrogant and discourteous manner shown in public appearances.
No one dismisses the concerns of his supporters. The concerns are valid. It's just that the solutions offered by the Republican candidates are vague or non-viable. As for those who support Mr. Trump because he is rich, brash, arrogant and discourteous, aren't those characteristics embraced by the Tea Party?
3
It's quite remarkable. They repeat the same rants against the GOP in every election regardless of who the candidate is. Republicans must all look alike to them.
The good news is that the more they push a leftist socialist, the greater the chances for the GOP. People are pretty fed up with Obama by now. Took them long enough. ;-)
The good news is that the more they push a leftist socialist, the greater the chances for the GOP. People are pretty fed up with Obama by now. Took them long enough. ;-)
4
Trump won't be president, you say. Darn!
4
Trump is the reductio ad absurdum of the Republican strategy to con the broad electorate. To push an economic agenda that benefit so few but with a need to gain the votes of so many they have to fan the flames every social discontent and jingoistic impulse. Trump has the biggest bellows of them all, and knows exactly where to direct the wind.
13
The political system has detached itself from the American people and has become its owner. Instead of of the people for the people by the people, it has become of the rich for the rich by the rich. The frustration is on both side of the political spectrum. This is why Bernie Sanders has a chance to defeat Hillary, when the Clintons have made since 2001 over 210 million dollars, and this is why on the other side Trump is leading. Citizen United will be remembered as one of the Supreme Court's worst decisions, one that has destroyed American democracy. But there is a fundamental difference between Trump and Sanders. The former is a big moth and the latter is a big brain. You can guess who I support.
26
Trump isn't populist. You're confusing him with crude, mannerless , no -class boots, unless you think the people are exactly that
6
I have voted for democrats my entire life but I am sick and tired of both parties. That said, I am open to voting for Trump simply because I do not believe that he will be anyone's puppet and he will certainly speak his mind. I also think that he has a better chance of lighting a fire under Congress and exposing our do-nothing Congress for who they really are.
12
JMM:
You are the voter that both parties have lost completely. McCain even went so far as to call his own state's residents "crazies" for feeling like you do. Talk about out of touch entrenched politicians who have no clue.
You'd think with an approval rating like Congress', it might have caught on by now.
You are the voter that both parties have lost completely. McCain even went so far as to call his own state's residents "crazies" for feeling like you do. Talk about out of touch entrenched politicians who have no clue.
You'd think with an approval rating like Congress', it might have caught on by now.
5
The problem with Trump, ego aside, is he may not be able to focus and stay the course. If he gets aggravated or bored he can't dump the country like a casino or high rise. Can he build coalitions? Can he listen to others? Will he allow himself to be advised? Is he a figurehead and one man show? I don't know, does anyone know?
11
It's interesting how many of these readers' comments focus on "what kind of person" would vote for Trump or his co-contenders. It's not all that far from his calling Democrats stupid. Our task is not to project characteristics onto and pass judgment on the voters who sadly fall for his bluster. We'd do better to focus on governmental matters rather than gossip about our fellow citizens.
5
You're sneakily implying Sanders and Trump are cut from the same cloth. No way. I don't know whether I would vote for Bernie, but he's honest and ethical. Trump isn't even close to either virtue. He's a crook with ties to organized crime. He cheats people every chance he gets.
24
It seems like Trump is the next step from Citizens United. Instead of having the super wealthy buy a candidate, why not just have the super wealthy run by him or herself? I suppose a Koch brother could run but maybe it is just easier to buy a candidate to further your wealth.
18
Does Mr. Brooks realize that he's mixing his metaphors? Trees have roots. Even sea anenomes, however, have been shown to travel within their current. Too strong a current tears roots right out.
2
The chattering class just doesn't get it. The appeal of Trump and the rise of Bernie Sanders reflect the deep dissatisfaction of the electorate with both politcal parties.
20
The "bubble" now includes the president, his Administration, Congress, the media and blind partisans. Everyone else in the real world is operating outside it. Unfortunately, the bubble has grown very dense.
3
Sen. Sanders, at least, seems to present a clear divergence from the party front runner.
Mr. Trump, on the hand, toes the party line.
Mr. Trump, on the hand, toes the party line.
1
Trump's message of Make America Great Again could be read, at best, as a derivative of Reagan's Morning in America campaign, or at worst, some kind of crypto-facism. It's definitely a weird mix of populism and elitism.
But the message has an appeal to the kind of voter that isn't necessarily interested in identity group politics or the latest social justice cause of the week--maybe that skews white and middle income--but it is still a large, productive, important group of our nation. You may even call them the backbone of American society. The kind of person who doesn't reflexively point fingers at "corporations" or the 1% as the cause of all of our problems but might even agree that a primary reason this country is an economic powerhouse is because we are unabashedly capitalist.
But the message has an appeal to the kind of voter that isn't necessarily interested in identity group politics or the latest social justice cause of the week--maybe that skews white and middle income--but it is still a large, productive, important group of our nation. You may even call them the backbone of American society. The kind of person who doesn't reflexively point fingers at "corporations" or the 1% as the cause of all of our problems but might even agree that a primary reason this country is an economic powerhouse is because we are unabashedly capitalist.
5
29 percent is a low figure for people thinking the country is "on the right track," but I wonder what that number would have been during earlier periods of painful transition. At the time of the civil rights movement, many of whose outcomes were undeniably positive, isn't that number likely to have been even lower? At the time of the Continental Congress the number probably hovered around ten.
I'm not sure, therefore, of what significance such a citation could really be in the current socio-cultural context.
I'm not sure, therefore, of what significance such a citation could really be in the current socio-cultural context.
2
Trump appeals to the brain dead wing of the Republican Party, which unfortunately appears to be even larger than we had previously imagined. Trump can't possibly win the Republican nomination, but he does make the path easier for Jeb Bush, who by comparison comes off lookimg more reasonable than he really is.
6
Part of me is appalled at the notion of Donald Trump in the White House, with Sarah Palin as Secretary of State.
Part of me is thrilled that a landmark Golden Age of Comedy would then be ushered in.
Part of me is thrilled that a landmark Golden Age of Comedy would then be ushered in.
2
David B. wrote, sarcastically, "The problem is that we don’t have a leadership class as smart, competent, tough and successful as Donald Trump."
A big peace of Trump's popularity has to do with the fact that we don't have a "leadership class" as fed up as Donald Trump sounds.
With up with what? With the "leadership class," the sense of entitlement implied by the phrase being almost the whole problem.
Bush vs Clinton -- what more do we need way of evidence indicating the feudal nature of our society today? Of course, that's just one piece -- there's also the obscene amount of money each candidate will spend (in fact, is bragging about spending). Yet another piece is fact that nobody's gone to jail for the 2008 financial melt-down.
I'm not suggesting Trump is a solution. I'm simply saying is that his popularity is a measure of our fed-up-ness with the fact that the "leadership class" plays us, as a matter of course, about really important things.
It's almost impossible today to believe any politician. It's so bad that one wonders why Gwen Ifill even interviews them. They're all just spokespersons rattling off what some PR firm told them to say.
Do you think that's okay, David? Do you think that's not terrifying?
Leadership class, leadership smash.
A big peace of Trump's popularity has to do with the fact that we don't have a "leadership class" as fed up as Donald Trump sounds.
With up with what? With the "leadership class," the sense of entitlement implied by the phrase being almost the whole problem.
Bush vs Clinton -- what more do we need way of evidence indicating the feudal nature of our society today? Of course, that's just one piece -- there's also the obscene amount of money each candidate will spend (in fact, is bragging about spending). Yet another piece is fact that nobody's gone to jail for the 2008 financial melt-down.
I'm not suggesting Trump is a solution. I'm simply saying is that his popularity is a measure of our fed-up-ness with the fact that the "leadership class" plays us, as a matter of course, about really important things.
It's almost impossible today to believe any politician. It's so bad that one wonders why Gwen Ifill even interviews them. They're all just spokespersons rattling off what some PR firm told them to say.
Do you think that's okay, David? Do you think that's not terrifying?
Leadership class, leadership smash.
9
I'm sick of David Brooks. That's all.
14
Hmmmm.. reminds me of the Sarah Palin years.
She had the same ego, mouth & lack of class which a command of rhetoric could not hide.
She flamed out - I think Trump will follow suite. I cannot see Trump in negotiations with foreign governments, etc., no dignity, class or gravitas but he makes up for it with EGO & RHETORIC - the "ugly American"
I'm a Republican and many of us will be looking about - no Hilary - your just as bad - no creditability - bottom line.
Trump does not speak to me or for me, in fact none have so far.
She had the same ego, mouth & lack of class which a command of rhetoric could not hide.
She flamed out - I think Trump will follow suite. I cannot see Trump in negotiations with foreign governments, etc., no dignity, class or gravitas but he makes up for it with EGO & RHETORIC - the "ugly American"
I'm a Republican and many of us will be looking about - no Hilary - your just as bad - no creditability - bottom line.
Trump does not speak to me or for me, in fact none have so far.
2
I cannot see either Trump or Palin as a political leader. On the other Palin did not "flame out", not with the GOP base even though she really never carry any "flame" with the mainstream voters.
Trump is not a "populist." He's a simple demagogue, straight out of the dictionary (in this case the New Oxford American Dictionary):
"a political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular desires and prejudices rather than by using rational argument."
"a political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular desires and prejudices rather than by using rational argument."
11
don't we already have a President that does that?
"a political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular desires and prejudices rather than by using rational argument."
did you find this next to a portrait of Obama?
did you find this next to a portrait of Obama?
Placing Trump out front in the run-up to the election is actually a brilliant Republican strategy. When the actual Republican nominee is declared (whether it's Scott Walker, Jeb Bush, or someone else) he will look like a model of rational, reasonable thought by comparison. How do you make a radicalized GOP seem fairly normal? Put out a crazy buffoon as a possibility first and the real nominee coming after will benefit by the contrast, looking oh so much saner and even-handed.
4
Cite whatever appeal you like. The thought of Donald Trump being Commander-in-Chief is beyond comprehension. I am continually amazed at the number of voters that are ignorant of what is actually happening in the world. However, politicians world wide, aim at keeping their people ignorant, so that they can continue to stay in power and control the money. People all over the world are starving, but, I don't see any skinny politicians.
3
Nothing like Disingenuous Dave to lump Bernie Sanders (swimming with the tide ... comfortable with class conflict") in with Donald Trump!
And calling Trump a "populist" is like calling any other .01$ right-wing uber-priviliged demagogue a "populist" !
I DON'T think that's the way they defined the term in the Soc Sci Core curriculum at UofC, is it Dave? (i.e. come on, you *know* better!)
And calling Trump a "populist" is like calling any other .01$ right-wing uber-priviliged demagogue a "populist" !
I DON'T think that's the way they defined the term in the Soc Sci Core curriculum at UofC, is it Dave? (i.e. come on, you *know* better!)
10
Thanks for connecting 1970s Canarsie with Trump. At the end of 1969, I went to work for the Council of Churches of the City of NY as the director of their Brooklyn office and that's when I discovered that from coast to coast, "Canarsie" was synonymous with "Racism". Roving bands of white men and boys were almost daily turning over school buses filled with black kids being bussed from their Black ghetto of East NY to the pristine schools of all-white Canarsie. Pastors of churches who dared to suggest that perhaps God was not pleased with such chicanery were removed from their pulpits -- Protestant, Roman Catholic and Jewish -- with breath-taking speed. Then, the inevitable happened: white flight. When I retired, we moved to Canarsie, where the population is 87% African/Caribbean American; 10% Hispanic; and 3% the rest of us. It is now a great place to live. But, that came about only after those who think like Trump left!
4
Although Trump may be channeling some Republican/Conservative/Right Wing frustration it is clear that Trump is about Trump. His candidacy is a reality TV program. He is getting millions of dollars of free Trump brand publicity. Hopefully Republican voters that get to say "You're Fired."
The more overarching issue is how badly our democracy is now flawed. The cost of being a candidate is so huge that either we have a "Clinton" or a "Bush" or a billionaire like "Trump." Or we get the media/social media "darling" like and untested, but ultimately successful, like President Obama.
The more overarching issue is how badly our democracy is now flawed. The cost of being a candidate is so huge that either we have a "Clinton" or a "Bush" or a billionaire like "Trump." Or we get the media/social media "darling" like and untested, but ultimately successful, like President Obama.
4
The rampaging ego is annoying. That ego blaring at Trump's volume is insufferable.
2
You conclude that we are not a nation in decline for no good reason.
Our leaders are not getting the job done:
Recently we gave over a $billion dollars in fighter aircraft to Egypt and we have no respect for their government - Hillary wrote off their loan a few years ago - we won't sunset things, we won't ask the state department to use new methods or get out of dangerous counties but we will give them a few million to increase security at embassies? We give money to Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, and anyone claiming to be attached by ISIS or any other extreme group.
Then the leaders write themselves great pensions -look at Pena federal and Colorado. Detroit goes bankrupt - Chicago next
We are on a serious decline
Our leaders are not getting the job done:
Recently we gave over a $billion dollars in fighter aircraft to Egypt and we have no respect for their government - Hillary wrote off their loan a few years ago - we won't sunset things, we won't ask the state department to use new methods or get out of dangerous counties but we will give them a few million to increase security at embassies? We give money to Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, and anyone claiming to be attached by ISIS or any other extreme group.
Then the leaders write themselves great pensions -look at Pena federal and Colorado. Detroit goes bankrupt - Chicago next
We are on a serious decline
1
By his own yardstick Trump is a loser. Just look at the difference between his wealth and Warren Buffett's.
2
GOP Base: "Those know-it-all east-coast-elites are killing the American Dream!"
Trump: "I'm a born and bred New Yorker, I'm worth $10 billion, I'm really, really smart, I went to Wharton, one of the best schools on the planet!"
GOP Base: "Yay Donald!"
Trump: "I'm a born and bred New Yorker, I'm worth $10 billion, I'm really, really smart, I went to Wharton, one of the best schools on the planet!"
GOP Base: "Yay Donald!"
6
Let me remind you folks that the good people of Minnesota voted for a populist, Jesse Ventura, over some legacies, named......Mondale, Humphrey, and Freeman, for governor. I highly doubt that Trump is electable, but all the candidates, including Mrs. Clinton, should take note that he represents an anti-Washington point-of-view that resonates with many voters.
3
Yes--just like the president. But boy oh boy, he's no Obama.
How is it that the "losers" win elections and the "winners" (e.g., Romney) do not?
6
Effective campaigns against them.
Unlike Obama, when Romney says he's going to do something, he gets it done -- and does it very well. He was going to focus on jobs. A pity for the unemployed that we would up with Obama.
Unlike Obama, when Romney says he's going to do something, he gets it done -- and does it very well. He was going to focus on jobs. A pity for the unemployed that we would up with Obama.
My sense is that Trump's poll percentages are at their nominal peak. They seem high only on account of the comical number of clowns in the car. In other words, when the field inevitably starts to thin, his percentages will still be in the low-to-mid 20's, vs. 35% for Surviving Clown A and 40% for Surviving Clown B. Trump won't cannibalize the up-for-grabs support of the Clown dropouts.
I agree and appreciate both the author's analysis of Mr. Trumps appeal, as well as David Brook's understanding of that appeal as rooted in features of our culture and not so much in partisan ideology or "political" positions. Political affiliation may provide a context for expressing our cultural malaise (and the imagined "solutions" packaged in Mr. Trumps "message'"), but the facile, magical appeal of" just not having to put up with morons" being the answer to evil, poverty, injustice, etc runs far deeper outside and inside party lines.
1
First, people are as empowered as they ever were, and possibly more so, IF they bother to get involved with local government and schools in their community. Individuals can have an extraordinary amount of power where it counts--at the local level. But people are just too lame to bother. Second, the Donald is running circles around his competitors, who are stuck sucking up to the Kochs for cash.
2
Trump may be a savy businessman, but he has not proven himself as a political leader. Voting for him would be a reckless act.
3
Trump's "allure" was seen before: in Germany in 1932, with the help of one party's armed auxiliary and a worldwide depression. The GOP has an armed auxiliary (the NRA), but instead of a worldwide depression, it is responsible for much of the fiscal malfeasance resulting in the S&L collapse and two stock-market crashes (1987 and 2008), but hindering ANY steps to prevent further misdeeds by the financial sector.
What are we Americans thinking? Did we forget 20th-century European (and American) history? Obviously we...and David Brooks (who wishes to keep his right-wing franchise) have.
What are we Americans thinking? Did we forget 20th-century European (and American) history? Obviously we...and David Brooks (who wishes to keep his right-wing franchise) have.
6
Sorry Mr Brooks, once again you're completely disconnected and clueless. Trump's appeal is that he has absolutely no resemblance whatsoever to, well... you. Pant creases and wordsmithing don't do it for him at all, though straight, blunt talk, completely devoid of PC, does. Like a great number of us, he's simply telling the truths that are too harsh for squishies such as yourself. He doesn't care about access and parties with the ruling class... he IS the ruling class.
3
Too bad columnists and over 700 commenters today have to waste time talking about this warped Trump Trash that’s dominating US elections news. We must look ridiculous to other countries.
Our time and attention should be focused on analyzing the pros/cons of Bernie Sanders’ and other Democratic proposals and what they’d mean for the lives of millions of citizens.
Readers want this, judging by hundreds of comments over time, but I HAVE YET TO SEE IT IN THE TIMES.
Our time and attention should be focused on analyzing the pros/cons of Bernie Sanders’ and other Democratic proposals and what they’d mean for the lives of millions of citizens.
Readers want this, judging by hundreds of comments over time, but I HAVE YET TO SEE IT IN THE TIMES.
5
There is no way I could ever support Mr. Trump, I do think he has LESS slime than any of the other Republican candidates. Bush, Cruz, Perry, Walker, and Rubio are pandering to the religious cultists who pretend to be christian. While Carly Fiorina tries to make herself sound like a tough man. They are all dishonest in portraying their personalities and beliefs. They are the greatest collection imaginable of everything dishonest and un-American.
5
So aptly put! American hunger for a can-do candidate harks back to the 50s when Norman Rockwell idyllic surroundings was to be protected at all costs from the evil Commies and ones who did not follow the American way. In a much more complex new millennium, not only is that America of the 50s an outdated model but Trump has a number of believers who believe otherwise. A touch of delusion never hurts popularity. After 12 months of hard grind, the Donald may well decide that it is beneath his dignity to run for President.
Trump uses the same formula as Reagan. Rally angry White folks, avoid policy details, pick out and vilify certain groups, promise economic miracles, refuse to be self critical, command the microphone/TV.
11
There you go again...
1
It is no surprise that Brooks doesn't have the honesty to admit that the Republican Clown Cart hat has been put forth in the last three Presidential elections is the true wellspring of Trump today, that the Republican Party is the one that created the mess they find themselves today. Expecting honesty and introspection from the Republican Party is like expecting a different result from trying the same thing again and again, insanity
5
The entire idea that the least educated and successful among us would flock to a baron candidate with a completely negative program is historically absurd. These seething voters are amazingly even more angry and destructive than the last few cycles. Demonizing outsiders like Mexicans is a bankrupt idea from the start. The kind of idea that dictators around the world use with impunity. This entire stunt is callous and sarcastic.
3
So who will be President, Mr. Brooks? I'm sure you think Jeb! will be. Why not say so? You have eliminated all the Democrats, but none of the other Republicans. You are a predictable guy, however.
3
"We are now living in a time of economic anxiety and political alienation. "
At this point in the 2012 campaign, Rudy Giuliani was the hands-down leader, largely because of his brashness and plainspeak anti-intellectualism.
I suspect that you have confused the effects of living in a permanent election campaign -- one that begins the day after Election Day -- with vague hints of unease drawn from the loudest candidate's rant du jour.
At this point in the 2012 campaign, Rudy Giuliani was the hands-down leader, largely because of his brashness and plainspeak anti-intellectualism.
I suspect that you have confused the effects of living in a permanent election campaign -- one that begins the day after Election Day -- with vague hints of unease drawn from the loudest candidate's rant du jour.
1
Individual politics is well supported by the internet, particularly through social media. We don't live and communicate in neighborhoods anymore. Most of us move several times in our lifetime.
Trump is our Classic American Mussolini. Italy in the 1920s experienced many of the bumper car frustrations as we do today. Italy's government was in dead lock and corruption much as ours. Italy experienced failure and disappointment in war as with us.
Trump, like Mussolini thrives on policy failure and non belief in established institutions. Trump seems strong, more confident, and less fearful than his opponents, much like Mussolini.
If we honestly fix our immigration problems and allow new faces and approaches to emerge, Trump will fail.
Trump is our Classic American Mussolini. Italy in the 1920s experienced many of the bumper car frustrations as we do today. Italy's government was in dead lock and corruption much as ours. Italy experienced failure and disappointment in war as with us.
Trump, like Mussolini thrives on policy failure and non belief in established institutions. Trump seems strong, more confident, and less fearful than his opponents, much like Mussolini.
If we honestly fix our immigration problems and allow new faces and approaches to emerge, Trump will fail.
4
I rarely agree with Mr. Brooks' logic and rationale, yet in this case, I think he makes several good points. It is Trump's ego that is appealing to the masses who are into a macho leader. However, I disagree that he is not an aberration. He really is. He is just wealthy, pompous, and actually dumb enough to run for President using his money (give it charity instead, yo) with his blowhard platform. Ironically, because this is Trump's line, he is embarrassing the USA by being a candidate.
3
Anyone who supports any of the clowns in the republican clown car has got to be either filthy rich, the head of a big corporation, politically naive, an old-time factually challenged republican, blind, or just plain stupid. Trump seems to me just an hilariously ridiculous symbol of the nature of the rest of them. Heaven forbid any of them makes it into the White House if the well-being of the average American is of any importance.
7
Anyone who supports Hillary is blind, deaf and dumb.
Joe Biden shouldn't run this year for the sake of his reputation? Maybe he should wait 8 years and run when he's 80? And if he ran this year and lost, his reputation would be sullied? Says who?
3
Mr. Brooks, you are completely wrong! I am a highly successful University Professor and a very enlightened person. I am indeed sick and tired of the Congress which cannot do anything; it cannot even pass a long term highway and transportation bill; I am tired of the dilapidateed nature of US airports and railroad stations; have you been in Penn Station In NYC? It is a disgrace to NY Sate, NY City. Compared to airports and rail stations in China and india, those in US stinks! It tells you that our system is broken. Only an outlandish person like Trump could fix our problems. He has the chutz‧pah to take the challenge. He gets things done.
4
You think Donald Trump wants to use taxpayer money to improve your train station? Trump thinks public transportation is for "losers."
There is no governing anymore. There's only The Show, and it's 15 minutes long. We are on our own.
9
We are going the way of the Roman Empire. If Obama is our Claudius, then Trump is our Caligula!
5
Along with our corporate financed elections, our media is owned by a few corporations, and the news shows must now be as profitable as the entertainment shows. This sets a trend for competition for all media, TV, web and print. Including NY Times.
Little public duty to inform voters. The fairness doctrine for TV news which mandated both sides of issues be presented, was repealed years ago. This set in motion a trend for all media.
So Bernie Sanders is sidelined everywhere, and the warped, weird Trump gets the most publicity--in the Times and on TV--the standards of coverage are the same.
Example: MSNBC has just canceled the 5pm Ed Schultz show, and that was the show that had the most coverage of Sanders, and of issues relating to working, salaried Americans. And also anti TPP commentary. It's suddenly gone since yesterday, to be replaced by news update shows that will follow the latest 'trends'. So much of it will be trivial and sensational. We'll get more Trump Trash.
So much for our so called liberal network, and liberal ny times.
Little public duty to inform voters. The fairness doctrine for TV news which mandated both sides of issues be presented, was repealed years ago. This set in motion a trend for all media.
So Bernie Sanders is sidelined everywhere, and the warped, weird Trump gets the most publicity--in the Times and on TV--the standards of coverage are the same.
Example: MSNBC has just canceled the 5pm Ed Schultz show, and that was the show that had the most coverage of Sanders, and of issues relating to working, salaried Americans. And also anti TPP commentary. It's suddenly gone since yesterday, to be replaced by news update shows that will follow the latest 'trends'. So much of it will be trivial and sensational. We'll get more Trump Trash.
So much for our so called liberal network, and liberal ny times.
6
Well said, Meredith. I could not agree more. Until news coverage is divorced from ratings and profits and funded (as in Great Britain) by a small levy on all citizens through taxes, Americans will have no principle, reliable means of even knowing what's going on. The very idea that news should have to win ratings or die is poisonous to any hope of an enlightened democratic society. But who among those in charge is going to change that for us, now that they have it as they like it? Either we, the people, regain control of our politicians, or this republic is doomed.
Why shouldn't the Republican party follow an ego maniac? It certainly has worked for the demo(lition)rats... twice !!!
This is just great! The last republican administration brought us to our knees and the world to a point of near bankruptcy, and Mr Trump and his seventeen little friends want another bite out of the Apple? We would all be better off if he just stayed on in the "Big Apple,"-- wheeling, dealing and seeking to avoid paying his share of taxes. Haven't we Americans suffered enough under their rule by ideology over competence enough?
10
"A career establishment figure like Joe Biden doesn’t stand a chance. He’s a wonderful man and a great public servant, but he should not run for president this year, for the sake of his long-term reputation."
Agreed!
Agreed!
2
And that's a sad statement. He's a good man - like Jimmy Carter - the air of character assassination over governance in Washington destroys good people.
Thanks for giving me an intelligent description of the mess our country appears to be reflecting right now.
1
Trump is the new Charles Foster Kane or Huey Long. He has angry support across all segments, particularly white middle to lower classes. Pulled together, that's a lot of votes. Particularly important as Republicans keep trying to shrink the minority vote.
2
This is insightful. However, I wouldn't dismiss Biden. Hillary is looking worse by the day and Bernie isn't of this world.
2
Why does anyone (columnist, political reporter, nonsense reporter) write about Donald Trump? He never was and never is going to be a political candidate for anything, much less president. All the writers are doing is trying to attract readers by pretending he means something. He does not and will just be an interference to rational thinking. Please, write about a real person, and a real candidate. Remember his so called success began with a wealthy father who made spoiling him a success.
5
Your comment is very important but I would also include H. Clinton. I absolutely cannot believe that we are still talking about her as a real candidate. Like Trump, the media is all that is propping her up. An unsuccessful lawyer, name-elected senator, and embarrassed sec. of state is not a good enough record. Jumping off of the U.S.S Obama after 4 years in a blaze of fire, while politically strategic, should open some eyes
If The Republican Party were to select Donald Trump as their candidate for President of the United States, and if he was elected, he would be the first Dictator of the United States of America. No doubt about it. Bipartisanship? Forget it! It would be "My way or the Highway". He would be Commander in Chief too. Can you imagine him with his finger on the Nuclear Button?
So please, Republican Party, reject this person. Give him the heave-ho, permanently, and put forward a candidate who knows what Governing is all about. It is a lot different from Dictating.
So please, Republican Party, reject this person. Give him the heave-ho, permanently, and put forward a candidate who knows what Governing is all about. It is a lot different from Dictating.
6
I find this not so different from our current administration, record number of executive orders. Politicians are elected to represent the people not their own agenda, i realize this might be a fairy tale of the past but it is a pillar of our government.
But who have they got to choose from? Young or old, they are all angry men (ok one angry woman). I want someone with vision and optimism who truly believes the country is struggling to get on the right track - and none of those tracks lead backwards. There is not one Republican candidate that would fit that description.
That said, it seems like a majority of the electorate are angry, as well - mostly at each other. This does not bode well.
That said, it seems like a majority of the electorate are angry, as well - mostly at each other. This does not bode well.
There is a world of difference between "confident" and "vainglorious." Mr. Trump would fall into the latter category.
1
"He’s a conviction politician comfortable with class conflict."
David, you so often speak of "classes"--as though those with money were somehow upper class.
To many of us, those who've grabbed up the money are small-minded, utterly materialistic, egocentric boors. Hardly high-class.
David, you so often speak of "classes"--as though those with money were somehow upper class.
To many of us, those who've grabbed up the money are small-minded, utterly materialistic, egocentric boors. Hardly high-class.
1
Your arguments are not unreasonable. You also say, "ego is his ideology, and in this he is absolutely consistent," after saying he is incredulously inconsistent in his ideology. In other words, as most observant people see Trump's presidential bid is a just a sign of his narcissism running amok, so to speak, to promote "Trump" as a HUGE phenomenon in the 20th & 21st century America.
What if Trump wins the presidency, will he behave rationally?
Whichever way you look at it, USA is the fulcrum of the world, though China & Putin would want to dismiss that. And the US president is the de facto emperor of the world. Will Emperor Trump run his empire smoothly? Does he have the wisdom to grasp the power of the US president, much less use it non-recklessly? Hitler only could control a fraction of the world, before he thought he could shape the world as he pleased, but managed to about wreck it pretty good.
Fidel influenced the world affairs substantially from his island corner. He has about as much charisma as Hitler had. He also has as much brain power as Hitler had. But unlike Hitler, he has proved to restrain himself well before he wreck anything, though during the Cuban missile crisis he said to have encouraged Khrushchev to strike US from the island! If Khrushchev had authorized him to press the trigger-button at his discretion, he might not have ventured, from the rest of his actions. Hope we won't have to know how president Trump would behave.
What if Trump wins the presidency, will he behave rationally?
Whichever way you look at it, USA is the fulcrum of the world, though China & Putin would want to dismiss that. And the US president is the de facto emperor of the world. Will Emperor Trump run his empire smoothly? Does he have the wisdom to grasp the power of the US president, much less use it non-recklessly? Hitler only could control a fraction of the world, before he thought he could shape the world as he pleased, but managed to about wreck it pretty good.
Fidel influenced the world affairs substantially from his island corner. He has about as much charisma as Hitler had. He also has as much brain power as Hitler had. But unlike Hitler, he has proved to restrain himself well before he wreck anything, though during the Cuban missile crisis he said to have encouraged Khrushchev to strike US from the island! If Khrushchev had authorized him to press the trigger-button at his discretion, he might not have ventured, from the rest of his actions. Hope we won't have to know how president Trump would behave.
1
Sorry Mr. Brooks. Bullies have no "allure" for me. And they never will.
2
There is less mystery in his support than Mr. Brooks thinks. I will not be surprised if the people who approve of him are by and large the audiences who raptly watch reality shows - who's in, who's out, who's a loser, who's a winner, who's hired, who's fired. Thus Trump's campaign is real life imitating TV. Today he fires Bush, tomorrow it is Graham. Then it is McCain... Who's next? Tune in on Thursday folks!
3
This article outlines some plausible reasons for Trump's remarkable success. I would like to suggest that beyond alienation, we are also experiencing a tremendous hunger for truth as our way of life becomes less secure and our future prospects seem to be dimming.
Most of the GOP candidates leap up and down in desperate attempts to get our attention. They each see the outrageousness of the other candidates' crazy talk, especially that of The Donald, and think that the more outrageous they are, the better for their ratings.
But what most miss is that we are dying for lack of truth. Bernie Sanders speaks truth in a wholesome way (yes, I'm a fan) and has gained remarkable support for it. Similarly, Trump's appeal is not in his outrageousness alone, but in his willingness to go where the other professional pols will not: he touches on areas of actual truth (immigration, John McCain's record, etc.) albeit in his signature small-minded, bombastic, and mean-spirited way.
Most of the GOP candidates leap up and down in desperate attempts to get our attention. They each see the outrageousness of the other candidates' crazy talk, especially that of The Donald, and think that the more outrageous they are, the better for their ratings.
But what most miss is that we are dying for lack of truth. Bernie Sanders speaks truth in a wholesome way (yes, I'm a fan) and has gained remarkable support for it. Similarly, Trump's appeal is not in his outrageousness alone, but in his willingness to go where the other professional pols will not: he touches on areas of actual truth (immigration, John McCain's record, etc.) albeit in his signature small-minded, bombastic, and mean-spirited way.
2
Supporting Trump is simply a more entertaining way of saying 'none of the above' with a name and a face to put to that choice. Bernie Sanders is a little different -- he is a man of ideas -- largely unworkable ideas, but ideas just the same. The more Trump has come to rule media coverage of the Republican campaign, the more the voters see the other Republicans and Clinton as timid souls, unwilling to take the risk of proclaiming what they actually believe and want to do if they are president. Trump and Sanders are liberated by the knowledge that they have no chance of being president. They are both protest candidates and what they protest points squarely at the failings of our professional politicians. Trump may have an ego-driven campaign, but it comes at a time when the concept of public service in politics is being replaced by me-ism among our presidential contenders. I know that Clinton badly wants to be president, to be our first female president, but it far from clear what she wants to accomplish as president. All we get is determination, coupled with a desire not to look like the soft female and the fear of throwing away a nomination that should be hers by saying too much and making a fatal misstep. GWB and Rubio have bent their former views on immigration to be hardly different from Trump's, minus the incendiary comments about Mexicans, Trump's supporters have won that issue, just as they did when they got Romney to tack right and support self-deportation.
3
You have to know where to look to read about the positive things Bernie Sanders could do for average Americans. Every day in Search I type the day's date and Bernie Sanders. Enlightening.
1
What has happened to the American Culture where as everyone is in for a handout? What happened to the days of an honest days work to feed your family? I know what happened, Democrats. Democratic politicians campaign on social injustices to make the average american feel like they are helping them when in reality they are only profiting from them. The problem with Republicans is they have no tact in communicating, yes mostly because they are typically rich people with no idea how to talk to someone below them (Trump) but the reality is these are the same people that provide jobs not handouts. Trump would be a horrible president for many reasons but one of them is not issues related to the economy. If you want a stronger economic America then Trump is your man, if you want free abortions, food stamps for everyone and a tumultuous housing bubble again vote for Hilary, if you want a well rounded president that will fix most problems and lean to the poor then you need to look at Walker and Bush. Just my two cents.
Some Republicans are rich people, but the Republican Party wins elections on the backs of the masses who are true believers of Fox News. Propaganda works! Sadly.
1
Two aspects of Trump's "candidacy" I find really frightening, and disturbing:
He is all that makes Bush look good.
The David Duke Effect.
He is all that makes Bush look good.
The David Duke Effect.
2
It's odd that David Brooks calls Trump's positions ideologically inconsistent. Week after week, Times readers have commented here that Brooks' own columns start off stating his concern about broad humanitarian or moral issues, only to meander their way to narrow conclusions based the experience of a privileged subset of American society.
3
Fair enough, but he's not running for office. (Or is he?)
1
If only the world were that simple, that "black and white" thinking was realistic.
Complexity is not understood in the naive mind, regardless of age, or socioeconomic standing.
Centration (a psychological principle), once achieved, is not reversible.
Fortunately, the same is true for consciousness.
Until we recognize that dichotomy is inherently flawed we don't stand a chance.
And neither does the planet or its creatures.
Complexity is not understood in the naive mind, regardless of age, or socioeconomic standing.
Centration (a psychological principle), once achieved, is not reversible.
Fortunately, the same is true for consciousness.
Until we recognize that dichotomy is inherently flawed we don't stand a chance.
And neither does the planet or its creatures.
Trump is basically a fascist, as Egan pointed out - without using the F word - a few weeks back in the column that compared him to Berlusconi. Brooks here describes the ideal conditions for a fascist leader to arise, but fails to come to that conclusion. Dark times.
4
Trump is ahead because he has major celebrity name recognition and is actually saying what a lot of people think - he offers simple solutions to very complex problems and is the anti-politician - which some people may appreciate since most people are sick of politicians. I appreciate his massacre of typical campaign machinery - all expensive advisers, spin, promises and political correctness. He is the (Toronto Mayor) Rob Ford of the USA, but with money and without the substance abuse problem.
2
I like the water analogies: Bernie Sanders is swimming with the tide while Jeb Bush is swimming upstream. Which underscores your keen perception that the Trump people are an embarrassing mixture of active and passive drowning victims who will slip, thankfully, out of sight with the next wave. Great summertime analysis.
3
There's only one word for people, particularly Republicans, who would vote for The Donald for President - fools. The Donald famously hates to shake people's hands because he doesn't want to catch germs from others people. Oh, he'll shake your hand now that he's running for office but before he got in the race, he wouldn't have touched you with 10-foot pole. He looks down on anyone who isn't rich like himself. His God is mammon, not the Christian God supposedly worshipped by a good number of Republicans. Bet if you gave him truth serum, he'd admit that he's at best an agnostic and probably an atheist. Though he won't admit it now, he's actually pro-choice and has always been. Bill and Hilary were guests at his third, and probably not the last, wedding. He's got children from three different women. I'm willing to bet he's for some sort of gun control. So go ahead Republicans. Make The Donald your nominee. Then you would have seriously shot your foot with the guns that you so dearly love. Because the only thing Trump cares about is Trump; not you or anybody else.
6
And Hilary sure seems to be genuine in everything she does, lol
1
So, in short, he appeals to a constituency of a--holes, basically. I hate to break it to you, but that has been a central demographic of the coalition the GOP has been gathering for the last 40 years. He is that coalition, personified.
11
Here’s what I don’t understand. The richest 1% -- make that the richest 1/10 of 1% -- have all the wealth they will ever need. They already seem to collectively own 60% of the country or more.
So.... Why are they all so angry???
So.... Why are they all so angry???
5
Because that is the way of greed, they want more, no they feel they deserve more.
We're NOT angry. Some of us 1 percenters (we who are "Lamborghini Liberals") contribute to liberal causes & candidates and want to enable others to have a chance. Some (the "Cadillac Conservatives ") think they deserve everything they have and want to make the 99% fight an uphill battle without the resources & opportunity to succeed. A few (e.g. The Koch Bros. et al) just want to protect their right to pollute without regulation. As the Op Ed states, it's some middle & working class people who feel threatened from above ("the elites") and below ("the undeserving poor") that are angry.
The Donald is a prime example of what Hannah Arendt called, literally, "thoughtless" - a man whose comments and behavior exhibit "an absence of (particularly social) thought," an inability to see anything from any perspective other than his own. His appeal speaks directly to how the Americans who support him think, to their own thoughtless thought processes, the rote parroting of derivative slogans, the inability to formulate or conceptualize a thought on their own. This is the looming endstate of the dismantling of the Fairness Doctrine in 1987, the rise of 24/7 talk radio, social media that provide platforms for thoughtless commentators who demagogue every issue, and large aggregations of Americans who thus outsource their opinions to single streams of information. The Donald leads the current cluttered pack, but 75 percent of sentient Republicans still oppose him...but often for their own thoughtless reasons. The perversely curious will wonder where all this might go.
Donald would hate being President, having to actually compromise with congress and foreign leaders. Instead Trump will fade to 3rd place, then threaten a 3rd party run. He doesn't want to be a "loser". This will force the GOP to beg him to be their "king maker". Trump will then take on over-sized influence within the GOP, at least until the 2016 ticket is finalized. After, he will influence one or two issues that are important to the Donald.
1
Trump is popular because he speaks in English, and not the neo-linguistic jargon of "politico." Our self appointed political elite use meaningless euphemisms and evasions to bamboozle us into thinking they are doing something more than chasing polls.
Trump seems to believe, for example, that the word "is" means "is." It makes one hopeful that perhaps he thinks "health exchanges established by the states," means "health exchanges established by the state." Stuff like that.
Maybe Trump's not the greatest thing since sliced bread, but isn't it nice to hear someone at least tell the truth as he sees it? Maybe his frank style will be picked up by someone more capable of governing. That would be even nicer.
Trump seems to believe, for example, that the word "is" means "is." It makes one hopeful that perhaps he thinks "health exchanges established by the states," means "health exchanges established by the state." Stuff like that.
Maybe Trump's not the greatest thing since sliced bread, but isn't it nice to hear someone at least tell the truth as he sees it? Maybe his frank style will be picked up by someone more capable of governing. That would be even nicer.
1
The column is full of obfuscation, Mr. Brooks winds up so much and for so long as to confuse this batter. The pitch falls outside the zone.
Mr. Trump's support is not from the alienated. If so he would have been already crushed.. We used to measure immigration in its ability to create a larger economic pie. Now, immigration is seen as being a force for socio political ends. We allow it because we are good people; the politicians approve of it because they believe that indirectly they can reap votes.
As we grew across the continent, immigrants and citizens alike competed in the marketplace. Those that failed moved back to from where they came, bulwarked by the family unit, before venturing west again. Geographic mobility was our hallmark, used to create wealth and interclass mobility. The country is now well salted with people. T he growth of cities created governance by machines, people were held in place by a system of welfare.
Immigrants have followed the normal path of qualifying overseas and waiting until called. Business or family Sponsors guaranteed their income or employment. Aliens are under no such restraint.
What makes Trump a voice to hear is not alienation but rather clarity of message., Competition for jobs in the two lowest deciles involves our own black citizens, the immigrants and the aliens. The Gray Market makes prisoners of them all. It is no wonder that movement between deciles at the lower end is hampered.
Mr. Trump's support is not from the alienated. If so he would have been already crushed.. We used to measure immigration in its ability to create a larger economic pie. Now, immigration is seen as being a force for socio political ends. We allow it because we are good people; the politicians approve of it because they believe that indirectly they can reap votes.
As we grew across the continent, immigrants and citizens alike competed in the marketplace. Those that failed moved back to from where they came, bulwarked by the family unit, before venturing west again. Geographic mobility was our hallmark, used to create wealth and interclass mobility. The country is now well salted with people. T he growth of cities created governance by machines, people were held in place by a system of welfare.
Immigrants have followed the normal path of qualifying overseas and waiting until called. Business or family Sponsors guaranteed their income or employment. Aliens are under no such restraint.
What makes Trump a voice to hear is not alienation but rather clarity of message., Competition for jobs in the two lowest deciles involves our own black citizens, the immigrants and the aliens. The Gray Market makes prisoners of them all. It is no wonder that movement between deciles at the lower end is hampered.
1
Yep the time is ripe
Just remember back in the early 30s
All he needs now is to be jailed for a few months so he can write a book
Does "Mein Kampf " sound like a good title? It worked before.
But, CAN he write a book?"
Just remember back in the early 30s
All he needs now is to be jailed for a few months so he can write a book
Does "Mein Kampf " sound like a good title? It worked before.
But, CAN he write a book?"
1
Only because you say so, Mr. Brooks. Actually, Trump is a bully. Here's my cream pie to his face.
Let's realize that our media is now part of our big money election complex. Our elections are financed by billionaires and corporations, so in a long drawn our campaign ads bring TV stations huge profits. The print media also focuses on the most bizarre and even abnormal politicians and trends. Then the abnormal is amplified and is tolerated. This is how our warped Gop contenders proliferate like a virus, worse with every election.
In countries with 3 month campaigns using public funds, with free media time, the abnormal is not cultivated and amplified. Thus their politicians are able to stay in the world of reality.
Here, no columnist wants to be left out of the hype, so we are getting column after column on Trump Trash, but very little on Sanders--and those are condescending and dismissive. But it is Sanders with the most specific and practical proposals that editorial page opinion columnists should be writing about, if they’re doing their job.
Sanders is the one fulfilling the purpose of democracy---responding to dire problems in a realistic way. His proposals are really centrist, not left wing, and polls show majorities approve of them---yet our most prestigious newspaper doesn’t have columnists who want to bother discussing them. Instead it goes for the circus, the sensational and adds to the hype, so it will gain readers who have been molded by infotainment news. And turn off intelligent readers who are reality oriented.
In countries with 3 month campaigns using public funds, with free media time, the abnormal is not cultivated and amplified. Thus their politicians are able to stay in the world of reality.
Here, no columnist wants to be left out of the hype, so we are getting column after column on Trump Trash, but very little on Sanders--and those are condescending and dismissive. But it is Sanders with the most specific and practical proposals that editorial page opinion columnists should be writing about, if they’re doing their job.
Sanders is the one fulfilling the purpose of democracy---responding to dire problems in a realistic way. His proposals are really centrist, not left wing, and polls show majorities approve of them---yet our most prestigious newspaper doesn’t have columnists who want to bother discussing them. Instead it goes for the circus, the sensational and adds to the hype, so it will gain readers who have been molded by infotainment news. And turn off intelligent readers who are reality oriented.
7
Not only is it impossible to take king Donald Trump seriously as a presidential candidate, it's just as impossible to interpret his momentary rise to the top of the Republican poll numbers as any serious possibility of winning the Republican nomination. I see his current first place finish in the Republican polls as mostly a symbolic visceral statement of dissatisfaction with the political stalemate in Washington. Funding crazy, outrageous political theater and zero political experience with a big bank account will only result in a slightly smaller bank account and probably another reality television show. The only way Donald Trump will make it to the White House is by invitation only from a residing president. I suspect that invitation will never arrive.
1
There is a lot of anger on both the left and the right. The right blames the poor -- blacks, Hispanics -- and the left blames the wealthy -- corporations, the 1% -- for our very real woes. What Trump and Bernie Sanders have in common is authenticity. Each is saying out loud what the subtext of each party has been for decades.
Problem for Republicans and for Trump is that they are wrong. Cutting taxes does not increase government revenue. Climate change is real. Contraception is good. The bible is not a historical document.
The Democrats are correct. Ironically, what they espouse is exactly what Jesus Christ would have said is the right thing to do: tax the rich to help the poor.
It's a crazy, mixed up world.
Problem for Republicans and for Trump is that they are wrong. Cutting taxes does not increase government revenue. Climate change is real. Contraception is good. The bible is not a historical document.
The Democrats are correct. Ironically, what they espouse is exactly what Jesus Christ would have said is the right thing to do: tax the rich to help the poor.
It's a crazy, mixed up world.
5
“Bernie Sanders is swimming with the tide. He’s a conviction politician comfortable with class conflict.” He has this silly notion that the remedy for class conflict is justice and reason. It would be more accurate to say that Bernie Sanders is giving voice to a vast and ignored, deceived class of people who are sick of having a system which rigged against them and are searching for someone whose values and politics are have not been bought by those with more money than they could ever spend and are seeking more, at the expense of those many who worry about paying the rent or mortgage, the grocery bill and the cost of basic medical care and believe that government should protect their interests as well as the property of the rich.
They want to know where the GOP has buried the American dream. Instead of the American dream they have produced Donald Trump. Individualism with total absence of truth, responsibility, moral brakes where your patriotism and your worth as a person is confused with your net worth statement
They want to know where the GOP has buried the American dream. Instead of the American dream they have produced Donald Trump. Individualism with total absence of truth, responsibility, moral brakes where your patriotism and your worth as a person is confused with your net worth statement
1
The Donald has no shortage of comments, criticisms and insults when it comes to describing our current leadership and his opponents in the race for the Republican nomination. What he is woefully short on is ideas, creativity and diplomacy. He is an empty suit who garners attention by braying at the world around him. When asked to explain his statements in more detail, he simply dismisses and/or insults those who question him. Is this the man we want sitting across the table from Putin or addressing the U.N. or attending conferences with other world leaders to discuss disarmament, trade policy, human rights? A terrifying thought indeed. These are very difficult times and we need an intelligent, thoughtful, creative humanitarian as the head of state, not a vulgar, posturing bully whose insecurity is positively breathtaking.
1
"we don’t have a leadership class as smart, competent, tough and successful as Donald Trump."
On the face of it, that argument has merit. It is sorta hard to identify what the overwhelming majority of our politicians achieve, or have achieved, except to get reelected.
Maybe Trump is not a dumb choice, maybe someone who has gotten things done could shake things up in a good way. We have seen with Obama that the electorate will vote for a person whose personal characteristics rather than his experience make them stand out. Maybe maybe.
On the face of it, that argument has merit. It is sorta hard to identify what the overwhelming majority of our politicians achieve, or have achieved, except to get reelected.
Maybe Trump is not a dumb choice, maybe someone who has gotten things done could shake things up in a good way. We have seen with Obama that the electorate will vote for a person whose personal characteristics rather than his experience make them stand out. Maybe maybe.
1
Last week during the Bloomberg New Hampshire Donald Trump Focus Group, I heard what is possibly the most stupid statement that I have ever heard in my life, by one of the panelists. In response to the question, why do you like Donald Trump she said, "Donald doesn't have health care benefits like the people in Congress. He has Obamacare just like the rest of us. Donald Trumps has to live by the same rules as the rest of us!" Can you imagine being that deluded?
I guess she missed his hat in the ring announcement when one of the true things which he did say was, "Lobbyists Control the Congress. I know because I have some who can work magic for me. They can get me anything." Right, like the rest of us have lobbyists! Unimaginable stupidity isn't it?
Yet, today's Bloomberg Survey of the candidates in New Hampshire confirms, that Trump is perceived by registered Republicans as one of us. So it turns out that I'm the one who is out of step after all! These are apparently the same people who believe that the insurance, which we pay for as Social Security and Medicare are entitlements. What is one to think?
I guess she missed his hat in the ring announcement when one of the true things which he did say was, "Lobbyists Control the Congress. I know because I have some who can work magic for me. They can get me anything." Right, like the rest of us have lobbyists! Unimaginable stupidity isn't it?
Yet, today's Bloomberg Survey of the candidates in New Hampshire confirms, that Trump is perceived by registered Republicans as one of us. So it turns out that I'm the one who is out of step after all! These are apparently the same people who believe that the insurance, which we pay for as Social Security and Medicare are entitlements. What is one to think?
3
The bumper car metaphor is apt only I see Trump more as a tugboat, pushing the larger unwieldy vehicle in the direction it needs to go. I fail to see how those who support him in the polls are genuinely prepared to support him in the primary, let alone the general election. Not unlike Sanders, his function is to frustrate the current status quo and push the process in the direction that gives voice to the frustrated on both sides.
It is such a difficult idea to sell and rally sufficient numbers behind, but it is our process that needs changing. It is easier for most of us to simply focus on people rather than on the concept of process.
Political campaigns and how they are run need to change. Big money has way too much influence on our systems of electing and governing. In fact, it is easy to conclude those systems are systemically corrupted by a dependency upon big money by candidates for federal office. Incumbents don't wish to estrange themselves from their sources of big money.
Laws and regs are made in every day governance. We little folk have little insight into nor influence over those outcomes (think ALEC).
We need processes that breaks down the walls between parties, that decentralize some of the power of the party in the majority in either house of Congress (regardless of which party is in the majority). Mickey Edwards' book "How to Turn Republicans and Democrats into Americans" has lots of big and little ideas offered. Each of us may disagree with any or some of the ideas - but the motive is change for the better.
But.... we'd rather bicker and call each other names about this issue or that...
Political campaigns and how they are run need to change. Big money has way too much influence on our systems of electing and governing. In fact, it is easy to conclude those systems are systemically corrupted by a dependency upon big money by candidates for federal office. Incumbents don't wish to estrange themselves from their sources of big money.
Laws and regs are made in every day governance. We little folk have little insight into nor influence over those outcomes (think ALEC).
We need processes that breaks down the walls between parties, that decentralize some of the power of the party in the majority in either house of Congress (regardless of which party is in the majority). Mickey Edwards' book "How to Turn Republicans and Democrats into Americans" has lots of big and little ideas offered. Each of us may disagree with any or some of the ideas - but the motive is change for the better.
But.... we'd rather bicker and call each other names about this issue or that...
1
If Mr. Trump has so much support with Repubs and independents, why do I not know one person in a large, predominantly Republican county, who is actually 'for' Trump? II've asked A LOT of our friends - are they embarrassed to support Trump visibly but will answer 'I do' to an anonymous online survey????
5
I liken Trump to Ross Perot in the 90s: "I'm just going to get under the hood and fix it," or such similar words. His novelty wore off, so much so that he had to form his own party, but never reaching the threshold of getting any Electoral Votes. Me thinx he got about 19 million votes nationwide. And, above all, he made for great parody on 'Saturday Night Live' and other comedy shows. Who remembers Dan Carvey doing him as the Mayor of Munchkinland? This 60+ year old does.
I find it sad that these candidates are the best this country has to offer on both sides, but I suppose it's what we deserve.
6
Trump is like Ross Perot who upset the 1992 election by running as 3rd party candidate giving us Bill Clinton. Trump like Perot appeals to the disaffected middle class many of whom are now working 30 hours per week because of Obama Care, not working at all because their jobs have been taken over by immigrants coming here on H1B visas. I don't expect Trump to get the Republican nomination but am concerned he may jump to Independent thereby giving us another Clinton.
3
which would be great. In the lives of the baby boomers, the 8 years of clinton were by far the best of our adult lives.
"Recent data provide scant evidence that health reform is causing a significant shift toward part-time work, contrary to the claims of critics."
Stop spreading lies about Obamacare.
http://www.cbpp.org/research/health-reform-not-causing-significant-shift...
Stop spreading lies about Obamacare.
http://www.cbpp.org/research/health-reform-not-causing-significant-shift...
Perot, flaky as he was, had data. You could debate his data and its implications. How can you debate someone like Trump? Or, for that matter, most of the folks on stage with him at the Republican debates? How do you debate Lindsey Graham when he says that nothing which starts with an "Al-" is any good? Is he against algebra?
I hope VP Biden reads this. Brooks' quick dismissal of Biden's potential candidacy means the Republicans are scared of a Biden run. Recent polls suggest Biden beats Bush (by next summer it will likely be Bush, my guess)
11
Donald Trump = Sarah Palin, in many ways. Republicans manage to find entertaining talking heads leading their right wing base. The rest, including me - a Republican in Name Only (a RINO), gratefully enjoy their contributions to nightly comedy shows.
12
Donald Trump's early lead in the polls exposes the inadequacies and general failures of our Public Education system.
1
On the off chance that Donald Trump is elected president, many hope the Canadian borders are wide-open. His election would certainly prove that a great number of Americans had lost their collective minds. The future for our country would be exceedingly grim. Joe Biden needs to get into the game now. Biden/Warren would make an exceptional team. Values and trust vs. buffoonery and narcissism.
11
I know I risk being branded "elitist," but I have seen the panels of individuals who are telling the pundits and pollsters they are backing Trump. Most of them don't strike me as bright enough to figure out how to vote ... unless the actual polling places are Walmarts, they get help from a friendly, underpaid greeter and they can do in in their pajamas during some flashing blue light special. Seriously.
13
It's true. Just go to any inner city democrat ghetto, you'll find democrat genius abounding.
I've often wondered why possessing a post high school education and being intellectually curious earns one the "elitist" brand. Do we look down on the Walmart townies who never left high school, work in the lumber yard and drink a 6 pack of Bud a day? I don't know, you tell me.
1
These people are inner city (the Walmart up the road is in Atlanta ... quite urban). I don't look down on anyone for their job or their choice of beverage (except when they want to choose a president based on whether or not they'd enjoy his/her company quaffing it). I do look down on people for their LACK of intellectual curiosity and utter pride in their stupidity (sneering at others that "hey, I'm no egghead").
1
To those who are depressed over the state of our democracy, I share your dismay, but I offer this bit of cold comfort: Research into the efficacy of learning has shown that knowledge that is hard won is better remembered in the long term than knowledge that is acquired quickly and easily. The accomplishments of which we are most proud and shape us most profoundly last "not because they are easy, but because they are hard." If we don't implode as a society soon, we can at least hope for a more durable union in the future.
The gravest danger that I see is not that Republicans will fully destroy government, but that they will continue their policy of distraction through warfare and nationalist hubris. I worry less about Trump than I do about the candidates who are allegedly more respectable, like Jeb and company. I doubt that Trump has the self-control to convince a war-weary public that he can be a war president. If Jeb or Lindsay Graham is elected, I will assume that America will be at war very soon. Terrorism, for instance, is an unwelcome burden for Democrats, but a godsend for Republicans. It is much easier to pass off misinformation as truth when people have been inculcated with fear.
Democrats should not be reluctant to openly use Republicans' bellicose rhetoric against them. That's a much clearer issue than positions that use appeals to academic studies and abstract reasoning. Use Bush's Iraq mistake as a hard-won lesson in humility. And make it stick.
The gravest danger that I see is not that Republicans will fully destroy government, but that they will continue their policy of distraction through warfare and nationalist hubris. I worry less about Trump than I do about the candidates who are allegedly more respectable, like Jeb and company. I doubt that Trump has the self-control to convince a war-weary public that he can be a war president. If Jeb or Lindsay Graham is elected, I will assume that America will be at war very soon. Terrorism, for instance, is an unwelcome burden for Democrats, but a godsend for Republicans. It is much easier to pass off misinformation as truth when people have been inculcated with fear.
Democrats should not be reluctant to openly use Republicans' bellicose rhetoric against them. That's a much clearer issue than positions that use appeals to academic studies and abstract reasoning. Use Bush's Iraq mistake as a hard-won lesson in humility. And make it stick.
29
Excellent analysis. I concur that the threat is the financial strangulation of the aspects of government that are effective by the drain of the "Forever War."
This situation is much like an account of the WAr of 1812 when the "republicans" (Democrats then) took over after Adama and went to war over vague aims for political reasons. The republicans tried to fight the war on the cheap (i.e., not raise taxes) and sent poorly led and provisioned soldiers into what became the goal, the conquest of Canada,
Contrary to the rubbish that we are fed about 1812, the American armies performed miserably, were led by incompetent patronage generals, and lost virtually every battle.
The 1st Nations, who sided with the British were the ultimate losers as the Americans "won the peace" from the fed-up British.
The writings of these politicians sound much like the Tea Party except the refusal to provide for a strong army.
As now, Americans were more interested in thneir personal stakes, the republic sedething with con men and swindlers, and commercial activity at any price the battle cry. If one failed, one moved west.
This situation is much like an account of the WAr of 1812 when the "republicans" (Democrats then) took over after Adama and went to war over vague aims for political reasons. The republicans tried to fight the war on the cheap (i.e., not raise taxes) and sent poorly led and provisioned soldiers into what became the goal, the conquest of Canada,
Contrary to the rubbish that we are fed about 1812, the American armies performed miserably, were led by incompetent patronage generals, and lost virtually every battle.
The 1st Nations, who sided with the British were the ultimate losers as the Americans "won the peace" from the fed-up British.
The writings of these politicians sound much like the Tea Party except the refusal to provide for a strong army.
As now, Americans were more interested in thneir personal stakes, the republic sedething with con men and swindlers, and commercial activity at any price the battle cry. If one failed, one moved west.
Sadly, no, hard-won knowledge doesn't matter any more. Look around. People forget in moments. Katrina? Oh, that was then, this is now. Vietname? Only old guys were involved in that.
Here's the fact I know--only pain, and serious pain, makes someone change. My fear is that the only way this country will get out of the game run by the uber one percent is something akin to the French Revolution. I'm not holding my breath for sanity.
Here's the fact I know--only pain, and serious pain, makes someone change. My fear is that the only way this country will get out of the game run by the uber one percent is something akin to the French Revolution. I'm not holding my breath for sanity.
Agreed. The Dems should use the grave miscalculations of the Bush years to underscore the need for continuing growth, jobs, education, infrastructure which will be lost if the Repubs get in.
I agree, we deserve the Donald.
Trump could be heard only in this ill informed, thoughtless, surface culture.
8
Frank Bruni had it right, a couple of weeks ago. The Donald is an exact copy of Silvio Berlusconi. Hope the American electorate is not like the Italian electorate!
10
Trump is much easier going than Berlusconi, who constantly tries to make himself look taller.
Don't count on it. The right wing base has no clue how our government works that's why everyone in that camp blames the pres. If they realized the blockage comes from the house maybe they'd see differently.
Mr. Brooks,
You make an interesting observation of your fellow Republicans in your comment that "But Trump’s support base is weird. It skews slightly more secular and less educated than the average Republican. How do you arrive at the conclusion that his supporters are less educated than the average Republican. You presumably are not one of his supporters. What will you do if he wins the nomination?
You make an interesting observation of your fellow Republicans in your comment that "But Trump’s support base is weird. It skews slightly more secular and less educated than the average Republican. How do you arrive at the conclusion that his supporters are less educated than the average Republican. You presumably are not one of his supporters. What will you do if he wins the nomination?
4
In a time where most in Congress seem focused on keeping their jobs as opposed to actually doing their jobs, Trump's reported ability to get the job done is attractive. Additionally, we all suffer at some level from "Political Correctness Burnout." Whereas in elections past, comments such as "I eat my little cracker, I drink my little wine" might have been met with shock, today, they are refreshingly honest - whether you like him or not.
2
Trump's true problem will be when he learns as President that he won't be able to fire the bottom 20% of the population. The analogy of running the US as a business is only an analogy.
11
I do wonder whether those who support Trump do so not because they agree with his views - to the extent anyone knows just what those views are - but because they enjoy the entertainment he provides, in which case his seriousness as a candidate is matched by their seriousness as voters. If you think it a sad thing that Trump is running, it's a far sadder thing that anyone thinks that's a fine idea. Trump's claim that our current leaders are stupid appeals to those voters who are also... stupid... I mean, to those who are no more serious about the importance of good government than he is.
11
Is The Donald about ego, or about presenting a public face of a clown with world's largest ego (and hairdoooo).
Look around the room, the person with least personal esteem is the clown.
Look around the room, the person with least personal esteem is the clown.
3
Gosh, David, nice dig there at the candidacy of Bernie Sanders. I know a big part of your job is to disseminate talking points for the "Big Boy" branch of the Republican party, but to conflate his candidacy with that of the Donald is as wrong as it is slick and easy. One man is a three term mayor, eight term Congressman and two term sitting U.S. Senator. Conviction politician? You bet, the man actually believes what he says, unlike "Jeb!". The Trumpster? Not a politician. He's a brand name and a showman for our sad times. Make no mistake, though, the spew he emits and his ensuing popularity in Republican polling comes straight from right-wing talk radio scripts. This is not a mystery to anyone who has rush Limbaugh listeners in their family. Sadly, they vote.
49
Thanks for making this point. He is the only one talking about wealth inequality which is the cause of the despair described in Brooks' article. I fear that the pundits' decision to dismiss Sanders might doom his campaign.
1
Governing is nothing like running a company one owns. While Mr. Trump can snap his fingers and see his employees jump, were he as President to try that with Congress, he would likely be told where he could jump. Governing is about building support and consensus for one’s policies and positions to majority, not imposing them from above. Please, God, bless us with someone who can start to bring us back together. Donald Trump doesn’t seem to be the answer to that prayer!
7
Governing does take skill and voters should consider Only those who have actually had experience as Governors. Governors have track records. Senators , Congressmen or frequent flyer State Secretaries have zero experience governing. POTUS is not a novice position.
An you know this from your time as corporate CEO and President of the United States?
Trump may very well wind up President of the United States (weirder things have happened). And he may very well surprise everyone by being neither left or right. (weirder things have happened). Plus, he may actually do what he says he's going to do (weirder things have happened). And it all may very well work. (weirder things have happened). But there's a long road to the presidency and nobody gets there until they have been put through the grinder and survive.
1
A century ago, one of Freud's relations familiar with his work came to the United States and created modern advertising which associates products with unmet unconscious needs, and in doing so affects the unconscious mind's role in intuitional decision making. Trump is not a man who has spent the intellectual energy gaining insights into the mind and soul of mankind, he uses marketing information about the Republican electorate to tailor his messages and it works for him. What makes Trump so effective is an electorate which does not think but reacts according to whatever feels right to them, and marketing science can pin that down to within about +/- 5%, these days. We got to this point for numerous reasons from a cultural aversion to serious thought in favor of productive action, to the commercialization of all of our public means of discourse which has replaced serious fact seeking and understanding in favor of entertainment and use of the public airways for dispensing disinformation and biased story telling. The result is a public that is very easy to influence because they have a weak grasp of reality.
13
All this discussion of Trump himself is to miss the real point. He only stands out, with his ~20% support, because of the huge number of Republican candidates. If there were a Republican president running for reelection he or she would have the support of a majority of Republican voters and the same Donald Trump with the same 20% support wouldn't be considered evidence of any political trend worth noticing.
3
Populism is when the apathetic are incited to passion.
1
Wake up people: President Trump will fix all of our problems.
Just look at the wonders he did for the AC casinos he built over the years.
How could anyone possibly doubt his abilities?
Just look at the wonders he did for the AC casinos he built over the years.
How could anyone possibly doubt his abilities?
2
Don't try to explain Trump in political terms. All he is is a bit of entertainment because 1. the election season is far too long for most of us, and 2. the line between entertainment and reality has become so fuzzy, many think politics are just a joke. The problem is that entertainment that starts as a joke could end up as a tragedy when voters aren't paying attention to the consequences of apathy.
6
The elistists, even mildly conservatives like MR Brooks, don't understand just how angry a lot of the public is. They regard Trump, and to a lesser extent Sanders, as a sharp stick in the eye of the establishment. They don't really care what he is saying as long as he is attacking the elite. I doubt many will actually vote for him.
i would not underestimate the appeal of competence in the Trump message whether or not it's deserved. Give me the reins and I'll get the country moving again. I will get a majority of the Hispanics to vote for me. The blacks have been let down by the Democrats. Look at what I might do. Might be dreaming but you got to admire that he's ready to sell every one of us that he's working for everyone.
Many conservatives find appealing too that if we're going to have government getting bigger and involved in more things--well, let's have it well managed and competent. If you can't shrink it at least make it work.
The alternative seems to be cobbling together hundreds of diverse interest groups, micro targeting wedge issues, and somehow have it add up to 50%.
Many conservatives find appealing too that if we're going to have government getting bigger and involved in more things--well, let's have it well managed and competent. If you can't shrink it at least make it work.
The alternative seems to be cobbling together hundreds of diverse interest groups, micro targeting wedge issues, and somehow have it add up to 50%.
"He is deeply rooted in the currents of our time"? Right.
You're too modest, David. After all these years of sporting a white smock in the GOP's Frankenstein Lab, something of your making has risen from the table. Take credit for Donald Trump. He's cruder than you are because he's brave enough to candidly express the ugly irrationality that you couch in these vapid, gutless book reports.
You're too modest, David. After all these years of sporting a white smock in the GOP's Frankenstein Lab, something of your making has risen from the table. Take credit for Donald Trump. He's cruder than you are because he's brave enough to candidly express the ugly irrationality that you couch in these vapid, gutless book reports.
11
Congratulations to Mr. Emp. Cons. for racking up the highest accuracy score my instruments have so far recorded in characterizing David Brooks's goals and his success in meeting them - the squiggly line jumped to about 95%! May I inquire, sir, whether your online handle indicates a Burkean orientation? This would explain your disdain for the sophistical Mr. Brooks.
Trump is nothing but a media concoction, and they shoulder full blame for his "popularity". Articles like this do nothing but continue to lend authenticity to his right-wing pejorative views. The NYT should follow the lead of the Huffington Post and relegate news about the Bombast to its entertainment pages, because it does not belong where we discuss rational political discourse.
6
"His announcement speech was fascinating (and compelling). “How stupid are our leaders?” he asked rhetorically. “Our president doesn’t have a clue,” he continued. “We have people that are stupid,” he observed of the leadership class."
Let's see, how stupid is someone who says in his announcement speech that GDP is negative.
Let's see, how stupid is someone who says in his announcement speech that GDP is negative.
3
I beg to differ on the "ego as ideology" assessment of Trump. No one has a bigger ego than Hillary, and that's fine, refreshing even since it's coming from a woman. No, Trump's brand is both basic and telling: he speaks his own truth, no matter how outrageous and no matter who is listening. This makes him refreshingly honest in a sea of spinning hypocritical politicians. Trump. Refreshingly honest.
2
I'm not a Republican, never have been. Once was a Democrat, until they got outlandishly as dopy as the Republicans. Of all the candidates now running
1
Trump - allure. Two words one would not expect to find in the same sentence. There is nothing alluring about Trump that I can see, except to those sad individuals who believe that he holds the answers they seek. To those people, I would say, please! Look deeper! He's not smart - he's loud, he's wily, he lies when necessary - he said so himself. He's not competent - he has declared bankruptcy FOUR times! He's not tough - he's a bully. His success is relative. Read his books. Dig a little deeper than what you've seen on "The Celebrity Apprentice", where his appearances are controlled by script, and where he appears dramatically from behind a screen to fire people - it's all smoke and mirrors, folks! It's not real. It's TV!
5
Trump says out loud what most Republicans believe.
*That* is his allure.
Trump has the vision of a ruler forcing all others into submission, sort of like the entire Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, all rolled into one person, like Mao Ze Dong.
However unlike Chairman Mao, Chairman Donald's mind is his own "little red book", so there is no need to write anything down. This is perfect for the current Age of Illiteracy and Attention Deficit Disorder.
*That* is his allure.
Trump has the vision of a ruler forcing all others into submission, sort of like the entire Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, all rolled into one person, like Mao Ze Dong.
However unlike Chairman Mao, Chairman Donald's mind is his own "little red book", so there is no need to write anything down. This is perfect for the current Age of Illiteracy and Attention Deficit Disorder.
8
"Only 29 percent of Americans think the nation is on the right track, according to Rasmussen."
This more than anything else, means that it will be a toss-up (unless Jeb Bush gains the Republican nomination and thus lose the Presidency for his Party).
Also, Democrats are in denial if the Party asserts that all is well with America.
While the Republicans and their Wall Street supporters have lost in 2008, the Democrats' Wall Street supporters have profited more than ever, while the middle class has stagnated.
For a socialist, Sanders is gaining a great deal of support, precisely because issues that the Democrats should have addressed -- economic issues of the middle class, are being ignored. No one is leading with that banner.
With regard to Middle East foreign policy -- it is hard to deny that it has been moronic for more than a decade w/regard to Iraq, Afghanistan, and then America's indirect/"accidental" support to ISIS w/regard to Syria & its bloody civil war. American foreign policy stood aside (at the least) for collapse of secularism and rise of further religious fanaticism in the Middle East.
(With regard to the Iran deal -- that was _not_ moronic. It was pragmatic. Iran unfortunately gained more leverage thanks to the fallout from Bush's invasion of Iraq and the consequent spread of Sunni anger & insurgency into Syria to become ISIS.)
This more than anything else, means that it will be a toss-up (unless Jeb Bush gains the Republican nomination and thus lose the Presidency for his Party).
Also, Democrats are in denial if the Party asserts that all is well with America.
While the Republicans and their Wall Street supporters have lost in 2008, the Democrats' Wall Street supporters have profited more than ever, while the middle class has stagnated.
For a socialist, Sanders is gaining a great deal of support, precisely because issues that the Democrats should have addressed -- economic issues of the middle class, are being ignored. No one is leading with that banner.
With regard to Middle East foreign policy -- it is hard to deny that it has been moronic for more than a decade w/regard to Iraq, Afghanistan, and then America's indirect/"accidental" support to ISIS w/regard to Syria & its bloody civil war. American foreign policy stood aside (at the least) for collapse of secularism and rise of further religious fanaticism in the Middle East.
(With regard to the Iran deal -- that was _not_ moronic. It was pragmatic. Iran unfortunately gained more leverage thanks to the fallout from Bush's invasion of Iraq and the consequent spread of Sunni anger & insurgency into Syria to become ISIS.)
4
You had me till your comment about Iran. That deal_IS_moronic. Iran continues to spew horrible statements about Jews and Israel. We do not know all that is in that agreement, as Kerry and Obama are not talking about the "side agreements". And, please after 7 years as president, you nor Obama can seriously continue to blame Bush. I was no fan of the latter, but this president is so dismissive and unkind to any opposition. He complains when challenged in a news conference. He is president, for crying out loud. He is supposed to be challenged by the media, why is he so thin skinned? As for Trump, he will flame out, and so will Sanders.
While I do not think that most American politicians are ignorant, as Trump apparently does, I do think that many of the nation's problems are not terribly complicated. Our leaders, especially in Congress, lack the will to address them the are incentivized to ignore the country's needs by our appallingly corrupt campaign finance system and a two-party system that rewards, especially in the GOP, extremism.
We will not fix our economic, social, and environmental problems until we re-structure the nation's system of electing members of Congress and Presidents. That, in turn, requires some changes to the Constitution, including an amendment to overturn the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision.
We will not fix our economic, social, and environmental problems until we re-structure the nation's system of electing members of Congress and Presidents. That, in turn, requires some changes to the Constitution, including an amendment to overturn the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision.
21
Trump espouses what he feels is the "truth" about society now, not in historical terms. He is right there in the moment. Droves of individuals have signed up to see this personal point of view.
1
In addition to all the other criticisms of Trump--all of which are deserved and warranted, there are absolute facts about him that have yet to receive any major focus. He did NOT attend Wharton, for example. He did not do well in high school so his parents made him go to NY Military Academy to hopefully straighten him out. He then went to Fordham but had his father arrange a transfer to U. of Penn.--not Wharton--but he apparently took a few courses there. He has questioned Obama's grades at Columbia and Harvard Law but I doubt we will ever see Mr. Trumps. He started life wealthy and inherited a company started by his grandfather and grown by his father. He is not self-made. There were years when he was in deep financial trouble by allowing his ego to cloud his business vision. I can only wonder what his children think of his so-called political campaign so far. It seems they are in hiding.
5
For once, a more thoughtful analysis of Donald Trump! It is time that our "talking class" wakes up to what is underlying his support. As with all other analysis, the conclusion that Trump "won't be our president" speaks to the writers preference, not his analytic powers. After all, look who he is running against and how enthusiastic his support is compared to all other Republican candidates.
Of note, the analysis of why he has jumped to the head of the Republican line is correct. The only remaining task is to have some insightful work on putting together a solution to these problems. Unfortunately for a conservative such as Brooks, that involves crossing certain lines where the Republican party has successfully built fences to keep out all Americans they regard as aliens - those who do not agree with the party agenda to support "big business" at all costs.
Living wages, a different process for distribution of corporate profits, a fair tax code, equal rights for all American citizens, a fair electoral process that is not run by a few families to their personal benefit, appropriate control of guns in America, infrastructure improvement, educational opportunities equal for all are but a few of the issues that would lead to a more productive economy and help Americans believe that the government is actually working for them.
David, any interest in solutions?
Of note, the analysis of why he has jumped to the head of the Republican line is correct. The only remaining task is to have some insightful work on putting together a solution to these problems. Unfortunately for a conservative such as Brooks, that involves crossing certain lines where the Republican party has successfully built fences to keep out all Americans they regard as aliens - those who do not agree with the party agenda to support "big business" at all costs.
Living wages, a different process for distribution of corporate profits, a fair tax code, equal rights for all American citizens, a fair electoral process that is not run by a few families to their personal benefit, appropriate control of guns in America, infrastructure improvement, educational opportunities equal for all are but a few of the issues that would lead to a more productive economy and help Americans believe that the government is actually working for them.
David, any interest in solutions?
4
Frankly as much of a clown or demigod that trump is, I wonder, Can he do any worse?We have corrupt , lazy , incompetent people running the government for any one but the people they represent.Can Trump do worse than your average Politician?
1
Yes, he could do worse.
1
Why is the conclusion of all this detailed argument that "He won't be president"? If he can achieve nomination, the Republican forces that be will swarm to him, as they did to Sarah Palin. They will realize that Trump can do more to promote the agenda of those who seek to destroy respect for the Federal Government than any other candidate.
4
It is wrong to assign respect to the federal government, or to deplore disrespect for it. The government is only a tool, used to effect and enforce controls on society. The design of our federal government tool is a composite of democratic and republican principles, deliberately conflicted to prevent runaway abuse. Respect ought to be reserved for the underlying principles: liberty, freedom, the nation that embodies them, and the public servants who defend them. It isn't the the tool -- the government -- that your opponents disrespect, it is the use to which it is being put, and the purposes of those currently in control of it.
I seldom find myself agreeing with Mr. Brooks, but I think he's on to something here. The winner/loser argument resonates because in the last few decades, social policy has not lived up to its promises. Skepticism over additional school funding, higher standards, charter schools, etc. would be muted had these efforts yielded dramatic increases in student achievement. Tax cuts for the affluent would be tolerated if they actually produced more middle-class jobs. Welfare reform and job training programs would be applauded if they actually reduced the poverty level.
It's less the "leftness" or the "rightness" of policies than whether or not they work. Political leaders feed these expectations by almost never acknowledging how difficult these social and economic challenges are to solve. Trump just feeds the growing belief that it's not the instructions for changing the tire that's to blame. It's that the leaders doing the changing are incompetent. Why anyone believes the Trump is the answer, other than Trump himself, is a head scratcher for another day.
It's less the "leftness" or the "rightness" of policies than whether or not they work. Political leaders feed these expectations by almost never acknowledging how difficult these social and economic challenges are to solve. Trump just feeds the growing belief that it's not the instructions for changing the tire that's to blame. It's that the leaders doing the changing are incompetent. Why anyone believes the Trump is the answer, other than Trump himself, is a head scratcher for another day.
3
One cannot blame the Republican Party for Donald Trump’s success in the polls. Whether one agrees with them or not, the Party’s positions are consistent and rational if debatable. But if the Republican Party hopes to hold on to the few moderates it has left, it had better find a way to marginalize or eject the people who support Mr. Trump because there are many of us who can live with the Party’s ideological failings but will not be associated with the sort of person who thinks Mr. Trump is qualified to be president of the United States. And that’s the nicest way it can be put.
1
Donald Trump is an analysts dream, political or otherwise. His attraction is not mystifying in a culture that clearly perfers entertainment to critical analysis. Who would you rather lunch with, Hillary, Jeb, Bernie, or Jon Stewart? All said and done, we mostly get what we deserve.
Three of those potential lunch companions are intelligent, informed, and interesting people. One is not.
Trump is professional poker player playing with rank amateurs who still have some idea that winning will be the reward of the virtuous rather than the wily. The electorate has been manipulated and poorly informed for so long by politicians who refuse to address issues in an honest and reasonable way who use people's fears and apprehensions to manipulate them that when a truly adept and erudite sales and marketing professional joins their ranks they seem like sparrows suddenly confronted by a hawk.
2
I couldn't agree with Al more who wrote the comment. I think it is hilarious that the GOP finally has the representative that embodies all of their falsehoods!!! He will fade away but watching them scramble right now is very entertaining.
3
David, I have a correction to your sentence regarding Bernie Sanders ...
"He’s a conviction politician comfortable with class conflict." Hyperbole.
"He’s a conviction politician uncomfortable with increasing income inequality." Fact.
"He’s a conviction politician comfortable with class conflict." Hyperbole.
"He’s a conviction politician uncomfortable with increasing income inequality." Fact.
17
Your Daily Donald™... https://twitter.com/BobbyGvegas/status/628605811342729216
Trump is like a world wrestler in the political theater. He struts, has a costume, spews vile hatred, stirs up the crowd on both sides, divides the audience, plays to the camera--perfect for our multiple medium world of cable news, twitter, facebook, AM radio, blogs. He is a walking meme, fodder for anyone and everyone.
His biggest attraction for people on the right is that he conjures the anger that many harbor against Obama. For example, I have a group text thread with five friends from high school. We text about sports our families, movies, vacations, whatever--but, rarely politics. But after that guy killed the lion in Africa, I mentioned the the Trump boys also killed big game and took photos. It seemed like a fairly innocuous, safe, unpolitical observation given that the topic was disgust at big game hunters. Apparently my comment against the Trump boys hit a nerve with one of my friends, a very successful lawyer. His text outburst was seemingly out of nowhere, full of vitriol against Obama, all about Bergdahl, the Iran deal, king Obama, then a Go Trump, and a USA...USA...USA. I didn't bite, let a few other friends change the topic. It lead me to conclude that many like Trump because he tries to make Obama look like a fool, starting with his birther campaign, now calling him stupid.
So Trump taps the anti-Obama nerve most viciously, most like a theatrical world wrestler, most consistently. This gets the hard right wanting more. Hence his jump in the polls.
His biggest attraction for people on the right is that he conjures the anger that many harbor against Obama. For example, I have a group text thread with five friends from high school. We text about sports our families, movies, vacations, whatever--but, rarely politics. But after that guy killed the lion in Africa, I mentioned the the Trump boys also killed big game and took photos. It seemed like a fairly innocuous, safe, unpolitical observation given that the topic was disgust at big game hunters. Apparently my comment against the Trump boys hit a nerve with one of my friends, a very successful lawyer. His text outburst was seemingly out of nowhere, full of vitriol against Obama, all about Bergdahl, the Iran deal, king Obama, then a Go Trump, and a USA...USA...USA. I didn't bite, let a few other friends change the topic. It lead me to conclude that many like Trump because he tries to make Obama look like a fool, starting with his birther campaign, now calling him stupid.
So Trump taps the anti-Obama nerve most viciously, most like a theatrical world wrestler, most consistently. This gets the hard right wanting more. Hence his jump in the polls.
4
When I look at Trump I see Putin.
7
I see Putin's new toy.
A "conviction politician"? Sad that there is any other kind.
3
Why should anyone trust our political system anymore when a presidential candidate can defend the massive financial donations by saying, without a hint of irony, that free speech costs money.
And, by the way, Susan Collins, who is now considered to be in the left wing of the Republican Party is on many issues to the right of Barry Goldwater. He at least was a true libertarian who believed in abortion and gay rights and, unlike Collins, he wasn't frightened to buck his party leadership.
Finally, the difference between Trump and Sanders is that the former has no apparent consistent policy beliefs whereas Sanders has. Hillary Clinton may not be practicing "bumper car" politics but she practicing cowardly ones by dodging important issues such as the Pacific trade pact and the Keystone Pipeline.
And, by the way, Susan Collins, who is now considered to be in the left wing of the Republican Party is on many issues to the right of Barry Goldwater. He at least was a true libertarian who believed in abortion and gay rights and, unlike Collins, he wasn't frightened to buck his party leadership.
Finally, the difference between Trump and Sanders is that the former has no apparent consistent policy beliefs whereas Sanders has. Hillary Clinton may not be practicing "bumper car" politics but she practicing cowardly ones by dodging important issues such as the Pacific trade pact and the Keystone Pipeline.
1
Forget about "The Donald" -- he's just a flash in the pan. When it comes to real insights and solutions to our most pressing problems, I'll put my money on "The David" -- the thought-provoking columnist, our Mr. Brooks.
1
David,
I've often wondered why I usually skip your column. With this senselessly empty column on Donald Trump. I feel as if we are back in 1935 and you are writing about another narcissistic new leader with a small mustache and a mission of his own. "The problem is that we don’t have a leadership class as smart, competent, tough and successful as Donald Trump." Yes, Adolph too offered a simple solution for chaotic and troubled times. I sincerely can't believe that you have written what you have. Please be careful. Most of your readers have children and people whom they care about, they take life seriously. Evidently, you take it on a whim. Thank you for allowing me to better understand why I usually skip over your column. And please reflect on these thoughts. Life is not the reality TV game that Donald Trump loves to perform on. With the comments you've received, it seems you've got the attention you wanted. But is it really worth it, for you or for anyone else?
I've often wondered why I usually skip your column. With this senselessly empty column on Donald Trump. I feel as if we are back in 1935 and you are writing about another narcissistic new leader with a small mustache and a mission of his own. "The problem is that we don’t have a leadership class as smart, competent, tough and successful as Donald Trump." Yes, Adolph too offered a simple solution for chaotic and troubled times. I sincerely can't believe that you have written what you have. Please be careful. Most of your readers have children and people whom they care about, they take life seriously. Evidently, you take it on a whim. Thank you for allowing me to better understand why I usually skip over your column. And please reflect on these thoughts. Life is not the reality TV game that Donald Trump loves to perform on. With the comments you've received, it seems you've got the attention you wanted. But is it really worth it, for you or for anyone else?
3
Recently, as a media experiment, I searched the FOXNews website for the word "racism", which did appear in several recent news stories. But not in the original sense of the word, just as a ridiculous slander Liberals use to malign "plain talkers" on the right.
David, you similarly omit mention of racism when describing the most overtly racist candidate in recent history. And when you say "he doesn’t draw from any distinctive blocs", you ignore the fact that Trump has locked up the racist and xenophobic base that has been coveted and groomed by GOP strategists from Lee Atwater to the present day.
David, you similarly omit mention of racism when describing the most overtly racist candidate in recent history. And when you say "he doesn’t draw from any distinctive blocs", you ignore the fact that Trump has locked up the racist and xenophobic base that has been coveted and groomed by GOP strategists from Lee Atwater to the present day.
4
...smart, competent, tough and successful as Donald Trump. David, you couldn't really mean this.
2
As you point out "He is deeply rooted in the currents of our time" and in this way no different than anyone else in the Presidential race or for that matter any different than you or any of us. We really are one people holding the same mirror.
1
David, you DO REALIZE in this description of Donald Trump you just described Benito Mussolini almost to a "t"…. right???
2
it's a bit odd that you don't attempt to address the chief paradox of his ascendancy: as a self-proclaimed billionaire with a lavish lifestyle, he's an unlikely populist champion of the invisible, middle class man he purports to represent.
3
Donald is exploiting the blow hard bully pulpit. It's fun, it's entertaining, it's a distraction and it's needed.
If Hillary has nothing to hide why not give us the emails? Plus, we don't here and Bill back. Old news. Only a moron would believe Chris Christie had no knowledge of Bridgegate...but who want's New Jersey political slime in the Whitehouse to begin with? Bernie Sanders is kind of a cleaned up Ralph Nader...I like him and all but he is a loser. Rubio is just that..a rube. He wants his constitutents to be able to return to Cuba, take control, enslave the local population, and open casinos, exploit their minerals and re-install Bautista. Jindal is an idiot. And Jeb Bush is part of the Bush Dynasty and a throw back to the policies of his Dad, his brother, Dick Cheney, and that slime bag Wolfowitz. No thanks.
Joe needs to sit this one out. I'll write in Elizabeth Warren. Now there's a leader.
If Hillary has nothing to hide why not give us the emails? Plus, we don't here and Bill back. Old news. Only a moron would believe Chris Christie had no knowledge of Bridgegate...but who want's New Jersey political slime in the Whitehouse to begin with? Bernie Sanders is kind of a cleaned up Ralph Nader...I like him and all but he is a loser. Rubio is just that..a rube. He wants his constitutents to be able to return to Cuba, take control, enslave the local population, and open casinos, exploit their minerals and re-install Bautista. Jindal is an idiot. And Jeb Bush is part of the Bush Dynasty and a throw back to the policies of his Dad, his brother, Dick Cheney, and that slime bag Wolfowitz. No thanks.
Joe needs to sit this one out. I'll write in Elizabeth Warren. Now there's a leader.
1
Brooks clearly is scared of Biden.
The entire GOP elite is scared of Biden.
Run, Joe, run!
The entire GOP elite is scared of Biden.
Run, Joe, run!
3
To those who say will vote for Mr. Trump:
Actions have consequences. Have you thought this action through? Thoroughly?
Now, are you willing to accept responsibility for your action's consequences?
Actions have consequences. Have you thought this action through? Thoroughly?
Now, are you willing to accept responsibility for your action's consequences?
2
Well now we’re getting somewhere. Ego is at the very center of every critical issue faced by humanity today and it’s not a political or philosophical problem, it’s an evolutionary one. At its core, ego is self preservation and self interest i.e. walls, weapons, power, possessions, attention, etc., and Trump is the perfect example. He even said so in a tweet: “Show me someone without an ego and I’ll show you a loser.” Trump is all self promotion and this is what resonates with the other unsuspecting egos who crave the self satisfaction of being rich and powerful just like he is, but this goes far beyond egocentric attraction. The destruction of the ecosphere; violence & hatred; inequality; consumption driven lifestyles; a global corporatocracy obsessed with power and unlimited profits over people and planet, along with the prevailing public attitude of acquiescence that goes along with it all are all outward manifestations of the same thing: the egoic mode of human consciousness which has yet to evolve.
3
David Brooks has had a pretty good run using his polished communication skills to create an aura of a Republican "moderate" while relentlessly shilling for the 0.1% of which he has been a member from birth.
But this column completely blows his cover. His attempt to lump a serious legislator with a impressive track record like Bernie Sanders with Donald Trump, indeed to imply that he is LESS credible, is utterly transparent in its desperate shilling.
Brooks will never discuss Sanders policies and proposals, his critiques, with any honesty. Genuine policy analysis is not what Brooks does.
David Brooks is a seriously un-serious man, pretending to be a Very Serious Person.
But this column completely blows his cover. His attempt to lump a serious legislator with a impressive track record like Bernie Sanders with Donald Trump, indeed to imply that he is LESS credible, is utterly transparent in its desperate shilling.
Brooks will never discuss Sanders policies and proposals, his critiques, with any honesty. Genuine policy analysis is not what Brooks does.
David Brooks is a seriously un-serious man, pretending to be a Very Serious Person.
11
Perhaps the bright side of this Trump thing is that mainstream candidates and politicians might see what can happen when you stop speaking from carefully scripted poll-tested talking points.
1
A man who cannot deal honestly with his baldness, could not deal honestly with anything. Suppose a foreign delegate curiously tried to lift Donald's Combover, it would be a world wide mockery. Honestly is the Best Policy and wear the head you were given.
3
Forecast for The Donald: Hair today, gone tomorrow.
1
Trump "doesn't need this gig" so he can say whatever he wants. Some Americans find that candor refreshing. Will it last once the debates start. Hard to say, but don't underestimate a billionaire.
1
Mr. Brooks
You wrote:
"But Trump’s support base is weird. It skews slightly more secular and less educated than the average Republican, but he doesn’t draw from any distinctive blocs. Unlike past populisms he’s not especially rural or urban, ethnic based or class based. He draws people as individuals, not groups."
I take issue with your assertion that "average Republicans" are more highly educated than the followers of Mr. Trump. If Mr Bush—polling at somewhere between 17%and 22%—is the most sane of the 17 people currently offering themselves as candidates for the presidency, then between 78% and 83% of the Republican voters are flat out nuts, as gauged by the utterances of the other 16.
You wrote:
"But Trump’s support base is weird. It skews slightly more secular and less educated than the average Republican, but he doesn’t draw from any distinctive blocs. Unlike past populisms he’s not especially rural or urban, ethnic based or class based. He draws people as individuals, not groups."
I take issue with your assertion that "average Republicans" are more highly educated than the followers of Mr. Trump. If Mr Bush—polling at somewhere between 17%and 22%—is the most sane of the 17 people currently offering themselves as candidates for the presidency, then between 78% and 83% of the Republican voters are flat out nuts, as gauged by the utterances of the other 16.
2
What is shocking is not the Donald, we know who he is - a buffoon who loves the limelight and will say virtually anything to be in the pubic eye. What is shocking is the number of people who consider a self-proclaimed corrosive racist to be a viable candidate for president. It takes far more than the ability to be outrageously insulting to be a leader. For many, however, that seems to be sufficient.
6
"Corrosively racist" is a n accurate description so is potential despot.
As a liberal democrat I find myself oddly drawn to him. He comes across as a real man who says what many people think and he calls out the weaknesses of his opponents with a ring of truth.
I think part of why he stands out is unlike all the rest, he does not spend hours with a team memorizing answers to probable debate questions or weigh what he says based on calculated advice of political correctness. What you see is what you get.
He has the confidence to speak his mind, a confidence bolstered by enormous wealth that frees him from having to beg for money to become President.
Would I vote for him? At first I would have decisively said no. Now I am not sure.
I think part of why he stands out is unlike all the rest, he does not spend hours with a team memorizing answers to probable debate questions or weigh what he says based on calculated advice of political correctness. What you see is what you get.
He has the confidence to speak his mind, a confidence bolstered by enormous wealth that frees him from having to beg for money to become President.
Would I vote for him? At first I would have decisively said no. Now I am not sure.
6
If you are attracted by Trump's right wing posture then by any definition you are not a liberal Democrat.
I disagree with one of the main premises of your column and of the entire Trump spectacle. You say that Trump is a narcissist who thinks he can solve any problem. No, I believe that Trump entered the race because he was dared, his ego was punctured on national TV, and he was pictured truly as a buffoon. He entered the race to show show his gravitas, but it's gotten out of hand, even for Trump. He's smart enough to know he knows nothing about running a country, and he's already backing off the bravado he started with. Yes, he has the perfect appeal for the disaffected voters who believe the country's exceptionalism can be summoned up by a cheerleader who needs neither political experience, a team behind him, nor specific plans for foreign policy, the economy, social planning, immigration, education--you name it.
It has been a good interlude of entertainment in the otherwise dull GOP primary. It will be most interesting to see how the Donald gets out of it without sacrificing the extra points he's added to his reputation by being the leader of the Republican Party for a considerable stretch of time.
It has been a good interlude of entertainment in the otherwise dull GOP primary. It will be most interesting to see how the Donald gets out of it without sacrificing the extra points he's added to his reputation by being the leader of the Republican Party for a considerable stretch of time.
1
But how has his campaign shown he is not a "buffoon"? No, I think Trump never believed in his heart for one moment that he was a buffoon. As Brooks says, his whole appeal is about his self-confidence, his belief that he can shoot from the hip because he's a "winner."
This is scary because it shows that a significant number of Americans are ready to give leadership to someone who would act without due caution.
This is scary because it shows that a significant number of Americans are ready to give leadership to someone who would act without due caution.
Trump is using the Limbaugh rule - say anything obnoxious and outlandish to garner attention. Limbaugh and Trump have been using this strategy for years and eventually they make these ridiculous comments so often, they start believing their own crappola. It's how both of them have generated their followers - the same types who like to see what happened when there was a train wreck or a car accident.
I am deeply grieved, and very worried by Trump's egotistical candidacy. We have a real shot at defeating Hilary Clinton if we nominate pretty much anyone but Trump.
Just as Ross Perot's selfish run stuck us with Bill Clinton, and by extension, Hilary, Trump's may give us another Clinton in the White House. God help us all.
I beg my fellow conservatives, vote for anyone but Trump in the primaries. Please!
Just as Ross Perot's selfish run stuck us with Bill Clinton, and by extension, Hilary, Trump's may give us another Clinton in the White House. God help us all.
I beg my fellow conservatives, vote for anyone but Trump in the primaries. Please!
Donald Trump is "John Galt" risen from the mud of GOP ultra-right, Libertarian, dog-eat-dog "opportunity society" politics. Trump is the perfect embodiment of the Republican Party and what it stands for today.
4
People don't want to see the ugliness that created a popular candidate like Trump, but it is right before our eyes. He represents the frustrated right wing voter who wants the country to be the way it was in 1950 when America, white dominated, was the sole superpower and its economy dominated the world.
These people want to be "free" not to pay taxes that benefit others. They want to be able to protect themselves with guns regardless of the carnage it creates across the country. They want to take back the culture from how it has changed due to non white influence. And most of all they want to live well now regardless of its impact on the future of the country and the world. In this mind set doing something about climate change is a cost they refuse to bear. For any significant negative change will not occur for several years. So why worry about it now? That is a problem for future generations to deal with.
So Trump gives them the simplistic answer that he will just fix things with his common sense approach. He will make America better just by his sheer brilliance. The rest of the world has no choice but to genuflect to his greatness. Right wingers want to believe that this empty rhetoric is true. And they have been brainwashed by the right wing media and its politicians that government is the problem. If so, why not elect a businessman? What could go wrong? Answer: A lot.
These people want to be "free" not to pay taxes that benefit others. They want to be able to protect themselves with guns regardless of the carnage it creates across the country. They want to take back the culture from how it has changed due to non white influence. And most of all they want to live well now regardless of its impact on the future of the country and the world. In this mind set doing something about climate change is a cost they refuse to bear. For any significant negative change will not occur for several years. So why worry about it now? That is a problem for future generations to deal with.
So Trump gives them the simplistic answer that he will just fix things with his common sense approach. He will make America better just by his sheer brilliance. The rest of the world has no choice but to genuflect to his greatness. Right wingers want to believe that this empty rhetoric is true. And they have been brainwashed by the right wing media and its politicians that government is the problem. If so, why not elect a businessman? What could go wrong? Answer: A lot.
Stupidity is a great mask for an alternative agenda; an easy charge readily adopted by the ignorant. I think we have the Congress we have asked for, one that represents local needs, one that fights, however fractiously, for any immediate gain for its particular constituency. Two flies in the ointment are that the constituents are increasingly corporate, and many of these gains are effectively killing our (ecological and societal) future. Change the job description.
Donald Trump is a boor and a bore. He seems to thrive on creating sensational situations, making ridiculous statements, and pandering to the lowest common denominator. If he didn't have as much money as he does he would not get the attention he's getting. He doesn't deserve attention. He hasn't contributed anything constructive to the political dialogue in this country.
And the reason there is so much feuding going on is because of people like Trump. Creating feuds is easier than trying to solve the problems. There are very real problems in America today. We're faced with people born in the mid to late 1950s who will not be able to retire, support themselves on their non-existent pensions, increasing medical costs in spite of ACA, stagnant wages for all but the very, very top of the workforce, a failing infrastructure that the GOP doesn't want to fix (and they are in control of both houses now so they can't claim it's Obama's fault), but you David, write about the quintessential ugly American: Donald Trump.
And the reason there is so much feuding going on is because of people like Trump. Creating feuds is easier than trying to solve the problems. There are very real problems in America today. We're faced with people born in the mid to late 1950s who will not be able to retire, support themselves on their non-existent pensions, increasing medical costs in spite of ACA, stagnant wages for all but the very, very top of the workforce, a failing infrastructure that the GOP doesn't want to fix (and they are in control of both houses now so they can't claim it's Obama's fault), but you David, write about the quintessential ugly American: Donald Trump.
5
Donald Trump appeals to voters thanks to the dumbing down of American politics from the right-wing Republican propaganda machine of the past 35 years. Republicans are devoid of ideas and solutions and have been for years. Reagan told us government is the problem and Grover Norquist followed with the logical next step - stop funding the government. Fox "News" and talk (hate) radio have been hammering the message home for the low-info white men and women who need a scapegoat to blame for their problems.
Instead of governing, of creating solutions, of collaborating with Democrats, Republicans are all about sound and fury signifying nothing. Donald Trump is the perfect outlet for Republican malaise. He'll tell us what's wrong (the country is going downhill), who's at fault (Obama, immigrants), and that he's going to fix everything. But that's as deep as he goes.
He doesn't have a single idea how to actually deal with America's problems. He hasn't articulated a single policy or shown he has an in-depth understanding of any issue, foreign or domestic. He's a form of primal scream therapy for the Republican masses, except when they're done with the cathartic exercise of listening to Trump blather on, we'll still have the same problems as before.
David Brooks should spend some time listening to Sanders and Clinton, and not be so quick to dismiss Biden, who might be the only pol who could actually get Republicans to consider working with Democrats.
Instead of governing, of creating solutions, of collaborating with Democrats, Republicans are all about sound and fury signifying nothing. Donald Trump is the perfect outlet for Republican malaise. He'll tell us what's wrong (the country is going downhill), who's at fault (Obama, immigrants), and that he's going to fix everything. But that's as deep as he goes.
He doesn't have a single idea how to actually deal with America's problems. He hasn't articulated a single policy or shown he has an in-depth understanding of any issue, foreign or domestic. He's a form of primal scream therapy for the Republican masses, except when they're done with the cathartic exercise of listening to Trump blather on, we'll still have the same problems as before.
David Brooks should spend some time listening to Sanders and Clinton, and not be so quick to dismiss Biden, who might be the only pol who could actually get Republicans to consider working with Democrats.
9
The real bottom line is this Republicans of all stripes have not fallen in love with any other candidate not Bush not Walker not Rubio not cruise and so they entertain themselves by supporting Trump until they choose their nominee
1
Donald Trump is a living, breathing selfie. Look at me! I'm rich! I'm brilliant! Everyone else is stupid!
Funny, you don't hear Warren Buffet talking about how rich and brilliant he is. Trump's surface confidence barely masks the shallow, insecure man he is. Or as he might put it, a pathetic loser.
www.newyorkgritty.net
Funny, you don't hear Warren Buffet talking about how rich and brilliant he is. Trump's surface confidence barely masks the shallow, insecure man he is. Or as he might put it, a pathetic loser.
www.newyorkgritty.net
3
More sadly, the vain, pompous, racist, bully "The Donald" is deeply rooted inthe American character. He is celebratred for "telling it like it is" when his real rhetoric very much tells it like it isn't. He is so out-of-touch with ordinary American life that he makes Mitt Romney look like a community organizer.
"TD" taps into a very dark, mean vein of the national culture. He has become a behavioral role'model for our youth. If we are not disturbed by this, then we're not paying enough attention.
www.endthemadnessnow.org
"TD" taps into a very dark, mean vein of the national culture. He has become a behavioral role'model for our youth. If we are not disturbed by this, then we're not paying enough attention.
www.endthemadnessnow.org
2
"Deeply rooted in the currents of our time." And that is precisely why Trump is gaining in the polls while Hillary is tanking.
2
Trump's narcissism is the leitmotif of his campaign. This is where the troubles with his candidacy begin and will surely end for him and America.
1
How refreshing, to see Brooks admit that he knows nothing about Trumps appeal, as this article is all wrong. People aren't attracted to his ego. They are attracted to his straight talk. His not being a politician. His honesty. He's already rich, so can't be bought. The establishment's sweating is really something to see! That's what is appealing about Trump. He makes the progressives, like Brooks, sweat.
3
So, Senator Sanders and reality-TV star Trump are both "bumper car" candidates. Thanks for more great insight from this fool Brooks, NYT.
7
I'm shocked! Not by anything in this, or any other article, in the NYT, I'm shocked by the Limbaugh-esque mindset of the readers of the Times. Every reader is in perfect lockstep with a liberal ideology. No Republican, or any of their ideas, ideas are good; every Democrat, and all their ideas, are good.
The lockstep part is not the shocking part. The shocking part is that all of these dyed in the wool liberals have the nerve to accuse their Republican counterparts of being in perfect lockstep with their party and do so with derision. Pot, meet kettle!
Our country will not move forward until the "purples" stand up and say "enough is enough" to the Reds and the blues. This "my team versus your team" attitude has the USA in a political holding pattern where nothing gets done and no one wins.
The lockstep part is not the shocking part. The shocking part is that all of these dyed in the wool liberals have the nerve to accuse their Republican counterparts of being in perfect lockstep with their party and do so with derision. Pot, meet kettle!
Our country will not move forward until the "purples" stand up and say "enough is enough" to the Reds and the blues. This "my team versus your team" attitude has the USA in a political holding pattern where nothing gets done and no one wins.
4
The single biggest problem the party faces is not Trump. It's their own words, promises, and behavior. Last year, they told the voters "Elect us. Give us the Senate. Give us control of the Congress. Do that, and we'll show you how we will govern, we'll show you what we're capable of". And they have. They can't blame this on the democrats. They can't blame Obama. They have no one to blame for their own inability to govern, or even behave like adults, than themselves. They promised to show us all how they'd govern, and we're seeing it right now. So, how do you like it? Are you ready for another few years of the same?
Does anyone want to take any bets as to whether or not we see another
government shutdown when Congress returns from summer vacation over some stupidly petty partisan issue? Would anyone care to speculate over how many times one of the extremists will throw the entire legislature out of whack over some silliness? How often Boehner or McConnell will wind up with egg on their faces, standing in front of the press trying to explain how that we all just saw happen isn't what we all just saw happen? And desperately trying to deflect the blame to Obama?
THAT'S their problem. Trump is a symptom of the disease, but he's not the disease. And sadly, I think the disease is not only incurable, but they embrace their sickness like a crack addict embraces his pipe. They knows it's destroying them, they knows it will eventually kill them, but they just can't put down the pipe.
Does anyone want to take any bets as to whether or not we see another
government shutdown when Congress returns from summer vacation over some stupidly petty partisan issue? Would anyone care to speculate over how many times one of the extremists will throw the entire legislature out of whack over some silliness? How often Boehner or McConnell will wind up with egg on their faces, standing in front of the press trying to explain how that we all just saw happen isn't what we all just saw happen? And desperately trying to deflect the blame to Obama?
THAT'S their problem. Trump is a symptom of the disease, but he's not the disease. And sadly, I think the disease is not only incurable, but they embrace their sickness like a crack addict embraces his pipe. They knows it's destroying them, they knows it will eventually kill them, but they just can't put down the pipe.
8
The very first line of the piece is a fantasy: "When America is growing and happy, the country is sort of like a sprinter’s track."
And when exactly did that happen? When has the system ever been fair to minorities, or to the poor, or to women? When were those groups "happy"? When did their attempts to gain equal footing not inspire resentment or even violence from more privileged groups?
Answer: Never. Not then, not now.
The rest of Brooks's column is a bogus construct built upon this faulty premise.
And when exactly did that happen? When has the system ever been fair to minorities, or to the poor, or to women? When were those groups "happy"? When did their attempts to gain equal footing not inspire resentment or even violence from more privileged groups?
Answer: Never. Not then, not now.
The rest of Brooks's column is a bogus construct built upon this faulty premise.
4
His allure is simply that occasionally he happens to tell the precise truth! What all the rest of our lying and politically correct cowards are too frightened or bought-off to say. Although our media 1% have declared it "insensitive" to say that foreign criminals come here - does anyone who remembers anything from middle school history classes not really think/know that for instance Mexico probably sends as many as its criminals north as it can? Mexican intellectuals have written repeatedly that the corrupt Mexican oligarchy ruling class intentionally uses the USA as a "political escape valve". Britain shipped many of its criminals to the Colonies to be indentured servant slaves, or gave them the option of migrating or the hangman's noose. People have been escaping their just punishment in the Old World by bailing out to the New World for centuries. There is no sane or logical reason to believe foreign dumping of criminals here has stopped just because most immigrants are now not white, and so one can be accused of racism if they criticize or find any thing wrong with the status quo of our 1%s orchestrated reckless, anything goes mass immigration.
3
Be clear: Trump's comments about the impact of Barack's performance on "generations" of blacks gaining opportunity is the most insidious perpetuation of racism and inferior stereotyping witnessed since the 1920s.
Its parallels are in speeches from SC senators Tillman and Smith, ("Pitchfork Ben" [who said: 'We of the South have never recognized the right of the negro to govern white men, and we never will. We have never believed him to be equal to the white man,"] and Cotton Ed"), who I have quoted before.
See "A Transparent Racism In The Senate:" [http://wp.me/p1mBVu-3Tb] and the speech "Their Own Hotheadedness": Senator Benjamin R."Pitchfork Ben" Tillman Justifies Violence Against Southern Blacks [http: //bit.ly/1N7PjCB]. These were widely held, open views!
Trump's racism is only second to his insufferable arrogance! Really? "Generations?" All judged the same? This isn't a stereotype, it's a curse and pox upon the blood of Americans, solely due to the judgment of a performance related to skin color!
The judge of a performance related to skin color: He doesn't feel that way about "white American presidents." Bad or poor performances are okay. But for blacks (one) his personal review is to banish him and all others ("never") again for decades, a century, centuries?--I am thinking millennia.
This is a Republican who revels in personal freedom dealing with "us" as a group: the antitheses of freedom and of a society celebrating personal responsibility.
Its parallels are in speeches from SC senators Tillman and Smith, ("Pitchfork Ben" [who said: 'We of the South have never recognized the right of the negro to govern white men, and we never will. We have never believed him to be equal to the white man,"] and Cotton Ed"), who I have quoted before.
See "A Transparent Racism In The Senate:" [http://wp.me/p1mBVu-3Tb] and the speech "Their Own Hotheadedness": Senator Benjamin R."Pitchfork Ben" Tillman Justifies Violence Against Southern Blacks [http: //bit.ly/1N7PjCB]. These were widely held, open views!
Trump's racism is only second to his insufferable arrogance! Really? "Generations?" All judged the same? This isn't a stereotype, it's a curse and pox upon the blood of Americans, solely due to the judgment of a performance related to skin color!
The judge of a performance related to skin color: He doesn't feel that way about "white American presidents." Bad or poor performances are okay. But for blacks (one) his personal review is to banish him and all others ("never") again for decades, a century, centuries?--I am thinking millennia.
This is a Republican who revels in personal freedom dealing with "us" as a group: the antitheses of freedom and of a society celebrating personal responsibility.
17
I agree with your analysis in some ways, but I don't know if racism is really the essence of Brooks' position. I think Brooks is right that it is basically ego and dismissiveness. Americans thirst for someone "decisive" who isn't afraid to shoot from the hip. This is scary because, in my opinion, at least, what we need most of all is someone cautious like Barack Obama. We are going through a perilous time in our history, and the worst thing would be to elect someone who acts without due diligence and caution. We don't need an "egomaniac in chief."
Ted: Agreed. My post simply nails the embedded and destructive racism in Trump's recent statement as a safeguard and alert about the war on civil liberties for Americans Republicans (at least Trump, but others, too!) have placed in groups. Blacks, immigrants, workers, public employees, the elderly, women, youth have seen attempts to marginalize rights at local and federal levels.
My post is a parallel to Brooks. Separate, but connected to an important view of Trump as a whole: what he says on race and where it fits in.
My post is a parallel to Brooks. Separate, but connected to an important view of Trump as a whole: what he says on race and where it fits in.
2
I've been waiting since the sixties for the people in this country to rise up again in mass protests against the corporations and our corrupt government. Maybe it will finally happen if Trump is elected president. Can you imagine a new upgraded society that is much more aware, involved and mature. Mr. Trump for president. However, he may have to flee the country.
2
I think Brooks' analysis of Trump is pretty spot-on. I disagree with his characterization of Bernie Sanders, but otherwise I think his analysis is right.
A good piece of evidence is a close friend of mine. Believe it or not, his great historical hero is Adolf Hitler, though I can hardly believe he would really have fit into Nazi Germany well if he'd lived at that time. But his basic ideology is anger, and, not surprisingly, he supports Donald Trump.
A good piece of evidence is a close friend of mine. Believe it or not, his great historical hero is Adolf Hitler, though I can hardly believe he would really have fit into Nazi Germany well if he'd lived at that time. But his basic ideology is anger, and, not surprisingly, he supports Donald Trump.
3
Why do you hold such a person as a good friend?
Well, I think his Nazism is mostly a fantasy. It's doubtful he would ever really join a Nazi Party. It's basically all about what Brooks says here, an anger-based worldview. As Brooks shows, there is a significant population who just want someone to channel their anger and "shoot from the hip."
DT's undeniable resonance with his fans has forced us to focus on the legitimate role that emotion plays in politics. If Hillary could express just an ounce of the passion that S.C. Rep. Jenny Horne displayed in her Confederate Flag speech a few weeks ago, she would be unbeatable. [Sadly, she - Hillary - seems unable to express strong feeling on that level about anything]. Emotion has a power to convey truth from a speaker to an audience that no amount of reasoned specifying can do. But for it to be legitimate in the political arena it needs to be connected to something of substance, such as taking down a symbol of hate flying over the State Capitol. The self-serving and cynical purpose of using emotion to keep the attention on oneself doesn't qualify.
A danger of emotion and invective, repeated over and over, is that it promotes tone-deafness to reason. It relies on fear and anger to hide the bigger picture. I wonder how many of Trump's acolytes realize that he isn't really speaking to them, or even conscious of who they are? In the off chance he met any one of them personally he would, given his track record, most likely consider them losers or morons. His rant about returning America to its former glory is not about them but about image and dominance on a global stage with the spotlight thrown on Trump. Ideology is supposed to be about what's best for all, or at least most, of us. This is just about him.
A danger of emotion and invective, repeated over and over, is that it promotes tone-deafness to reason. It relies on fear and anger to hide the bigger picture. I wonder how many of Trump's acolytes realize that he isn't really speaking to them, or even conscious of who they are? In the off chance he met any one of them personally he would, given his track record, most likely consider them losers or morons. His rant about returning America to its former glory is not about them but about image and dominance on a global stage with the spotlight thrown on Trump. Ideology is supposed to be about what's best for all, or at least most, of us. This is just about him.
3
"Never before have we experienced a moment with so much public alienation and so much private, assertive and fragile self-esteem."
I would say instead that rarely have Americans been in what they see as so invulnerable a position that they can indulge their infantile rage against their neighbors without fear of reality coming back to bite them.
History tells me they are wrong to think they can get away with this. History also tells me that this "summer of 2001" attitude of obsession with "Shark Week," "Chandra Levy," and now the idiotic reality TV show that is Donald Trump will be blown away by harsh reality sooner than we think.
I would say instead that rarely have Americans been in what they see as so invulnerable a position that they can indulge their infantile rage against their neighbors without fear of reality coming back to bite them.
History tells me they are wrong to think they can get away with this. History also tells me that this "summer of 2001" attitude of obsession with "Shark Week," "Chandra Levy," and now the idiotic reality TV show that is Donald Trump will be blown away by harsh reality sooner than we think.
4
Once again David Brooks in top form: quoting totally irrelevant writers, evoking equally avoidable famous names just to say what exactly? Why doesn't he write a full column about Bernie Sanders and explain why he is not electable the way that he is writing about Trump? I agree with him that Clinton is really not the right candidate to represent the Democratic Party given the inequality in the American society of 2015, financial, racial, cultural and ethnical. There is no Republican candidate out there that is even close to Clinton in addressing all that despite the fact that she is not adequate herself. Mr. Brooks who is a self-proclaimed ethicist and quintessential paragon of intellectual objectivity should try for once to think about what a real candidate to fix our societal ills would sound like. The more he will think about it, the more he will come up with someone who very much sounds like Bernie Sanders and not Jeb Bush whom he is plugging by the method of logical elimination so far.
6
Brooks' comments on Trump supporters are predictably patronizing. After all, he is a member and longtime supporter of the political elite that, many voters feel, have failed this country. Brooks can't be expected to have much sympathy for those who are trying to ride to power using the message that people like him and his pals have no idea what they're doing.
Trump may in reality have no solutions for the problems he is addressing. But one can't blame his supporters for turning away from the political elite because the truth is they have indeed failed us. Brooks can point to no GOP candidate who is offering any solutions to our problems much different from the ones Reagan offered, the very policies that didn't work during the Bush years. What's a pundit to do when he has no serious answers to offer? Try shutting up for a change.
Trump may in reality have no solutions for the problems he is addressing. But one can't blame his supporters for turning away from the political elite because the truth is they have indeed failed us. Brooks can point to no GOP candidate who is offering any solutions to our problems much different from the ones Reagan offered, the very policies that didn't work during the Bush years. What's a pundit to do when he has no serious answers to offer? Try shutting up for a change.
2
Brooks talks about "class conflict" as he if it will begin with the election of Bernie Sanders. In fact, class conflict has be ongoing since St. Ronnie started helping the rich glom onto all the benefits of improved productivity, at the expense of everyone else. Brooks' version of class conflict really involves the latter taking back what is rightfully theirs.
14
I disagree....class conflict is older than the Spartans and their Helots, older than the Republic banishing its poor to the Aventine.... Same as it ever was.
Trump is an illusion. He's whatever we want him to be - truth-teller, mega-billionaire, comedian - you name it and The Donald fills that need. What he isn't is that he isn't publicly minded in the best sense of that term. He has no approach to the problems of our time and yelling "You're fired" at career politicians is not likely to generate much more than laughs. Other than calling the current crop of office holders and candidates names, have you heard one cogent, thought-out position from him. What about the Middle East, what about immigration, what about healthcare and the state of America's growing problem of wealth inequality? I am a Republican and I want to know what his plans are - and none of this secret plan baloney either. Put it our there on the table where we can read it and see it and hear it and make our judgements.
Right now, Donald Trump to me is a self-aggrandizing blowhard who has been bankrupt several times and is the only person I know who has lost money in the gambling business in Vegas and Atlantic City. He is a living, breathing tribute to himself and if he really thinks that he wants to be president then he better start to pay attention to the portion of the world that isn't titled "TRUMP (fill in the blank". Or else take your money and go home.
Right now, Donald Trump to me is a self-aggrandizing blowhard who has been bankrupt several times and is the only person I know who has lost money in the gambling business in Vegas and Atlantic City. He is a living, breathing tribute to himself and if he really thinks that he wants to be president then he better start to pay attention to the portion of the world that isn't titled "TRUMP (fill in the blank". Or else take your money and go home.
4
Your false equivalence between Trump and Sanders rankles. Whatever Sanders calls himself, he has a long hands-on political history, which includes municipal executive and the Congress. Sanders has been involved in legislating, working both sides of the isle, and before that running a city. Trump has no comparable experience. To equate the verbal buffoonery of Trump with the clear policy positions put forth by Sanders, be they left wing or not, is sheer journalistic puffery on your part, and evidence your waters are not running particularly deep today, impassioned or not.
16
I don't support Bernie Sanders, but I am at least confident that he understands the issues and can discuss them intelligently. Donald Trump can't tell the difference between the electoral college and clown college.
2
"In times of scarcity and alienation, it’s more like bumper cars". Yeah, and the Bush Mega Recession of 2008/9 was a demolition derby. But all we got was Sarah Palin from the right in '08. As John Cleese said of his fellow Monty Python Michael Palin, you aren't the funniest Palin anymore! But now...the TP/GOP has Trumped that !!
4
Class warfare is old hat for the GOP. From Reagan’s welfare queens driving Cadillacs to Romney’s 47%, the Republicans have incorporated resentment into their party platform long before The Donald. So what does Trump distinctly bring? A morbid fascination of a person who does not operate by rules and finds he has nothing to lose. Donald “I’m a very smart man” Trump is an anomaly against anyone believing in social niceties. If only Freud’s lifetime had crossed Trump’s, to see the incarnation of all ego and no superego!
4
They believe their superego is the voice of God inside their own heads
5
As the NY Times noted, less than 400 families have financed almost half the 2016 campaign.
Mr. Trump runs on his own nickel, and hence can say whatever he likes without vetting it for approval by the 0.01% holding the purse strings.
Like it or not, many Americans find this appealing
Mr. Trump runs on his own nickel, and hence can say whatever he likes without vetting it for approval by the 0.01% holding the purse strings.
Like it or not, many Americans find this appealing
5
American voters are easily fooled... more than once.
Just imagine. If The Donald were elected President, he could rename our country TRUMP USA. He says that he is going to make America great again. But how? He never talks about policy or solutions in specifics. We're supposed to believe that he's smart and everyone else is stupid. His website has only braggadocio about his poll numbers and a request for donations. He's nothing more than a snake oil salesman. That he continues to trounce the other Republican candidates simply shows they have even less to offer.
6
Hey...anything's better than what we have now.
1
He said how, if you listened to his speeches.
Leave it to David Brooks to both ignore history and cheap shot Bernie Sanders in the same column. Somehow only Bernie is an instigator of class conflict while Mitt Romney’s “47%,” one of the most inflammatory statements about class conflict ever made is already forgotten. Donald Trump may be an amoral narcissist but he did not create the political environment in which he thrives. Remember Nixon’s “Southern Strategy” or his calling anti-war protestors “bums?” Remember George Bush and the Willie Horton ads? Remember Reagan’s mantra that “government is the problem?” These chickens are roosting now. As for Brooks absolutely hyperbolic, “Never before have we experienced a moment with so much public alienation and so much private, assertive and fragile self-esteem,” I suppose the presidential campaigns of George Wallace, Gene McCarthy, Jesse Jackson, Ross Perot, and Ralph Nader are all ancient history, too distant to be remembered as swimmers in Americas oceans of alienation.
8
Mr Brooks writes as if all of America "deeply rooted in the currents of our time" supports him. Interesting that it is only a fringe (ok, a large segment) of the Republican party, supports him and his charade. Pretty sad.
1
Trump's allure is the same as many other demagogues: Bluster, colossal ego, lack of inhibition in expressing and pandering to prejudice and fear, and (above all) offering facile solutions to difficult long-standing problems. Conditions in this country are favorable for demagogues (possibly because Republicans have been laying the foundations for three decades). Ever the opportunist, Trump is now cannily exploiting an opportunity.
5
Why is Trump any different than the rest of the Republican candidates? His status is simply a "reductio ad absurdum" of the current field. It is obvious that the Republicans have adopted the "Clown Theory" of political activity.
3
You are all so sure Trump will never be President?
But that aside let me see if I can decipher what you are saying here. Trump is a product of the times we live in? Because so many Republicans are dissatisfied with their lives and the world around them they were just bound to gravitate to a self absorbed bloviator?
Really? So what you are saying is that Trump is Obama's fault! For it is sure that Obama being twice elected is the only thing the registered Republican has to be unhappy about. In every other way the world is their oyster.
Face it, David, you all brought this on yourselves. It is quite possible that if something unfortunate does happen to Hilary and Bernie is the Democratic candidate that you may well have The Donald as your President.
Then where will we be???
But that aside let me see if I can decipher what you are saying here. Trump is a product of the times we live in? Because so many Republicans are dissatisfied with their lives and the world around them they were just bound to gravitate to a self absorbed bloviator?
Really? So what you are saying is that Trump is Obama's fault! For it is sure that Obama being twice elected is the only thing the registered Republican has to be unhappy about. In every other way the world is their oyster.
Face it, David, you all brought this on yourselves. It is quite possible that if something unfortunate does happen to Hilary and Bernie is the Democratic candidate that you may well have The Donald as your President.
Then where will we be???
6
None of these people should be involved in being in charge of our our country. None of these candidates should be involved in politics. None of these candidates are brilliant enough to set the Unite States of America back on the path to greatness. the late FDR was up to the task in my opinion FDR was brilliant statesman and President. Our country now is a bitter, selfish, backwards , greedy un- united group of conservative States run by people that feed into peoples fears. hate rules the U.S.. Class, wealth, race anger rule the U.S. It is a sad time for our country. No candidate is capable of putting this country on the path to greatness again.
1
I find it amazing how many of the liberals making comments here are sure that they know what is at the core of conservatives beliefs. Yes, I know you think you are smarter and better informed than we are, but you are so mistaken it is not even funny. If you doubt me, google the Pew Study of Political Knowledge and learn some truth.
2
Who does worse on civics tests than the viewers of Rupert Murdoch's boob tube?
5
Trump mentioned the porous border, and amazing he lived through the pundits attacks on him, and the issue got the proper coverage that previously was ignored.
He speaks about loving this country and making it great. and he is a success story, not a community organizer with no real world skills.
And so the attacks by the media occur, because he threatens their cozy relationship to the people who are in power.
He speaks about loving this country and making it great. and he is a success story, not a community organizer with no real world skills.
And so the attacks by the media occur, because he threatens their cozy relationship to the people who are in power.
2
How many times has your "success story" declared bankruptcy? What a great model for solving our problems.
Trump will go away but not before he has badly damaged the Republican brand. He is spouting aloud what many Republicans say in closed circles. The Republican party will be lucky to get 20% of the Hispanic vote in the presidential election after Telemundo and Univision amplify the anti-immigrant hostility of the GOP. The presidential elections are morphing into a single party affair.
2
Yes, in many ways Mr. Trump is not a populist -- in fact, in EVery way he's not a populist. The label dignifies a man whose very limited appeal depends on his indignancies.
And David -- why not write about why you fear a Biden candidacy: he shouldn't run to preserve his legacy? That's weak to the point of suggesting ulterior motivation for the statement.
And David -- why not write about why you fear a Biden candidacy: he shouldn't run to preserve his legacy? That's weak to the point of suggesting ulterior motivation for the statement.
1
It may be that serious Republicans soon throw in the towel and decide that crossing the aisle and "fixing" the Democratic Party is more doable than actually governing from the GOP.
1
Our entire mainstream media misses Trump's biggest issue that he talks about all the time: The others are bought. They will do whatever the donors tell them to do because they have to; they need the money and won't stop needing the money. "Donald Trump can buy and sell every one of these suckers you had on stage last night. He's beholden to no one." - CSPAN caller after the New Hampshire forum that Trump didn't attend.
He went after the ones who went to the Koch Bros. confab last weekend with all the donors that they agreed not to name: Trump called those candidates "Puppets." He went after Kasich being a "managing director" at Lehman Bros., the firm that caused the 2008 crash. The millions in personal money that Kasich got sure looks like a gift. Trump says, "Everyone who gave Jeb and Hillary money has something lined up."
He went after the ones who went to the Koch Bros. confab last weekend with all the donors that they agreed not to name: Trump called those candidates "Puppets." He went after Kasich being a "managing director" at Lehman Bros., the firm that caused the 2008 crash. The millions in personal money that Kasich got sure looks like a gift. Trump says, "Everyone who gave Jeb and Hillary money has something lined up."
2
I'm with you on this one. I think what Trump is doing , calling out the Puppets is exactly why he is running. He doesn't want to be president, he will take himself out when he gets a couple of the puppets tossed out of the race when the Media and serious journalist start asking questions that are about the results of all this "so-called" deep experience and broad qualifications of the puppets. What he is doing is showing us, without any filters and total transparency is how easy it is to buy and sell a democracy with money and marketing. He has even suckered the media, they are just not man enough yet to cry uncle. Maybe that's the scalp he is after!
1
Thank you, Ginger. You hit the nail on the head: With the exception of The Donald, every one of the candidates so far is bought and sold. And that's the real problem-- and tragedy-- facing this country; we are governed by the proxy of the super rich, and will be from now on. And for that sad state of affairs we can thank the Supreme Court for their ruinous "Citizens United" decision.
1
If Trump thinks that our top politicians and their financial backers are stupid, then he would be supremely stupid, but I don't think he really believes what he says. At this point, it's all just hype and self-aggrandizement, which is in its own way pretty smart, for him at least.
1
Who is really capable of being our next President..???
Trump??? ....the showman???....the promoter...of self...of selfishness??
or
Perhaps....someone who has been in Washington D.C....or
Perhaps...someone who has governed a US State..
I think someone who has governed a US State..
Someone whom we can really trust...who has been trusted to govern
US citizens.
Trust...is the key to the 2016 elections...so whom amongst ALL the
runners can be trusted...even if you do not like all their views.
My guess ...is Jeb Bush...
I am an Independent voter...because I have not trusted either the Republicans
or the Democrats..
AND I DO NOT TRUST...TRUMP...OR HILLARY CLINTON....they are all
just self interested politicians...
Trump??? ....the showman???....the promoter...of self...of selfishness??
or
Perhaps....someone who has been in Washington D.C....or
Perhaps...someone who has governed a US State..
I think someone who has governed a US State..
Someone whom we can really trust...who has been trusted to govern
US citizens.
Trust...is the key to the 2016 elections...so whom amongst ALL the
runners can be trusted...even if you do not like all their views.
My guess ...is Jeb Bush...
I am an Independent voter...because I have not trusted either the Republicans
or the Democrats..
AND I DO NOT TRUST...TRUMP...OR HILLARY CLINTON....they are all
just self interested politicians...
1
If Donal Trump becomes the Republican candidate, and, also, if he does and ends up elected President, pray, pray for the well-being and soul of America.
Donald Trump is a dangerous person who will suppress and repress freedom in America. God help us! God help us!
Donald Trump is a dangerous person who will suppress and repress freedom in America. God help us! God help us!
"Confidence in public institutions like schools, banks and churches is near historic lows, according to Gallup. Only 29 percent of Americans think the nation is on the right track, according to Rasmussen."
Banks are public? But anyway..
Hmm. Why is that? Could it be one side of the aisle stokes these resentments and fears? Your beloved Republicans deserve all the shame for making a mockery of public institutions and service.
Republicans, evolved from the know-nothings (actually didn't evolve at all, but more like morphed) have always had this cynical, intolerant view which gets amplified by the media.
Banks are public? But anyway..
Hmm. Why is that? Could it be one side of the aisle stokes these resentments and fears? Your beloved Republicans deserve all the shame for making a mockery of public institutions and service.
Republicans, evolved from the know-nothings (actually didn't evolve at all, but more like morphed) have always had this cynical, intolerant view which gets amplified by the media.
1
Why are we tiptoeing around Trump and his followers and discussing his popularity in a rational manner?
Donald Trump and his followers brag that he says what he thinks and is not politically correct, so let me do the same and say he and his followers are willfully ignorant and resentful, believe that saying they are smart means they are smart, believe that being rich (or saying you are rich) qualifies you for respect and having a big mouth is like having big ideas.
And they do drugs are are rapists.
And probably some of them are good people.
I see no reason to be polite and politically correct about them.
Donald Trump and his followers brag that he says what he thinks and is not politically correct, so let me do the same and say he and his followers are willfully ignorant and resentful, believe that saying they are smart means they are smart, believe that being rich (or saying you are rich) qualifies you for respect and having a big mouth is like having big ideas.
And they do drugs are are rapists.
And probably some of them are good people.
I see no reason to be polite and politically correct about them.
4
I seriously question whether Donald Trump even has an ideology. And, you might even question his business skills. How many Trump-"named", but not owned, casinos, condo developments and other assorted schemes have gone bankrupt--perhaps somewhat due to the cost of tacking his name at the top.
Could you imagine him, as President, appearing at the UN? He would pull a (Soviet Premier) Nikita Khrushchev, taking his show off and banging it on the table. Or on a State Visit to Buckingham Palace, addressing the Queen as Lizzie, and offering to improve the management of the place--sort of like Mitt Romney telling David Cameron how to improve Security at the London Olympics, in 2012.
And for his first State of the Union Address, contrary to tradition, he will appear on a closed-circuit hook-up from his latest duly-named NY Tower so that he would not have to mix with those devilish Mexican-Americans in Congress. Oh yes, the White House would be his vacation home. And yes finally, he would finally convince Palm Beach County to move the municipal airport, so that there would be no more occasional flights over his dilapidated mansion. Oh yes, I can hardly wait!
http://thetruthoncommonsense.com
Could you imagine him, as President, appearing at the UN? He would pull a (Soviet Premier) Nikita Khrushchev, taking his show off and banging it on the table. Or on a State Visit to Buckingham Palace, addressing the Queen as Lizzie, and offering to improve the management of the place--sort of like Mitt Romney telling David Cameron how to improve Security at the London Olympics, in 2012.
And for his first State of the Union Address, contrary to tradition, he will appear on a closed-circuit hook-up from his latest duly-named NY Tower so that he would not have to mix with those devilish Mexican-Americans in Congress. Oh yes, the White House would be his vacation home. And yes finally, he would finally convince Palm Beach County to move the municipal airport, so that there would be no more occasional flights over his dilapidated mansion. Oh yes, I can hardly wait!
http://thetruthoncommonsense.com
1
Mr. Brooks derides those of us (Left AND Right) who correctly see that there is something very wrong with the Politicians For Sale that we have due to Citizen's United.
We on the Left don't have a "vague hunger for fundamental systemic change." We have a *specific* list of demands to help make America work for all Americans, not just multi-national corporations and the uber elite.
Bernie Sanders is the ONLY candidate who has a detailed economic and political plan. It is the rest of the pool that is twisting in the wind, reading the political poll tea leaves, screaming out vague platitudes that mean almost nothing.
Although I disagree with almost everything they say, those on the Right also realize that they've been sold a bill of goods. Unfortunately for them, they don't have a candidate like Bernie Sanders. Instead, they have a Crazy-Mobile filled with xenophobes, homophobes, misogynists, and racists.
And so they coalesce around Trump.
I've been telling the NYT this for years, but Americans have had it with illegal immigration. You can't even sell that garbage here on the NYT Opinion Pages, despite numerous articles per DAY detailing why any illegal should be able to invade any country they want, and it's our fault for not wanting them.
So do Trump's xenophobic rants work? Yep.
The Right are tired of War too. Thus, his anti-McCain rants work
You see: to uneducated people, bought and sold Politicians ARE stupid
The Establishment has failed us, Purposefully
We on the Left don't have a "vague hunger for fundamental systemic change." We have a *specific* list of demands to help make America work for all Americans, not just multi-national corporations and the uber elite.
Bernie Sanders is the ONLY candidate who has a detailed economic and political plan. It is the rest of the pool that is twisting in the wind, reading the political poll tea leaves, screaming out vague platitudes that mean almost nothing.
Although I disagree with almost everything they say, those on the Right also realize that they've been sold a bill of goods. Unfortunately for them, they don't have a candidate like Bernie Sanders. Instead, they have a Crazy-Mobile filled with xenophobes, homophobes, misogynists, and racists.
And so they coalesce around Trump.
I've been telling the NYT this for years, but Americans have had it with illegal immigration. You can't even sell that garbage here on the NYT Opinion Pages, despite numerous articles per DAY detailing why any illegal should be able to invade any country they want, and it's our fault for not wanting them.
So do Trump's xenophobic rants work? Yep.
The Right are tired of War too. Thus, his anti-McCain rants work
You see: to uneducated people, bought and sold Politicians ARE stupid
The Establishment has failed us, Purposefully
1
Bernie's "economic plan" is socialist dogma, the so-called "planned economy" of government ownership of the economy. Socialism as a national economic system has failed in every attempt, returning to regulated free markets and mixed economies. Only when free markets fail have specific applications of government ownership ever succeeded (for example, Bonneville Power Administration, which would never have happened with private capital-- an exception to government ownership, not the rule). Bernie is way out of his depth. He belongs in the shallow end of the pool.
It's impossible to read past this clause: "As Robert H. Wiebe put it in his classic book “The Segmented Society" ...
"The Rights of Man," "The Origin of Species," "War and Peace," "Thank You for Smoking" -- these are classics. "The Segmented Society"? Robert H. Wiebe? Please.
"The Rights of Man," "The Origin of Species," "War and Peace," "Thank You for Smoking" -- these are classics. "The Segmented Society"? Robert H. Wiebe? Please.
1
Trump's alleged appeal is that he "tells it like it is." And apparently to his adherents, he is somehow (despite his billions) "one of us." But surely a man who believes (if he really does) that Barack Obama was born in Kenya or that Mexico is deliberately sending us its undesirables is hardly telling anything "like it is." Instead he is telling it how disaffected and angry Republicans want to believe it is. That, and his sociopathic disregard for any common decency, is part of his allure. But truly to "tell it like it is" is to admit the uneasy specter of nuance and complexity, which is just what the Trumpists least like to hear, and is what the rest of us find in the much more intelligent and nuances Obama.
3
"Confidence in public institutions like schools, banks and churches is near historic lows ..." Say what? Banks are public institutions? Who knew! I guess Brooks must be making a subtle reference to TARP and the bailouts.
1
Whatever the analysis, it will be the highest rated program of the week, and the most talked about.
Trump is a man who has amassed wealth by selling promise but building only imperfection. His construction legacy does not lie. There is little in anything he has ever done of real merit. His buildings are simply 'there' and he has lined his pockets as a money putting them there, he is a virtual architectural cynic.
Take a drive down the West Side Highway past Trump row to see his high flying mediocrity. Where he shines is as a salesman obviously because how on earth anyone has let him keep going through the years is hard to fathom save that he keeps finding more fools to buy into the myth. And that is maybe a form of genius.
He is simply at it again. Selling again. Finding more fools and telling them he will build America back into something secure and magnificent. The scary part in all this being he is talking about a nation now and not another ticky tacky condo high rise.
Take a drive down the West Side Highway past Trump row to see his high flying mediocrity. Where he shines is as a salesman obviously because how on earth anyone has let him keep going through the years is hard to fathom save that he keeps finding more fools to buy into the myth. And that is maybe a form of genius.
He is simply at it again. Selling again. Finding more fools and telling them he will build America back into something secure and magnificent. The scary part in all this being he is talking about a nation now and not another ticky tacky condo high rise.
1
Mr. Brooks, despite your eminently reasonable tone, you're falling into the classic right tactic here of characterizing anyone who wants to talk about poverty and socioeconomic inequality (in this case your dismissal of Bernie Sanders as a "conviction politician comfortable with class conflict") as engendering "class warfare." It's a classic means of shutting down honest discussion and debate about the central anxiety confronting the nation at this time: the closing off to the lower class of opportunities for upward economic mobility and the slow diminution of the middle class as a greater and greater proportion of this nation's wealth shifts into the hands of fewer and fewer individuals. Why can't this country talk honestly about class divisions and the massive structural shifts over the last four decades that have made these divisions more and more obvious? Do you think America is above such a debate? How quaint. The "class warfare" tag seems a grand evasion that serves the interests of commentators such as yourself and the other kind of "conviction politicians" such as the Bushes and Trumps of the world. You and they know very well that as long as America doesn't talk about class, their tribe will continue to prosper and thrive at the expense of everyone else.
2
What is both preposterous and a sad commentary on the state of the nation is that Donald Trump has ANY "allure" in the political arena whatsoever.
2
Maybe those of us native to our other three time-zones could reasonably ask "Are New Yorkers another species?". Just as some French detest Parisians, some of us Americans wonder why there may be a lack of ethics with some New Yorkers; for instance, INS inspectors (today: DHS or ICE) during my 4 months training at Glynco GA indicated that ripping off anyone was common place.
Later, at the Denver INS district, a Brooklynite lied, stole (my pens) and united the Examinations Branch because he lacked ethics.
Furthermore, most of us may not understand why all too many New Yorkers lack civility and good manners. Hence, The Donald surprises no one.
Later, at the Denver INS district, a Brooklynite lied, stole (my pens) and united the Examinations Branch because he lacked ethics.
Furthermore, most of us may not understand why all too many New Yorkers lack civility and good manners. Hence, The Donald surprises no one.
Donald Trump's allure is the same as Rush Limbaugh. People often love to see others get away with the meanness and hatefulness that they feel compelled to hide.
5
Donald Trump's unsavory behavior and self-absorption embodies the republican party and its base. But according to Brooks, Bernie Sanders is just a bumper-sticker, out-of-touch politician without any substance.
Senator Bernie Sanders, is the only candidate in either party speaking about the most important issues of our time and what he would do as president to solve them. Unlike other candidates, Senator Sanders does not rely on talking points and prep sessions from billionaire puppet masters to answer questions from the press.
Regrettably, though, our current print and T.V. media lacks authentic journalism. Their questions to and responses from candidates are more typical of TMZ Q&A sessions. Serious, tough questions and truthful responses are not required in today's corporate-owned media because the thought of calling out a candidate for lying would offend him or her, who in turn might opt out of any future appearances on the show. Who cares! I am tired of seeing politicians lying through the teeth while journalists and reporters gobble it up like candy.
Our country can reclaim its greatness once again if the Fairness Doctrine policy is reconstituted. We can only hope.
Senator Bernie Sanders, is the only candidate in either party speaking about the most important issues of our time and what he would do as president to solve them. Unlike other candidates, Senator Sanders does not rely on talking points and prep sessions from billionaire puppet masters to answer questions from the press.
Regrettably, though, our current print and T.V. media lacks authentic journalism. Their questions to and responses from candidates are more typical of TMZ Q&A sessions. Serious, tough questions and truthful responses are not required in today's corporate-owned media because the thought of calling out a candidate for lying would offend him or her, who in turn might opt out of any future appearances on the show. Who cares! I am tired of seeing politicians lying through the teeth while journalists and reporters gobble it up like candy.
Our country can reclaim its greatness once again if the Fairness Doctrine policy is reconstituted. We can only hope.
4
In our less thoughtful moments, we would all like to believe that there are simple solutions to complex problems. We also would like to believe that a single person, wrapped in the power and authority of the Presidency, could tackle and solve these complex problems. This "rudimentary" state of mind also would like to believe that "bravado" matters.
But, thankfully, we come to our senses and understand that our very complex world would best be served by a leader who understands complex matters and the processes needed to solve difficult problems.
In his world, one might argue that Mr. Trump has been well-served by his modus operandi - unfortunately, thinking (or assuming) that it translates to successful political leadership is a mistake we, as a nation, cannot afford to make.
But, thankfully, we come to our senses and understand that our very complex world would best be served by a leader who understands complex matters and the processes needed to solve difficult problems.
In his world, one might argue that Mr. Trump has been well-served by his modus operandi - unfortunately, thinking (or assuming) that it translates to successful political leadership is a mistake we, as a nation, cannot afford to make.
2
We have a journalist class that seems content to allow those in the news to define themselves rather than be examined in the cold clear light of day.
When a republican says something about President Obama the press lets that opinion stand, whether it is backed up with fact or not.
We are a nation in decline because one half of our political family is convinced that our government is always wrong and they then do whatever possible to turn that ideology into reality. They do this by ensuring that government doesn't work when they have the controls of it.
That is the political party that Brooks shills for.
Until journalists decide it is more important to tell the public the truth than to cultivate sources and flatter the powerful for access we will continue to be a nation in decline.
When a republican says something about President Obama the press lets that opinion stand, whether it is backed up with fact or not.
We are a nation in decline because one half of our political family is convinced that our government is always wrong and they then do whatever possible to turn that ideology into reality. They do this by ensuring that government doesn't work when they have the controls of it.
That is the political party that Brooks shills for.
Until journalists decide it is more important to tell the public the truth than to cultivate sources and flatter the powerful for access we will continue to be a nation in decline.
3
We, the voters are politically ignorant, naive and stupid. The GOP voters love the rich and the super rich people love Koch brothers, Adelson, Trump . More over Trump is a reality TV star and we people are crazy about TV stars. Then rest of the GOP presidential candidates are not impressive and have no charisma and the establishment Republicans are proven" all talk do nothing " leaders (look at the congress). So Trump is the 'trump' for Republican voters. This Trump phenomena prove the Republican party is intellectually and morally bankrupt. Bernie Sanders is intelligent and man of conviction but not electable in today's America. Support for him proves that the Democratic voters stand on high moral ground.
3
We are not weird, we are educated, and we are disgusted. Don't be so sure Mr. Trump will not be our next President.
5
Democrats must prevail.
1
The thought of voting for Donald Trump brings to my mind a cartoon where one caveman says to another, "I taught her to talk. What harm can it do?", which, in turn, immediately causes me to wonder why I am posting this comment.
2
Strip away the xenophobia and narcissistic bombast and you're only left with a toupee. Trump inherited privilege and wealth from father Fred, and has gone on to leverage numerous declared bankruptcies to stay afloat. Not exactly presidential material, never mind the oxygen he sucks out of the room. That anyone admires him as a candidate says more about the apathy and ignorance of voters.
4
Trump only serves to frustrate me as he always has. To say that "he is deeply rooted in the currents of our time", well who isn't? So what. He's a blow hard, who is wealthy enough to buy anything, or any wife he wants. He does not come close to represent any of the values or ideals I hold dear as a citizen of this country. As a certifiable oaf he knows no nuance, which is necessary to negotiate the delicate of our country and the world. He must have some brains to have accumulated all his wealth, but wealth does not equate intelligence. He is a distraction at best. A side show, or in New York speak, a side dish, and not very tasty. Those who may support him will no doubt be voting against their best interests.
1
The less you actually think about a problem, the more sure you can be about its solution. Donald Trump gains supporters because he is confident in his opinions, and confidence in America is freighted with all sorts of associations of power, strength, attractiveness, even if it slides into full-blown narcissism, as is the case with The Donald. Many people who have been buffeted around by life, and who may, therefore, not feel very confident of where they are and where they're going, might look on in admiration at a figure like Trump, who must be doing something right because he believes in himself so utterly. And there is no more influential denomination in this pious land than the Church of Self-Love. Needless to say, such admiration thrives best under limited exposure, and so as the campaign wears on, and Trump bloviates at campaign stop after campaign stop, and the essential emptiness of his approach (Basically, the phrase "Trust me!" shouted into the void over and over again) is revealed, some of those once-dreaded "career politicians" might start have a newly added luster in the eyes of the frustrated masses.
1
The public expects too much from the President. Most of the issues we feel disenfranchised on stem from a dysfunctional Congress. We just feel like we can't change Congress one person at a time. More Donald Trumps shaking up House and Senate races would do more to change the system.
2
Mr Brooks is on to something, but fails to learn the obvious but subtle history lesson some comments sense. To underestimate Trump is to risk everything.
Has it occurred to you that Trump might be right? That our leaders simply are not bright enough to solve the problems before them? I'm not saying Trump is bright enough, of course. His own career shows plenty of mistakes.
Looking at the disasters of the past ten or fifteen years in this country, one sees two possibilities. The first is that Trump is correct. Leaders like Bush and Obama and leaders in Congress keep making bad decisions because they simply aren't up to the challenges of this era.
The other possibility is that they understand what they're doing will not work but they do it anyway because they believe this is what will get them reelected. One of the reasons for many of the problems with Obamacare is that difficult decisions that had to be made were put on hold until after the 2012 election. After that they had to be made and implemented in a short time frame. The same thing could be said for the war in Afghanistan. Obama surely knows that what we are doing will not defeat the Taliban and bring lasting security to that country. He is not willing to ask our country to make the sacrifices necessary to win, so he is "playing not to lose" instead. One could say the same about many of the decisions of the Bush and Obama presidencies. They made sense politically, but in no other way.
Looking at the disasters of the past ten or fifteen years in this country, one sees two possibilities. The first is that Trump is correct. Leaders like Bush and Obama and leaders in Congress keep making bad decisions because they simply aren't up to the challenges of this era.
The other possibility is that they understand what they're doing will not work but they do it anyway because they believe this is what will get them reelected. One of the reasons for many of the problems with Obamacare is that difficult decisions that had to be made were put on hold until after the 2012 election. After that they had to be made and implemented in a short time frame. The same thing could be said for the war in Afghanistan. Obama surely knows that what we are doing will not defeat the Taliban and bring lasting security to that country. He is not willing to ask our country to make the sacrifices necessary to win, so he is "playing not to lose" instead. One could say the same about many of the decisions of the Bush and Obama presidencies. They made sense politically, but in no other way.
Interesting. This article about Donald Trump, and an article by Professor Freeman about the long history of political idiocy in America. It is reassuring that the Trump phenomenon is not new, and that thankfully he is Republican. An egotistical, idiotic Republican ... Trump, Christie, Walker, Huckabee, Cruze, Perry ...
That GOP Big Tent? Carnival side show, with Trump the main attraction as carnival barker, the rest just clowns and jugglers in the freak show.
That GOP Big Tent? Carnival side show, with Trump the main attraction as carnival barker, the rest just clowns and jugglers in the freak show.
2
Trump, and Bernie Sanders are symptoms of our frustration with our government. The real disease is the right and lefts unwillingness to understand they could be wrong.
David Brooks writes: "He’s (Sen. Sander's) a conviction politician comfortable with class conflict."
Why is it that the haves call fairness and a correction of the last 50 years of economic and tax policies a class conflict?
Why is it that the haves call fairness and a correction of the last 50 years of economic and tax policies a class conflict?
4
Because it works! Divide and conquer.
The amazing thing about Donald Trump is he IS the problem. People like him at the head of major corporations buying politicians are the reason we're in the mess we are in. He's arrogant, self-absorbed, entitled and really, let's just be honest, not very bright. But what he doesn't have in world skills, he makes up for in sheer belligerence.
And I can't help but imagine the people who flock to him are very unsophisticated and don't have a view of the reality we face as a people and as a nation.
You may say anything you like about Barack Obama but only a fool would suggest he is dumb. He's probably one of the brightest Presidents we've had in the last 70 years.
And I can't help but imagine the people who flock to him are very unsophisticated and don't have a view of the reality we face as a people and as a nation.
You may say anything you like about Barack Obama but only a fool would suggest he is dumb. He's probably one of the brightest Presidents we've had in the last 70 years.
7
"Never before have we experienced a moment with so much public alienation and so much private, assertive and fragile self-esteem."
Really? Seriously? Give me a break. David needs to get out more. It's not the mid-90's, but we are so much better off than we have been in the last dozen years. Unless your frame of reference is a constant ride on the pre-millenialist claptrap wheel, you would recognize this as the fatuous turn of phrase that it so transparently is. And that, in reality, is the Republicans' problems. They have to convince the country that it's headed down a bad path to regain power. And that's tough to do when people's daily experience, and the statistics, tell such a different story.
Really? Seriously? Give me a break. David needs to get out more. It's not the mid-90's, but we are so much better off than we have been in the last dozen years. Unless your frame of reference is a constant ride on the pre-millenialist claptrap wheel, you would recognize this as the fatuous turn of phrase that it so transparently is. And that, in reality, is the Republicans' problems. They have to convince the country that it's headed down a bad path to regain power. And that's tough to do when people's daily experience, and the statistics, tell such a different story.
4
Donald Trump is just another Republican candidate spouting ridiculous political tripe to get media attention. His allure is that he is a professional self-promoter/entertainer and so is much better at getting attention and applause than other Republicans.
Ridiculous tripe designed to trigger emotions, draw reactions and get attention. Seems similar to what you do in your column Mr. Brooks, but without the intellectual veneer.
To me Trump's allure is that he's a lot of fun and very entertaining, demonstrating in the extreme what the Republican party has become.
Ridiculous tripe designed to trigger emotions, draw reactions and get attention. Seems similar to what you do in your column Mr. Brooks, but without the intellectual veneer.
To me Trump's allure is that he's a lot of fun and very entertaining, demonstrating in the extreme what the Republican party has become.
1
Trump the buffoon's opposite is Obama the intellectual. Must we judge by those labels? I think not. I worry that one superbly qualified candidate, Hillary Clinton, will be defeated long before the election because of that offence -- a serious one -- of keeping classified material beyond her legal timeline. The choices then would be Jim Webb, Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden, none of whom have the ability to bring together a whole political party as do several of the Republican candidates. As a left-leaning Democrat I think I am seeing right now the probability of a Republican in the next White House. It could be Trump, but I doubt he will bring the party together. One of the other little men running will be the dubious winner because .. he will pick a female running mate. That will finally be the deciding factor in the 2016 presidential election.
1
"less educated than the average Republican"
Got my money's worth today.
A thought as vast and imponderable as the cosmos.
Got my money's worth today.
A thought as vast and imponderable as the cosmos.
2
Could the Trump allure be, "He can't be bought?" Now that's a fearful thought for those who work on K Street and those in Congress who depend on "hand outs" from those lobbyists.
2
The comments of the pundits. tv and press, on trump are appalling. The focus is on his attacks on others- and the chatter assumes he was a business success.
CHECK THE FACTS. His Dad started him with $200 million. He invested it in business after business that went broke or bankrupt- mostly with other people's money. He then got into tv, where he was a successful promoter- (you're fired!). With his new persona, he was able to sell his name to builders of towers, golf courses etc. Made a lot of money selling his name.
Fine. But what about any of this qualifies him to be President???
NOTHING. What is going on???
CHECK THE FACTS. His Dad started him with $200 million. He invested it in business after business that went broke or bankrupt- mostly with other people's money. He then got into tv, where he was a successful promoter- (you're fired!). With his new persona, he was able to sell his name to builders of towers, golf courses etc. Made a lot of money selling his name.
Fine. But what about any of this qualifies him to be President???
NOTHING. What is going on???
4
Perhaps it is time to acknowledge that the "ruling class" with its focus groups, groveling for money, patronage and constant lies to voters has brought our once great country to a point of great peril both at home and abroad. Perhaps it is time to seek our leaders from somewhere other than the political class. Is that person Donald Trump? I do not know but given how things have been going, we could do worse. Like Obama or Hillary.
1
The Donald got his money the old fashioned way: he inherited it. Admittedly, he took the silver spoon that was in his mouth when he was born and turned it into a shovel; but let's not forget that he used it to dig himself into a financial hole (viz. The Taj Mahal Casino). Yes, Mr. Trump, that brought you to the brink of personal bankruptcy. The other three bankruptcies only involved corporate moneys, but still - they WERE Chapter 11 filings.
4
I think the Trump phenomenon can be explained in marketing terms: At the moment he has by far most brand awareness (everybody knows him) and distribution (in all the media). Bush is a brand too of course, and ultimately benefits from all the other candidates struggling to get visibility/awareness (at least, if Trump eventually starts fading away due to "quality issues" shall we say).
1
The fact that he's leading the other GOP candidates in the polls is more a reflection of their weaknesses than it is of his "strengths".
5
Donald Trump is turning the GOP primary into a virtual reality survival show. The popularity of these shows in America explains why his brand of brazen confrontation, boasting, and shallow rhetorical abuse of every competitor resonates so well with our TV addicted populace. It is showmanship in the mode of PJ Barnum's famous statement, " another sucker is born very minute." It is the pleasure principal in action. "Thrill me with pleasure and you have my attention."
4
As a former Navy officer and decorated VN veteran, I was offended by Trump's comments regarding John McCain's service, and I still am. That alone ought to have put me off him as a candidate, particularly since he offered no apology, which I thought was owed to all of the nation's veterans, a group in which Trump is not numbered. Whether, or not, those comments will eventually hurt him remains to be seen. However, like Dems who forgive all of Hillary's sins, Republicans seem to be looking further into what he says, and concerning themselves less with how he says it. There are things about him that resonate with disaffected voters who are sick to death of politicians, their stock answers and lies. Trump is funding his own campaign. How can that fail to appeal to Dems who forever have complained about the Koch brothers' influence? He thinks he can solve all of the nations' problems. But, so did Obama, and he fell well short of that goal. Some of Trump's ideas resonate, others, not. But, is that any different from any of the others? We'll see where this all goes. I am a moderate who still isn't happy with his treatment of McCain. But, does anyone ever win a mouth fight? I do believe Trump is over-rating his Latino support. You do not insult a macho personality and expect forgiveness while acting like the lord of the manor. I'm on the fence, which the debates should resolve. But, I could never vote for a Clinton, a socialist or a used VP, nice as he may be, all of them over 70.
3
I find it nonsensical to say that "some of Trump's ideas resonate". Which ones?
1
When I listen to Trump insult people -- he thinks McCain is a loser for having been captured?!? -- I ask myself whether his words were due to a brain spasm or whether he really despises the people he's just p*ssed on. In this case, I think it's the latter. I am flabbergasted that his popularity didn't disappear after he insulted McCain.
By way of contrast, I thought it was silly that people lit into Obama for saying the US has 57 states (or whatever), and it was silly that people trashed Sarah Palin for making a couple of historical errors.
To me, it's more important to stick around a bit and see if the person retracts words that were -- at best -- poorly chosen. Trump doubles-down on the insults. There's nothing presidential about him. He's a buffoon.
By way of contrast, I thought it was silly that people lit into Obama for saying the US has 57 states (or whatever), and it was silly that people trashed Sarah Palin for making a couple of historical errors.
To me, it's more important to stick around a bit and see if the person retracts words that were -- at best -- poorly chosen. Trump doubles-down on the insults. There's nothing presidential about him. He's a buffoon.
1
I wish some bright person on Wall Street would do us laymen as well as the media a big favor and spell out how much Trump COULD have made with his father's money in investments that wouldn't have led him to declare 7 bankruptcies. That is the curtain that needs to be pulled back to expose the Wizard of Oz for what he is, a charlatan.
5
I am scratching my head as to how Trump's net worth went up 10 fold while the DOW went up 30 fold in the same time. How did Trump destroy so much of what his father left him?
Well he inherited around 200 million dollars and his net worth is between 1 and 4 billion dollars. Bankruptcy or not he did pretty well for himself. However, he was also bailed out by the banks in 1990 allowing his business to continue.
What does David Brooks mean when he says that Biden will ruin his reputation if he runs for President?
5
Thanks David, I think you hit the mark. Historically, many dictators in countries attained leadership by appealing to emotional, alienated voters? How does one educate the electorate in such important areas as fact checking, critical thinking, and careful decision making. The school systems (K-12) plus colleges usually provide such intellectual goals as their reason for being. Yet sober analysis, scientific reasoning, and taking time to get it right, seem in short supply. How do we get the grown ups in the country to be heard? President Obama appears to be the careful reasoning leader we need, not the emotional ego driven Donald.
4
Brooks fails to mention that Trump represents the heart, soul, and mentality of the Republican Party.
5
He does not, sir. I am a Republican, and he is anathema to me.
Donald Trump is a reality TV star and has a certain appeal to Honey Boo-Boo America. Sadly, the uneducated and intellectually vacant encompass more of our society than the liberal elite of the East/West coast(s) realize or care to admit.
3
Trump has 2 things going for him - 1. he's the "angry man", a loud, bellicose person with the microphone expressing the frustration and anger boiling over out in the real world, 2. and he is a creation of TV. now more than ever the public is informed (or led) by marketers and programmers. they have grown up
learning what coffee to buy or shows to watch, the lines between reality and entertainment have been erased by TV, hence The Donald. His trip will end sooner rather than later, the public will tire of the circus and get serious about a real leader. but for now he is just what the ratings needed.
learning what coffee to buy or shows to watch, the lines between reality and entertainment have been erased by TV, hence The Donald. His trip will end sooner rather than later, the public will tire of the circus and get serious about a real leader. but for now he is just what the ratings needed.
1
The Kochs aren't going to like this at all and the last thing we need is the Kochs madder than they already are.
After all the money they've spent trying to make Walker and Rubio look half intelligent and almost sane along comes a crazy and dummy who's stealing the spotlight. I'd be mad too.
After all the money they've spent trying to make Walker and Rubio look half intelligent and almost sane along comes a crazy and dummy who's stealing the spotlight. I'd be mad too.
3
Eighty years ago there was a term for what Trump is doing right now with his posturing and denigrating, it was called "Triumph of The Will." Trump is, by his own silly behavior, presuming that he is the vessel through which the will of the disaffected masses is expressed and will be translated into action.
2
People in this country are "alienated" (a term Brooks loves) because they choose to be, either willingly or unwillingly. Most people don't vote, and only slightly more pay attention to politics and/or current events.
Instead of paying attention, and supporting candidates who might help them, most people sit back, watch TV, and scream and yell when they realize that their costs of living continuously increases while their earnings decrease due to corporate power.
Anyone with a bit of charisma can stoke their anger and focus it at the easiest yet least effective targets: the poor, minorities, immigrants, public servants, etc.
Instead of paying attention, and supporting candidates who might help them, most people sit back, watch TV, and scream and yell when they realize that their costs of living continuously increases while their earnings decrease due to corporate power.
Anyone with a bit of charisma can stoke their anger and focus it at the easiest yet least effective targets: the poor, minorities, immigrants, public servants, etc.
6
It amazes me how conservatives spend years building institutions that foster rhetoric about the incompetence of government and the wantoness of the poor and underclass who only seek to suckle at the teat of government seeking to bleed the working class through income taxation to win elections and then when faced with the real backlash consequences in the form of the Tea Party, Ted Cruz and the likes of Donald Trump they cite how terrible things must be in the country for people to believe as they do. People have little confidence in government because conservatives have spent the last 35 years or more telling them how incompetent government is and behaving as such when they were in control. If working class people believe that the poor and Brown people are the cause of their plight, it is because that is what conservatives have been preaching incessantly. Yes Mr. Brooks, The Donald does appeal to a constituent, one that conservatives have inadvertently cultivated with their divide and conquer strategy to win elections. There's a saying. You reap what you sow.
9
Unlike the Kochs and other billionaire backers, Mr. Trump is a step ahead. Why buy an unreliable government official when you can eliminate the middle man and run for office yourself? Isn't this the American Way -- government that runs on private money?
4
Consider Donald Trump as the anti-Katniss Everdeen. Mr. Brooks focuses on the economic angst of our time, but there is also rampant anxiety about the decline of a traditional male role and the ascension of an assertive female identity. Into this disquietude strides the uber aggressive Donald, with his appeal to the bygone days when men were dominant. He is a cartoon of a not-so-golden era, but with the prevalent unease about gender roles, he is a captivating caricature for many.
1
He is caricature of himself, nothing more.
trump's contribution to the primary contest will be acting as the starter in a race (to the bottom) or as the mechanical rabbit in a dog race or pace car in the indy 500. he will uncover in most of the other GOP candidates that they share of his disdain for the poor, immigrants and evidence based thought as they try to catch up with him rather than try to disavow the racism and ignorance that he represents.
long may he prosper!
long may he prosper!
3
The Republican Party has been co-opted by the religious right and the
Tea Party. There is no place for moderates who are labelled RINO's. Fueled by Fox pseudo-news propaganda, and financed by corporate donors, what we once knew as the fiscally conservative GOP is a haven for racism, anti-women's rights, anti-voter's rights and pro-gun enthusiasm. Thus Trump, thus Huckabee, thus Cruz..these candidates represent the right wing extremist thinking of the Republican Party whose national approval rating has dropped to all-time lows.
Tea Party. There is no place for moderates who are labelled RINO's. Fueled by Fox pseudo-news propaganda, and financed by corporate donors, what we once knew as the fiscally conservative GOP is a haven for racism, anti-women's rights, anti-voter's rights and pro-gun enthusiasm. Thus Trump, thus Huckabee, thus Cruz..these candidates represent the right wing extremist thinking of the Republican Party whose national approval rating has dropped to all-time lows.
3
David Brooks has gleefully elicited outraged responses from NYT readers who target Trump instead of appreciating Trump’s no holds barred criticism of our current political system and candidates:
About Scott Walker, darling of the Koch brothers "You know, Wisconsin has got tremendous problems."
About Rick Perry, in the last debates who couldn’t remember the government agencies he wanted to dismantle, “He should be forced to take an IQ test before being allowed to enter the GOP debate".
About Jeb Bush who can’t explain away the disaster of the last Bush presidency, “an unhappy person”.
Best of all, Trump has emerged as the new Ross Perot, pointing out that he’s the only candidate who isn’t required to kowtow to the Koch brothers, that is, is not completely bought and paid for which resonates with many voters. By exposing the above candidates and others as being weak and shallow puppets of a handful of oligarchs he has done a great service and which necessitates a skillfully crafted attack from the Talented Mr. Brooks.
About Scott Walker, darling of the Koch brothers "You know, Wisconsin has got tremendous problems."
About Rick Perry, in the last debates who couldn’t remember the government agencies he wanted to dismantle, “He should be forced to take an IQ test before being allowed to enter the GOP debate".
About Jeb Bush who can’t explain away the disaster of the last Bush presidency, “an unhappy person”.
Best of all, Trump has emerged as the new Ross Perot, pointing out that he’s the only candidate who isn’t required to kowtow to the Koch brothers, that is, is not completely bought and paid for which resonates with many voters. By exposing the above candidates and others as being weak and shallow puppets of a handful of oligarchs he has done a great service and which necessitates a skillfully crafted attack from the Talented Mr. Brooks.
2
Trump is a self-proclaimed anti-Hispanic racist. Do you think he is suitable to be President of all the people.. shocking if you really do
1
Is Mr. Brooks suggesting that Donald Trump is more equipped to run for president during this age of alienation than Joe Biden? Out of respect of Mr. Brooks usual level-headedness, I'll assume that he is simply suggesting that Trump's style is more aligned with the moment than Biden's; however, I cannot read this sentence about Biden--"He’s a wonderful man and a great public servant, but he should not run for president this year, for the sake of his long-term reputation."--without comprehending that Mr. Brooks believes Trump is a better candidate than Biden as he says nothing to denounce the darker aspects of Trump's candidacy.
I sure hope Mr. Brooks doesn't believe Donald Trump is a better candidate for president than Joe Biden. If he does, I will have lost an awful lot of respect for his judgment.
I sure hope Mr. Brooks doesn't believe Donald Trump is a better candidate for president than Joe Biden. If he does, I will have lost an awful lot of respect for his judgment.
2
Some Americans like trip because he gores the oxen they hate like the media, mealy mouthed politicians, illegal immigrants, etc.
The bigger question is why do many have disdain for him. It's not, as his promoters suggest, because we are scared of him; it's this:
Trump runs a company and he makes decisions and choices among a small group of people, then announces the outcome of those decisions to employees. Those employees have no way to check whether what Trump is saying is true or not, because they were not at the high level meetings. He can lie to them, trick them, etc, with no one to call him on it.
He then goes into the public sphere and assumes his pronouncements on policy have no way to be fact checked, like his internal business decisions. Of course they do, and the braying voices are screaming this at him to no avail. When Trump says something about public policy, it's easy to prove him wrong and demonstrate his statements are nonsensical. That's why he looks like such a buffoon to most Americans. And he can't figure it out or does not care.
The bigger question is why do many have disdain for him. It's not, as his promoters suggest, because we are scared of him; it's this:
Trump runs a company and he makes decisions and choices among a small group of people, then announces the outcome of those decisions to employees. Those employees have no way to check whether what Trump is saying is true or not, because they were not at the high level meetings. He can lie to them, trick them, etc, with no one to call him on it.
He then goes into the public sphere and assumes his pronouncements on policy have no way to be fact checked, like his internal business decisions. Of course they do, and the braying voices are screaming this at him to no avail. When Trump says something about public policy, it's easy to prove him wrong and demonstrate his statements are nonsensical. That's why he looks like such a buffoon to most Americans. And he can't figure it out or does not care.
2
"Unlike past populisms he’s not especially rural or urban, ethnic based or class based. He draws people as individuals, not groups."
If I'm not mistaken, that was also true of Ross Perot in 1992. And, despite his personal oddities, undeveloped positions, the unmitigated loathing of the media and his dropping out of the race at one point, he got 19 % of the vote. Hope Trump self-destructs faster than he did.
If I'm not mistaken, that was also true of Ross Perot in 1992. And, despite his personal oddities, undeveloped positions, the unmitigated loathing of the media and his dropping out of the race at one point, he got 19 % of the vote. Hope Trump self-destructs faster than he did.
1
Early in the political process, people are one-issue voters. They coalesce behind the candidate who they think best represents their one issue. This as true for Sanders as it is for Trump. If fighting illegal immigration, reducing the number of illegal immigrants within our borders, and limiting immigration to legal immigration from the four corners of the earth is one's key issue, then Trump is your candidate. Sanders would get something done on income inequality, and Trump, for all his bombast, would get something done on immigration.
1
Outstanding observation of The Donald. Aside from the flash, he is doing all of the candidates a great favor by putting their feet to the fire. Mind you, he is not doing it as a favor, but he is showing that he does not fear anything. Fear itself? We know what that is. In the recent past, we have seen Republican candidates all raise their hands about whether or not they believed in climate change, in creationism, etc. Most of them are simply afraid to stand for something that may set them apart from the voting base they perceive as locked into a checklist. The Donald simply does not look at things in lock-step, and his numbers rise. Get it other candidates? Stand up for yourself. You have nothing to fear but fear itself. You too Hillary!
2
His allure? Many Americans like rich, obnoxious loudmouths. He makes it seem ok to be loud and obnoxious. Psst... It is ok only if you are super rich.
2
Comparing Trump with Bernie Sanders is a feat of either astonishing stupidity or intellectual dishonesty.
It's likely to be the latter, since Brooks is no fool. However, it would be nice if he at least acknowledged that Sanders is a thinker, while Trump is a boor.
That they both appear on bumper stickers really has no bearing on the matter.
It's likely to be the latter, since Brooks is no fool. However, it would be nice if he at least acknowledged that Sanders is a thinker, while Trump is a boor.
That they both appear on bumper stickers really has no bearing on the matter.
11
Trump's one consistent promise so far has been to "make America great again." People admire him because he is hugely rich, loud, rude, in your face and totally unapologetic about anything he says or does--in fond recollection, just like America used to be.
3
Amidst David’s recent focus on the importance of character, humility, and gratitude, I had been wondering if he would demonstrate the courage to take on Donald Trump directly for lacking such qualities. David has now done so, and I think he did a highly effective job in his analysis.
1
Sorry, David. Trump is a moron with a very loud voice. He was born rich and grew his fortune in a very friendly real estate market. He got very,very lucky in a number of ways and isn't smart enough or humble enough to recognize it. He is a world-class boor. His arrogance and ego-infused bloviating are obnoxious and embarrassing. Anyone that thinks he is Presidential material is an idiot. Let's cut the crap and tell it like it is, David.
20
Comparing Bernie Sanders to Trump is specious: Sanders has a consistent core set of beliefs and has worked within the system to promote change, not merely self aggrandize. Another note, Mr. Brooks: not one poll among Democrats has Sanders leading the field.
7
"He won’t be president..."
David, you have more faith in the American electorate than I do.
Just a few weeks ago the consensus of the pundits was that he would never run. Then they opined that after his remarks re McCain and immigrants he would sink like a stone. Didn't happen. His popularity with the GOP voter just grows.
His obtaining the republican nomination is a distinct possibility. If so there is enough anti-Hillary sentiment in the country to make the general election a toss up. God help us.
David, you have more faith in the American electorate than I do.
Just a few weeks ago the consensus of the pundits was that he would never run. Then they opined that after his remarks re McCain and immigrants he would sink like a stone. Didn't happen. His popularity with the GOP voter just grows.
His obtaining the republican nomination is a distinct possibility. If so there is enough anti-Hillary sentiment in the country to make the general election a toss up. God help us.
5
What's missing from this analysis is how Trump has been aided and abetted by mainstream Republican leaders, many of whom have kissed his ring over the years. Not one of them called him a "buffoon" or a "clown" (let alone a racist, which he is) when he was proclaiming that Obama was a secret Kenyan Muslim, although they knew better. The Republicans have themselves to blame for creating this monster who is now devouring them.
14
Trump could very well be the leader we need to get us back on the best track for success! The proof will be in the election. As we can see, the last elected president was not!
A leader is someone who knows how to get all the fish to want to swim in the same direction. Donald Trump is many things, but a leader isn't one of them.
1
The last elected president was eminently successful, achieving almost all of his goals, and making the buffoons who opposed all of them, look like even bigger buffoons. A feat that most of us would have thought impossible.
1
I long for the days when politicians for high office didn't make one squirm with embarrassment... Curtis LeMay and Barry Goldwater may have been scary and extreme (in a Dr. Strangelove kind of way) but they weren't buffoons.
6
Competence...or the appearance of it? Well, family connections apparently got him into Wharton; left him with millions to begin, not to mention all of the connections. And yet he is no stranger to bankruptcy. I do not begrudge him his money. But he has never run for anything.
Lyndon Johnson (who doubled his income every year from 1941 to 1968, and should know something about amassing wealth), thought that if you were going to run for the highest office in the land, you ought to at least have run for sheriff. Our system is built on checks and balances for which compromise is a necessity; not the whim of an overfed tycoon who just demands stuff. He needs to run a third world country if he wants to do that.
Lyndon Johnson (who doubled his income every year from 1941 to 1968, and should know something about amassing wealth), thought that if you were going to run for the highest office in the land, you ought to at least have run for sheriff. Our system is built on checks and balances for which compromise is a necessity; not the whim of an overfed tycoon who just demands stuff. He needs to run a third world country if he wants to do that.
8
First time I've heard populism defined quite that way, David. The new populists (Trump's supporters), "believe that neither the rich or the poor have to play by the same rules they do."
You may be on to something: The alignment, for the first time in US political history, of the working middle class not only against liberals or conservatives; but newly against the rich and poor.
Go, The Donald.!
You may be on to something: The alignment, for the first time in US political history, of the working middle class not only against liberals or conservatives; but newly against the rich and poor.
Go, The Donald.!
Nowhere in this piece does Brooks indicate where Trump's rise to the top of the heap comes from: a right-wing media that encourages xenophobia and wealth-worship, and the so-called moderates like Mr. Brooks who work so hard to produce utterly ridiculous false equivalences between Trump and Bernie Sanders.
10
many Americans resent not being able to express overtly racist
and narrow - minded sentiments. Trump gives voice to their
repressed bigotry and paranoia.
and narrow - minded sentiments. Trump gives voice to their
repressed bigotry and paranoia.
6
Forget these "debates" that are soundbite worthless. Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders should do their version of Vidal/Buckley on a weekly basis.
Would keep them in the race . I'd even pay to watch it. Talk about Entertainment.
Would keep them in the race . I'd even pay to watch it. Talk about Entertainment.
5
How one longs for a Vidal/Buckley debate. But alas, there is no William F Buckley to be found among the cartoonish buffoons in the GOP primary.
It looks like Brooks missed the fact that Lippman's quote was intended to be prescriptive. The idea that the owners and managers of the country want to convey is that we shouldn't trouble ourselves with the inner workings of economic and foreign policy. We should trust our leaders, sober and responsible men of vision who understand what's best for us.
Our only duty is to vote periodically for one or the other faction of the political class and then return to our main role as consumers - "spectator democracy" is an apt description.
The problem is, the post-war wealth-generating engine that created the anomaly of a large thriving middle class in a capitalist system is sputtering, and the wealthy are no longer feeling in a generous mood. It is time for the public to return to their level of existence of the late 1800s to early 1900s: poor, unrepresented, without labor organizations to provide a modicum of economic justice.
The questions that remain are, how sheepish will the public remain as their new role becomes clear, and what sort of shepherds might come along to save the day, and what baggage will they be carrying.
Our only duty is to vote periodically for one or the other faction of the political class and then return to our main role as consumers - "spectator democracy" is an apt description.
The problem is, the post-war wealth-generating engine that created the anomaly of a large thriving middle class in a capitalist system is sputtering, and the wealthy are no longer feeling in a generous mood. It is time for the public to return to their level of existence of the late 1800s to early 1900s: poor, unrepresented, without labor organizations to provide a modicum of economic justice.
The questions that remain are, how sheepish will the public remain as their new role becomes clear, and what sort of shepherds might come along to save the day, and what baggage will they be carrying.
7
You nailed it!!
I have a slightly different theory. Trump is doing well because our political system is well and truly broken. Our political parties have become tribes, our electoral system -- thanks to Citizen's United -- is open to the highest bidders, and people see that Congress can no longer govern. When a stubborn and entrenched minority have the power to block any significant legislation, parliamentary democracy stops working. And when that happens, people start looking for a "strong man" who can "cut through the red tape" and "get things done." In 1992, they looked to Ross Perot; in 2015, they are looking -- implausibly enough -- at Donald Trump. But strong men are ultimately the death of every democracy. Hopefully we aren't there yet.
8
My sentiments exactly. The emergence of blatant bigotry is a bellwether of fascism.
Americans have reason to fear their freedoms. Consider how the fear and paranoia of 9/11 resulted in the surging of the National Security State, rendition, and torture.
The best antidote to a further lurch to the right is to not let government use your fear to manipulate you....as it has already done with Bush/Cheney.
Americans have reason to fear their freedoms. Consider how the fear and paranoia of 9/11 resulted in the surging of the National Security State, rendition, and torture.
The best antidote to a further lurch to the right is to not let government use your fear to manipulate you....as it has already done with Bush/Cheney.
1
So yet one more conservative pundit describes in precise detail what Trump thinks and why large numbers of Republicans support him. I will say that Brooks, Balz, and Cilizza have opinions that must be taken seriously. However, none of them give serious consideration to a much simpler explanation. The one thing other than self-love that Trump has been consistent about is his racism and his anti-immigrant views. Some of the other candidates will say something careful and in code. When pressed they say they were misinterpreted. When Trump is pressed, he doubles down. Perhaps he is the current leader because a substantial number of Republicans consider that to be what they care about most.
I hope I am wrong, but when all these worthy pundits write page after page of opinion and barely mention this, it becomes the elephant in the room (no pun intended).
I hope I am wrong, but when all these worthy pundits write page after page of opinion and barely mention this, it becomes the elephant in the room (no pun intended).
8
I don't see much of a difference between Trump and the other Republican hopefuls, or even with Saint Ronnie. He is only more successful than the other clowns have been in attracting potential voters. Bernie Sanders is a real Democrat; he is where the Democratic Party should have been all along instead of pandering to the monied interests and ignoring the needs of many of us. A Trump-Sanders election would be a defining moment for America.
13
A man with an enormous amount of money, a famous name, a television show, and a life spent in front of view public is running for President.
You overlay an analysis, in the Brooksian style, dividing people into groups and blocks. "The cultural elites start feuding with the financial elites. The lower middle class starts feuding with the poor."
This is part of your essay method, one that simplifies and organizes, explains and clarifies.
Except that it doesn't.
Mr. Trump has hit it big by slamming and defaming Mexicans. This is what he is most famous for. His views on Mexicans are now the Trump running platform. And his ignorance of every national or international complexity can be reduced to a soundbite: they're all idiots.
This "candidate" is as qualified for the Presidency as a rat is to sail a Navy warship. And if this human vermin, who made money erecting glass towers and firing contestants on reality TV wins, we will surely drown in a vast toilet of national decline.
You overlay an analysis, in the Brooksian style, dividing people into groups and blocks. "The cultural elites start feuding with the financial elites. The lower middle class starts feuding with the poor."
This is part of your essay method, one that simplifies and organizes, explains and clarifies.
Except that it doesn't.
Mr. Trump has hit it big by slamming and defaming Mexicans. This is what he is most famous for. His views on Mexicans are now the Trump running platform. And his ignorance of every national or international complexity can be reduced to a soundbite: they're all idiots.
This "candidate" is as qualified for the Presidency as a rat is to sail a Navy warship. And if this human vermin, who made money erecting glass towers and firing contestants on reality TV wins, we will surely drown in a vast toilet of national decline.
20
No one, absolutely no one, in politics or journalism is publicly speaking about long ignored flagrant conflicts of interest which have allowed power brokers to destroy our society. Their legacy is economic uncertainty and social instability, and the path to removing their influence is once again stripping large media ownership from titans of large industries, who've proved to be the most damaging conflict of interest of all!
7
Obama thinks he could win a third term if he were allowed to run. If only he could. I don't think the republicans would be putting up with their freak show of a primary if they had to face off with O. Even Trump, and especially Trump would recognize a losing quest from the get go. And a word on Biden: if we are looking for a leader who can work with Congress, I think his record as senator is near unbeatable. His prescience and courage on social issues (he is the one who got O over the gay marriage hump) are remarkable, his humanity is genuine and openly offered to mend any aching heart, and his foreign policy credentials are real and make Hillary look like the shallow poseur she frankly is. The fact that Hillary just is not a leader does not seem to register with the political punditry, but that is what one instinctively goes for when looking to elect a near plenipotentiary president for four years. That lack of leadership quality is why Kerry lost against W, even in the face of clear evidence of a disastrous presidency by the latter... Which brings us full circle, Trump is pompous and therefore does not have true leadership qualities in him. That is why he will not win, in either primary or presidential elections.
7
To me, the allure of Donald Trump is similar to the allure of shooting endangered species such as lions, leopards and elephants. It is a negative allure so revolting as to be almost beyond comprehension.
11
Amazing how our valid enemies are sitting back, watching America’s self destruction. Our disorder is on display for all, between Fox and Rush championing polarization and resentment , we have the NRA insuring military weapons for the deranged (for a price, of course) Our congress cares little for the future or well being of the population, but only the corporate funding for the next fixed election. We focus on military funding as an illusion of safety when our disorder provides comfort for the enemy. We are in big trouble and we are doing to ourselves.
13
"He won’t be president, but he’s not an aberration. He is deeply rooted in the currents of our time."
The angry regressive rabble have always been there and always will!
The key difference is that we now have a national news network with a right wing political agenda unrestrained by any fairness and balance dictates of the FCC in news coverage.
Fox News is a powerful ultra conservative propaganda machine which inflames and validates the worst instincts of a large percentage of Americans and when enhanced by the religious loonies and the conspiracy ridden blogosphere and social media we have the perfect storm for uniting misinformation and the misinformed.
The angry regressive rabble have always been there and always will!
The key difference is that we now have a national news network with a right wing political agenda unrestrained by any fairness and balance dictates of the FCC in news coverage.
Fox News is a powerful ultra conservative propaganda machine which inflames and validates the worst instincts of a large percentage of Americans and when enhanced by the religious loonies and the conspiracy ridden blogosphere and social media we have the perfect storm for uniting misinformation and the misinformed.
26
Trump succeeds because citizens are weary of the lies and promises of politics in a fractured nation. They know that Jeb Bush will do little for anyone, and they know that Hillary's speeches are only contrived. They realize it just does not matter anymore, the game is rigged, columnists analyze, pollsters predict, lobbyist waddle, politicians are bought, and nothing is going to change except the very rich will get richer. So they clap for Trump, he represents reality and he has been on TV.
2
I wouldn't be so quick to declare that The Donald can't win the Rep. primary and go on to beat the Dem's candidate. As mentioned, and this is critical, Trump can stand on a stage and more than hold his own against Clinton, Sanders et al with his intriguingly leftist positions on issues such as healthcare and personal freedoms. He's on the record as stating that universal healthcare is the most sensible way to go.
If he begins to polish his speeches, Trump could become an astonishing crossover candidate. Imagine if he chose a left-of-center politician or businessperson as Veep.
This isn't over.
If he begins to polish his speeches, Trump could become an astonishing crossover candidate. Imagine if he chose a left-of-center politician or businessperson as Veep.
This isn't over.
3
Trump is the problem, not the solution. His outlandish statements are political theater, nothing more. As to public alienation, when it is apparent to the least educated public that the monied interests control the debate, the election, and the elected officials who are inoculated with a virulent form of Potomac fever the minute they are elected so they will not make a decision that would affect the monied interests, that is the cause. Only 29 percent of Americans think the nation is on the right track (71% on the wrong track), according to Rasmussen and the super majority of what drives that wrong track opinion comes from conservatives, even when they control the judiciary, the House, the Senate and the majority of the states.
6
You're right, Tom. If the Republicans win the White House in 2016 to control all branches of the federal government, they will campaign in 2020 on the same theme that the country is on the wrong track. And, the same angry people will rally around them -- skimping on their rent money to re-elect the same oligarchs.
I think the answer to David's question is much simpler than his agonizing rational.
Some time ago Kenji Yoshino (Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Constitutional Law at New York University School of Law) was interviewed on NPR about the SCOTUS marriage equality decision, and one point he raised was that a friend was upset with the fact that only 64% of Americans supported marriage equality, not 100%. Prof. Yoshino's reply to his friend was that 16% of Americans are strongly opposed to inter-racial marriage, the (unspoken) implication that 16% are unreachably and unrepentantly ignorant.
This number seems to track reasonably well with Trump's support.
Some time ago Kenji Yoshino (Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Constitutional Law at New York University School of Law) was interviewed on NPR about the SCOTUS marriage equality decision, and one point he raised was that a friend was upset with the fact that only 64% of Americans supported marriage equality, not 100%. Prof. Yoshino's reply to his friend was that 16% of Americans are strongly opposed to inter-racial marriage, the (unspoken) implication that 16% are unreachably and unrepentantly ignorant.
This number seems to track reasonably well with Trump's support.
6
For those readers who wish a deeper, non-verbal understanding of Mr. Trump I suggest they turn the pages of the most recent New Yorker and look at all the small ( about one inch sq.) caricatures they have done of the Donald....covering his many facets.
4
Trump "is deeply rooted in the currents of our time" which seem oblivious to the things like mixed metaphors.
5
Good catch, Miss Grimley, but so what? Would that mixed metaphors were our biggest problem.
Allure? TV-generated! Look what TV revenues have done to education with football dollars. Politics has followed down that breathless road. When I first came to America, candidates' managers were expected to say that campaign really begins after Labor Day. We are now 13 months from that Labor Day.
Of course, the print and e-media are dragged along in the slipstream of TV. Where would they all be without Donald? Writing about Jeb?
Of course, the print and e-media are dragged along in the slipstream of TV. Where would they all be without Donald? Writing about Jeb?
2
This ridiculous drama of Mr. Trump will hopefully wake up the slumbering and doubting democrats and republicans to
go to the polls and vote again to put a rational person in the White House.
go to the polls and vote again to put a rational person in the White House.
2
Whether you like the picture or not, this article is right on target, an exceptionally good analysis of the moment -- which is always Brooks' great strength. The quote from Lippmann is particularly apropos.
For his own sake Biden should not run; but HRC does need some serious competition to sharpen her skills and positions.
For his own sake Biden should not run; but HRC does need some serious competition to sharpen her skills and positions.
Ego as ideology? When have be become such a country of hypocrites? Do we prefer a man who says he wants to make the country better (Trump) or someone who says will run for his son, Beau? (Biden).
Other than this, I salute the NYT for finally running an opinion piece where they acknowledge Donald Trump's allure in this campaign. Better late than never.
Other than this, I salute the NYT for finally running an opinion piece where they acknowledge Donald Trump's allure in this campaign. Better late than never.
Uhmmm - says he wants to make the country better - HOW?
I live in WI. and by gosh, I swear, didn't you mean to use Walker in the title? He is a lifelong politician hired by and created by Conservative Millionaires/Billionaire Foundations and Super Pacs. Donald Trump is as self created billionaire calling out those who have settled for "working for billionaires". he shows us how easy it has been to buy and sell our political system to the top. it's all marketing, speech is money and money is speech.
2
The Donald is not "self made", Dad was Real Estate Big as well. The Donald has made millions into billions but no simple country lad with a dream is he.
Brooks is an elitist beholden to the ruling class, so naturally he hates Trump, who is rich but not part of the ruling class oligarchy.
1
Members of the Real Estate industry are the ruling class of NYC.
Trump is the star of his own "reality" show. His popularity only shows how shallow Americans have become.
1
Oddly, Trump might make a pretty descent president as he has so much money he would not need super pacs and corporate money. In other words he could not be bought and manipulated like a puppet. He would also say some outragious things and keep America laughing.
For now I am just hoping the VP throws his hat in the ring. He seems the most like me of all the candidates.
For now I am just hoping the VP throws his hat in the ring. He seems the most like me of all the candidates.
I think you may not be considering all the qualifications we NEED to have for a President. One of those qualifications is the ability to put together a top-notch administration and to distinguish between appointees who will update and staff their departments with honest, hardworking, and knowledgeable people.
The Trump bankruptcies would argue that The Donald doesn't have the talent to do that. Think about this; he's taken other people's money and lost it. Or perhaps your apparent misspelled word, "descent" is exactly what you meant. A President who could complete the descent of our country into the abyss of the middle ages, socially.
The Trump bankruptcies would argue that The Donald doesn't have the talent to do that. Think about this; he's taken other people's money and lost it. Or perhaps your apparent misspelled word, "descent" is exactly what you meant. A President who could complete the descent of our country into the abyss of the middle ages, socially.
David Brooks and Donald Trump are both saying the same basic thing.
Over there! Look over there!
Trump depends on anger and envy when he screams and points and tells you how important he is because he knows what direction to point. David Brooks just wants to divert collective attention away from the likes of Bernie Sanders (and Joe Biden, and yes, even Hillary Clinton) so that Donald Trump can succeed in diverting our attention away from legitimate discussion of actual problems like infrastructure and education.
Nice try guys. Trump is like a shiny noise maker that grabs the attention of a toddler for a few minutes. There's a lot of toddler mentality in what's left of the Republican Party, but it's not enough to save the Republican Party from itself in the long run.
Over there! Look over there!
Trump depends on anger and envy when he screams and points and tells you how important he is because he knows what direction to point. David Brooks just wants to divert collective attention away from the likes of Bernie Sanders (and Joe Biden, and yes, even Hillary Clinton) so that Donald Trump can succeed in diverting our attention away from legitimate discussion of actual problems like infrastructure and education.
Nice try guys. Trump is like a shiny noise maker that grabs the attention of a toddler for a few minutes. There's a lot of toddler mentality in what's left of the Republican Party, but it's not enough to save the Republican Party from itself in the long run.
4
I see an opinion piece purporting to enlighten us about "the Donald" while at the same time trashing Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden, the potential "anti-Hillary" choices. I am not amused.
While I would not stoop to name calling I would implore Mr. Brooks not to keep minimizing the needs of the real working class- a societal group he is singularly unqualified to speak about due to abject cluelessness.
While I would not stoop to name calling I would implore Mr. Brooks not to keep minimizing the needs of the real working class- a societal group he is singularly unqualified to speak about due to abject cluelessness.
5
Lol, I'm sure Mr. Trump thinks you're a moron as well Mr Brooks. I would not want a president whose many businesses have declared bankruptcy in the past. Bombastic talk is cheap, actions speak. He may boast that he's a rich and successful man, a real winner, but the reality of it is that he's a lousy businessman, a looser if you take into account his failures. What's more upsetting is that people think he's a valid candidate, very scary...
6
The political, media, and financial elites of this country have no idea of the contempt in which they're held by so many. This is why they're befuddled by the surging popularity of Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump.
5
Not so fast, David. He may well be our next president.
2
No, he won't. Period.
A man with wild hair
thinks he has all the answers
and is Donald Trump
thinks he has all the answers
and is Donald Trump
1
It's only fitting that in this year of presidential selection by millionaire donors and the always compliant media circus that along comes Donald Trump. While other candidates try and convoke potential voters that they believe in Christian faith, lower taxes and smaller government, Trump simply believes in himself.
At least this ego maniac is honest. He doesn't really care about anyone but himself. Does he lie like the other politician's? Of course, but he's so outrageous with his lies that it's as if we're all on the set of the Apprentice and everyone knows all this exaggeration is just for ratings.
How about a combination that blow the lid off of the entire political establishment? Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders on the same ticket?
At least this ego maniac is honest. He doesn't really care about anyone but himself. Does he lie like the other politician's? Of course, but he's so outrageous with his lies that it's as if we're all on the set of the Apprentice and everyone knows all this exaggeration is just for ratings.
How about a combination that blow the lid off of the entire political establishment? Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders on the same ticket?
3
Low-information, marginally educated voters who mistake confidence for competence are a reminder of the ancient Greek philosophers, who were alarmed at how easily ignorant voters would be mislead by dishonest politicians. I realize dishonest politician seems an oxymoron, but it's really those who are most ideological that we should fear. Their intellectual dishonesty is monumental, yet appeals greatly to those who are most conservative and represent the Republican base.
Those who don't recognize that Trump is a serial narcissist are fools. There are, unfortunately, far too many of them.
Eclectic Pragmatist — http://eclectic-pragmatist.tumblr.com/
Eclectic Pragmatist — https://medium.com/eclectic-pragmatism
Those who don't recognize that Trump is a serial narcissist are fools. There are, unfortunately, far too many of them.
Eclectic Pragmatist — http://eclectic-pragmatist.tumblr.com/
Eclectic Pragmatist — https://medium.com/eclectic-pragmatism
6
"Giant shrimp" is an oxymoron; "dishonest politician" is a pleonasm. Donald Trump is an abomination.
What a wonderfully irrelevant dodge of what Trump is really about. A deliberately fuzzy lens is used here, filled with generalities but no sharp focus, to deflect from the fact that that Trump is stating unvarnished core Republican principles. One only need study George Wallace to see where Trump is coming from and what he's tapped into. Despite Trump not being the cleverest guy, he's smart enough to know where the red meat is. Trump has positioned himself as a populist champion of White working class America. No small trick for a big money elitist, repeatedly having gone bankrupt, and touting a Manhattan pedigree. Trump doesn't care about alienating many Americans, his followers adore him because he delivers pure Republican Party rhetoric. Trump's followers hate the idea of collectivism so divisive rhetoric is appealing. White working class Republicans have suffered a huge job losses. Trump's wealth is possible since the working class is being bled dry and he and his ilk get every drop, but a Republican counter-narrative that Trump earned this money and is a job creator controls. (It was the premise of his show). Trump's misdirection, lays all the blame on Latinos instead of the culpable parties. Republicans are only trying to muzzle Trump because he's not using coded language. Trump uses plain language to bask in the ugliness of the Republican platform and what Republican candidates have been saying ever since the Southern Strategy was developed over a half century ago.
52
George Wallace was never a Republican. He was a Democrat and then an Independent, but never, never, a Republican. Try including some actual facts in the narrative that you wish to propagate about what you think is going on in your political opponent's heads.
You can't be serious? Did I actually need to state what everyone but you seems to know and acknowledge? Of course Wallace was a Southern Democrat; because of Reconstruction, there were virtually no Southern Republicans at the time. Wallace rhetoric led to his being shunned by the Democratic party, which is why he became an Independent. You act as if President John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy never detested Wallace nor were forced to order the U.S. Army's 2nd Infantry Division from Ft. Benning, Georgia to enforce the racial integration of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa because of Wallace. You conveniently forget that Wallace attempted to prevent the enrollment of black students at University of Alabama on June 11, 1963 by standing in front of Foster Auditorium and blocking it, and that In September 1963, Wallace attempted to stop four black students from enrolling in four separate elementary schools in Huntsville. Wallace was embraced by the Republican Party, most specifically by Nixon, who realized the potential of Wallace's populist rhetoric and used it to create the Southern Strategy. Being from Alabama you had to have known all of this, so you saying I've failed to support my thesis is preposterous. It must be uncomfortable to own Wallace; but he's yours. The Democrats didn't want him, but the Republicans did and they've run with his rhetoric ever since. Trump is simply channeling Wallace; it's mainline Republican rhetoric.
Trump "is deeply rooted in the currents of our time."
Indeed he is. And that 'current' is the nation's addiction to what has become one great reality show.
Who better than the reality show master to display the arrogance of ignorance and get away with it to his loving fans.
Let's just hope it is a short season.
Indeed he is. And that 'current' is the nation's addiction to what has become one great reality show.
Who better than the reality show master to display the arrogance of ignorance and get away with it to his loving fans.
Let's just hope it is a short season.
2
Trump's principle strength maybe too obvious to see: he makes it easy for reporters, producers, pundits, to fill time and space. For the gatekeepers the absence of substance is a plus. ("He has no policy", far easier than actually reading and analyzing a policy.) Last time around, like Aztec kings, Bachman, then Cain, then Santorum, et al. filled this need in series.
2
if trump appeals to those who feel alienated because their needs are not being heard or met, and the rich do not play "by the same rules" as they do; why would they trust a billionaire who has a history of not playing by the rules that most are required to follow?
The documentary exposing his history of flaunting the rules, his disregard for the working poor and blue collar workers, and his racial bigotry, which was suppressed by Trump in the 80s , now available online, might give some of his ardent followers pause.
The documentary exposing his history of flaunting the rules, his disregard for the working poor and blue collar workers, and his racial bigotry, which was suppressed by Trump in the 80s , now available online, might give some of his ardent followers pause.
2
Business trashed the American economy in 2007-08. The Obama administration has been working for years to stop the bleeding. Now, the political process is toying with the idea of electing someone with a background in "branding" and "reality television."
Yep. That is American Exceptionalism.
Yep. That is American Exceptionalism.
7
i believe the unholy alliance between Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (GSEs) that was government driven combined with a suspension of risk created the crash of 2007. If it was just business, the risk would have been priced into the business appropriately but the disconnect is when government and business toy around with the normal markets.
The Donald is way ahead of the rest of the clown car in the polls because there is nobody there qualified to be President, let alone be a good President. I cannot wait for the debate on Thursday because it will showcase how the GOP cannot govern in the Legislature now and how their nominee (whomever it is) will certainly flush the country down the proverbial toilet.
2
The people are indeed speaking in response to Trump and through him. Mr. Brooks has his key message just right: many see our "political leaders" as uniformly self seeking bumblers, not even held to the minimal standards of competence enforced on most ordinary ('middle class') people in their jobs and lives. It is fascinating to watch said leaders squirm and dance to avoid listening, mostly by calling Trump names.
2
As succinctly as I can put it: Trump, if President, will be unable to keep himself from trashing the leaders of our ally nations the way he trashes his "fellow" Republicans and pretty much every one else as well.
I leave the result to your imagination.
I leave the result to your imagination.
4
My word! All the sophistry around explaining the Trump phenomenon. Why do we mystify the obvious? The reason for Trump is simple: He's like the 4 year old boy who loudly passes gas in a room full of adults. Most people laugh out of embarrassment, a few because they truly think it's funny. The 4 year old hears the laughter and thinks that that is what people want so he keeps doing it every chance he gets. pretty soon almost everyone stops laughing and leaves because its just childish and stupid. There will always be a few morons who stay.So it will go with Trump.
7
Our society is a truly satirical fiction and Trump's rising spotlight looks like Joseph Heller or Tom Wolfe is having sport with us in a lazy swipe. Ross Perot was the last billionaire trickster to send up the electoral apparatus but synthetic orange hair adorning the world's greatest narcissist delivers greater circus entertainment.
3
Donald Trump appeals to conservatives with their authoritarian personalities. They want and need to be told what to do by someone who is better/smarter/richer than they. Donald is richer than most and certainly willing to tell us all what to do.
5
Donald Trump brings out and gives voice to the crudest, loudest, noisiest, inner thoughts that some Americans (mostly white) hold within. He is simply expressing it for them. It's all the hush hush coded dog whistle talk that people haven't had the opportunity to air.
9
"Hillary Clinton may win through sheer determination, but she’s not a natural fit for this moment... Bernie Sanders is swimming with the tide. He’s a conviction politician comfortable with class conflict. Many people on the left have a generalized, vague hunger for fundamental systemic change or at least the atmospherics of radical change."
Really? The latest polls for the 2016 Democratic Presidential Nomination have Hillary Clinton at 51-59% support which is between 29-38% higher than her next closest rival, Mr. Sanders*.
Sorry Mr. Brooks, but you are drawing false parallels between the Republican and Democratic races. The Democratic candidates are all experienced, competent politicians with real policies and real ideas. The Republican slate is all over the map and Mr. Trump is ahead by about 10% in the latest polls. Why? Not because the electorate is anxious but because the Republican candidates timidly equivocate while Mr. Trump barks out the uncensored version of the Republican Party platform. He speaks to the base that the GOP has been cultivating for the past decade. He is not "deeply rooted in the currents of our time," he is deeply rooted in the currents of your party.
*http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/us/2016_democrati...
Really? The latest polls for the 2016 Democratic Presidential Nomination have Hillary Clinton at 51-59% support which is between 29-38% higher than her next closest rival, Mr. Sanders*.
Sorry Mr. Brooks, but you are drawing false parallels between the Republican and Democratic races. The Democratic candidates are all experienced, competent politicians with real policies and real ideas. The Republican slate is all over the map and Mr. Trump is ahead by about 10% in the latest polls. Why? Not because the electorate is anxious but because the Republican candidates timidly equivocate while Mr. Trump barks out the uncensored version of the Republican Party platform. He speaks to the base that the GOP has been cultivating for the past decade. He is not "deeply rooted in the currents of our time," he is deeply rooted in the currents of your party.
*http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/us/2016_democrati...
17
The politics of running for President of the United States of America is all about human hubris, ego and arrogance. Those politicians who win their party's nomination and then an election to that are imbued with the wisdom of turning their candidacy into victory.
1
Trump continues to use his media interviews as informercials, ignoring questions about specifics--like how he'll take jobs away from China, Japan, how he'll make Mexico pay for the wall, how he'll fix the VA problems--answering instead with exaggerations about the crowds who come to see him, his wealth and how he'll win the Latino vote. The media keeps letting him get away with it--either due to intimidation or fear he won't come back for another interview. The debate format doesn't lend itself to specific solutions. I'm expecting a competition battle of Obama bashing.
4
I'm sure someone else has said this, but the reason DT is popular is because 95% of the males in this country want to be him. Let's face it, he spends however much he wants, is surrounded by beautiful women, does whatever he wants. It is escapism for the American Male, just like James Bond movies.
Popular culture is subversive. The movies and TV shows that we watch cater to our fantasizes: youth, beauty, and money. People equate DT with these "qualities." Critical analysis such as provided by Gore Vidal is long gone. DT is the poster boy for new America.
Popular culture is subversive. The movies and TV shows that we watch cater to our fantasizes: youth, beauty, and money. People equate DT with these "qualities." Critical analysis such as provided by Gore Vidal is long gone. DT is the poster boy for new America.
4
"A career establishment figure like Joe Biden doesn’t stand a chance. He’s a wonderful man and a great public servant, but he should not run for president this year, for the sake of his long-term reputation."
This is the best endorsement for a Biden run so far. Clearly David is worried about him running against one of the clowns from the GOP clown car. Therefore, I say, "Go Joe."
This is the best endorsement for a Biden run so far. Clearly David is worried about him running against one of the clowns from the GOP clown car. Therefore, I say, "Go Joe."
3
After watching the Republican presidential candidates on C-Span last night maybe Trump is right, our leaders are stupid.
1
In addition to a monumental ego, It seems to me that Trump is going to be te smartest guy on the debate stage. I am discounting the brilliant surgeon, Dr. Carson because he is an incompetent politician. In addition to having some "school smarts" (just ask him) he has the kind of "street smarts" that enable him to play the other candidates and a large number of "the base" like a cheap fiddle. Even the considerable, if somewhat provincial, political skills of Scott Walker don't hold a candle to Trump's who has been playing them out on an international stage for years. Don't underestimate The Donald. BTW, I am NOT a fan, and will vote forbany Democrat over any Republican in the race.
2
Yes, Ego as Ideology. And we've had 8 years of that with Obama.
3
Really?
Well, Obama is not ideological, that is the case. So his personality probably is somewhat congruent with his political outlook. And he has a healthy ego, there can be no doubt.
But the key word there is "healthy." Obama is clearly a confident human being, comfortable in his own skin. He is willing to engage others and listen to their points of view before making decisions.
Trump by contrast is clearly a thin-skinned blowhard egomaniac whose expressed views (birtherism e.g.) are frankly evidence either of mental illness or extreme cynicism.
Two more opposite human beings could not be imagined. Between them, like a healthy majority of Americans, I choose Obama. He's not perfect, but he's not insane, and he has done a lot of good.
Well, Obama is not ideological, that is the case. So his personality probably is somewhat congruent with his political outlook. And he has a healthy ego, there can be no doubt.
But the key word there is "healthy." Obama is clearly a confident human being, comfortable in his own skin. He is willing to engage others and listen to their points of view before making decisions.
Trump by contrast is clearly a thin-skinned blowhard egomaniac whose expressed views (birtherism e.g.) are frankly evidence either of mental illness or extreme cynicism.
Two more opposite human beings could not be imagined. Between them, like a healthy majority of Americans, I choose Obama. He's not perfect, but he's not insane, and he has done a lot of good.
1
@Gametime68
If Obama is ego-driven ideology, then you must think presidents should be seen and not heard. (If only GWB understood that!) Either that, or you think a college education makes you into a latter-day Socrates.
If Obama is ego-driven ideology, then you must think presidents should be seen and not heard. (If only GWB understood that!) Either that, or you think a college education makes you into a latter-day Socrates.
Yes, Mr. Brooks, the country is not in the perfect place but if Trump is, as you argue, is a product of the times (bad times it is), isn't it fair to ask that you could have written this when Bush Jr. was running for the second time? In the same token when Trump said:
“How stupid are our leaders? Our president doesn’t have a clue, we have people [the leadership class] that are stupid.”
shouldn't that fit more during the Bush presidency?
“How stupid are our leaders? Our president doesn’t have a clue, we have people [the leadership class] that are stupid.”
shouldn't that fit more during the Bush presidency?
How absurd. Trump's appeal is the same as a pile-up on the freeway. His interest is gleaned only from the rubber-neckers. The Republican party deserves him as its nominee.
4
Trump is the ball in the pinball machine. Right now, he's hitting the scoring pegs, but eventually he'll go down the hole.
4
Arrogance and ignorance are a deadly combination. Trump's arrogance coupled with the ignorance of his followers is bewildering and frightening. For God's sake we're talking about the Presidency of the United States not the next Captain Kangaroo!
1
“We have people that are stupid,” he observed of the leadership class. In other words, it’s not that our problems are unsolvable or even hard. It’s not that we’re potentially a nation in decline. The problem is that we don’t have a leadership class as smart, competent, tough and successful as Donald Trump."
On Sunday Comedy Central ran a special of Daily Show clips. On one of the clips a congressman on the science committee when asked about the oceans rising do to global warming stated "if an ice cube melts in your glass of water your glass does not overflow, so where is the proof"
Score another one for The Donald. The media on both sides try to paint him as a buffoon. Put Trump in a room with all the other candidates and to coin a phrase he is "the smartest guy in the room".
On Sunday Comedy Central ran a special of Daily Show clips. On one of the clips a congressman on the science committee when asked about the oceans rising do to global warming stated "if an ice cube melts in your glass of water your glass does not overflow, so where is the proof"
Score another one for The Donald. The media on both sides try to paint him as a buffoon. Put Trump in a room with all the other candidates and to coin a phrase he is "the smartest guy in the room".
As Judge Judy would say, "baloney, Mr. Brooks..." This is decades in the coming. Trump is merely vocalizing exactly what the republicans have been breeding for decades. Republicans questioned John Kerry's military credentials and they have insinuated as much racial toned (I'm being kind here) rhetoric as Mr. Trump now does (see: Richard Nixon's White House tapes as one who didn't hold back in private). From the John Birch Society to Senator Joe McCarthy, republican ideals have led to a logical embodiment in Trump.
4
I think the comedian Lewis Black has it right about Trump. Google his 2012 rant about His Hairness on The Daily Show, not only for a laugh, but a scary possibility about what our ignorant populace might actually believe since nothing else has seemed to work.
He is deeply rooted in the currents of our time.
-----------
David,
Read that again. How can one be "deeply rooted" in a "current"?
Something's gonna shake loose...
Trump appeals to those who object to the bought-and-sold politicians doing the bidding of the professional lobbyists. If he cleans house in Washington, he could indeed be our next President.
(Most Americans would love to see media know-it-all's like Mr. Brooks squirm, and silence the Jonathon Grubers of the world who collect their money being so contemptuous of the American people.)
-----------
David,
Read that again. How can one be "deeply rooted" in a "current"?
Something's gonna shake loose...
Trump appeals to those who object to the bought-and-sold politicians doing the bidding of the professional lobbyists. If he cleans house in Washington, he could indeed be our next President.
(Most Americans would love to see media know-it-all's like Mr. Brooks squirm, and silence the Jonathon Grubers of the world who collect their money being so contemptuous of the American people.)
4
"The problem is that we don’t have a leadership class as smart, competent, tough and successful as Donald Trump."
On the Democrat side, that may be true, but amongst the Republicans' big field of candidates it's obvious there are plenty of smart, competent, tough and successful contenders. With respect to Mr. Brooks, I don't think that's an issue.
I think what conservative voters are most seeking today is a candidate they feel is truly on their side -- one who agrees with them that the path to a happy and prosperous America is the same one they believe in. Talking and working across the aisle is fine and to be encouraged...but we're tired of Democrat Lite.
On the Democrat side, that may be true, but amongst the Republicans' big field of candidates it's obvious there are plenty of smart, competent, tough and successful contenders. With respect to Mr. Brooks, I don't think that's an issue.
I think what conservative voters are most seeking today is a candidate they feel is truly on their side -- one who agrees with them that the path to a happy and prosperous America is the same one they believe in. Talking and working across the aisle is fine and to be encouraged...but we're tired of Democrat Lite.
For conservatives, the path to a happy and prosperous America appears to be one that withholds benefits from the middle class and services from the poor in favor of handing government subsidies and favorable rates of taxation to the affluent (most of whom inherit their wealth). Just keep on waiting for that wealth to trickle down. Waiting. Waiting.
If The Donald appeals to members of the middle-class who believe that the rich don't play by the same rules they do then they're somehow ignoring the fact that the object of their veneration is himself a rich man who sneers at those very rules. Nor is he the successful leader that these people supposedly crave: he inherited his successful business from his father, and his wealth- like that of most every other member of America's "aristocracy"- is maintained by the people who work for him. What he's good at is self-promotion, and if Americans want a poseur instead of a President they can hire him and fire their common sense.
4
Since when is a politician like Bernie Sanders who is a man of conviction considered a "bumper car" because he, like his supporters, are sick of a corrupt government & has real ideas to change it? How is a politician who voted against the Iraq War, a "bumper car" politicians while those who jumped on board the war campaign, "smooth sailors?" Donald Trump has tapped into the television viewing public's psyche by hypnotizing them with TV lingo. He picks TV background locales with the finesse of a billionaire producer. Want to talk about generating wealth for the average American, show him as the chief operator of his golf course. Want to talk about the supposed illegal immigration problem chose the border for a photo op with local politicians.
Trump's limousine is being driven by someone who is used to changing lanes frequently. In fact, he has flip flopped on almost every issue important to the US electorate. Abortion? Was for it, now against it. School choice is great, Common Core is rotten. Legalize drugs & use taxes to fund government, pro-family values, 0% corporate tax rate - protect wealthy tax loopholes although government is stupid. Climate change is a hoax concocted by losers-hybrid vehicles are winners. Iran & China are bad - Israel is good. "China & Japan are beating us" - Embrace globalization & international markets. Mexico is killing us - 35% import tax on Mexican products - supports MX maquiladoras & cheap labor to mass produce Trump clothing line.
Trump's limousine is being driven by someone who is used to changing lanes frequently. In fact, he has flip flopped on almost every issue important to the US electorate. Abortion? Was for it, now against it. School choice is great, Common Core is rotten. Legalize drugs & use taxes to fund government, pro-family values, 0% corporate tax rate - protect wealthy tax loopholes although government is stupid. Climate change is a hoax concocted by losers-hybrid vehicles are winners. Iran & China are bad - Israel is good. "China & Japan are beating us" - Embrace globalization & international markets. Mexico is killing us - 35% import tax on Mexican products - supports MX maquiladoras & cheap labor to mass produce Trump clothing line.
9
If Trump were a fictional character, we might accuse his author of unsubtlety in choosing that name for him: trumps; trumpery; “blowing your own trumpet”; and then there’s the character Trompart, Bragadochio's herald, in The Faerie Queene.
3
"He’s a wonderful man and a great public servant, but he should not run for president this year, for the sake of his long-term reputation."
So, Biden is a wonderful man and a great public servant, but he should think of his reputation before his country. What?!?
Trump is no "outsider"-- he's another rich kid born on third base who thinks he hit a home run. He does have more in common with the plutocrats who run the nomination process than with the pandering pols who seek the nomination, but he lives in the same circle. He struck a nerve by mouthing off the same racist and xenophobic sentiments expressed by the people who believe in him. What he's winning is the cable news cycle, but nowadays, that apparently matters.
So in our country, a Biden should care about his "reputation" before all else, and winning the cable news cycle means something. Good grief, how were we ever lucky enough to get Obama for 8 years?
So, Biden is a wonderful man and a great public servant, but he should think of his reputation before his country. What?!?
Trump is no "outsider"-- he's another rich kid born on third base who thinks he hit a home run. He does have more in common with the plutocrats who run the nomination process than with the pandering pols who seek the nomination, but he lives in the same circle. He struck a nerve by mouthing off the same racist and xenophobic sentiments expressed by the people who believe in him. What he's winning is the cable news cycle, but nowadays, that apparently matters.
So in our country, a Biden should care about his "reputation" before all else, and winning the cable news cycle means something. Good grief, how were we ever lucky enough to get Obama for 8 years?
21
Suit of Cards
My Mother had said
on a long sea cruise,
pay attention
if you want to see the world.
It was a different time ?
" If you do not know anything else,
learn how to play 'Bridge' ;
a table of three will need a partner.
At a tea party the dummy
prepares the finger food
a contract
must be made
We need a fourth
Make Trump
This is not a rubber !
Read "The Bridge"
by Hart Crane.
My Mother had said
on a long sea cruise,
pay attention
if you want to see the world.
It was a different time ?
" If you do not know anything else,
learn how to play 'Bridge' ;
a table of three will need a partner.
At a tea party the dummy
prepares the finger food
a contract
must be made
We need a fourth
Make Trump
This is not a rubber !
Read "The Bridge"
by Hart Crane.
Egomania as ideology....and it's working! One NH Republican, asked at a focus group to describe what a Trump presidency would look like, responded: "Classy."
Well, why not. If we're past the point when we can have intelligent, policy-oriented discourse, at least we can have a little class in the White House.
Well, why not. If we're past the point when we can have intelligent, policy-oriented discourse, at least we can have a little class in the White House.
The people, especially white people, get the government they vote for. The false equivalencies here (comparing a sitting US Senator, Sanders, to a reality show host, Trump) are common. The people are fed up and alienated and Congress under GOP control has an 8% (or 12 or whatever) approval rating yet last year these poor, put upon citizens INCREASED the number of the party controlling Congress and further rewarded them by giving them control of the Senate.
Who in their right mind would continue to repurchase a product that always failed? Answer: Those boo-hoo, poor me white voters.
Hillary is out there discussing policy-climate change, immigration, income inequality-but that's boring. Why aren't more Democrats calling people stupid like Trump is doing?
So, to gin it all up, a hot shot op=ed columnist from the nation's newspaper of record gins up a heart tugging story about a dying son telling his famous father to save us from the Clintons.
We hear from the people that they want substance from their candidates. They want adults in the room. When Hillary delivers that, it turns them off.
We've gone from "What's the Matter With Kansas" to "What's the Matter With America?"
The answer is simple: movement conservatism's relentless 40 year march is finally taking its toll.
Who in their right mind would continue to repurchase a product that always failed? Answer: Those boo-hoo, poor me white voters.
Hillary is out there discussing policy-climate change, immigration, income inequality-but that's boring. Why aren't more Democrats calling people stupid like Trump is doing?
So, to gin it all up, a hot shot op=ed columnist from the nation's newspaper of record gins up a heart tugging story about a dying son telling his famous father to save us from the Clintons.
We hear from the people that they want substance from their candidates. They want adults in the room. When Hillary delivers that, it turns them off.
We've gone from "What's the Matter With Kansas" to "What's the Matter With America?"
The answer is simple: movement conservatism's relentless 40 year march is finally taking its toll.
3
Whatever the analysis, it will be the highest rated program of the week, and the most talked about.
Thanks David Brooks. I finally figured out who would be the very best VP for "The Donald".....this nailed it.
"But ego is his ideology, and in this he is absolutely consistent. In the Trump mind the world is not divided into right and left. Instead there are winners and losers. Society is led by losers, who scorn and disrespect the people who are actually the winners."
Yup. Trump and Charlie Sheen would see eye to eye. Winners!
"But ego is his ideology, and in this he is absolutely consistent. In the Trump mind the world is not divided into right and left. Instead there are winners and losers. Society is led by losers, who scorn and disrespect the people who are actually the winners."
Yup. Trump and Charlie Sheen would see eye to eye. Winners!
2
Trump says what a lot of people want to say. Whether that translates into any action would be a whole different conversation. But the fact remains that people just want a successful person to go to Congress and call them out for the shallow hacks that they are.
The funny part about all of this is that if by some reason he gets the nomination, I'd vote for him over Clinton, but would vote for any other Democrat over him.
The funny part about all of this is that if by some reason he gets the nomination, I'd vote for him over Clinton, but would vote for any other Democrat over him.
3
Egoism and greed. What great qualities for the leading republican presidential candidate. There in a nutshell.
3
One cannot deny Donald Trump is popular with some voters just as Gov Walker was able to repel a recall attempt. Sadly, instead of telling something about these two and other individuals in the leadership position, it says more about the voters. In the past, people complained about voters' apathy. Maybe that was the good old days.
The Donald has thrown a nasty little monkey wrench into the electoral process. A half century ago, no one in his or her right mind would have taken a Trump candidacy seriously. Trump is the price that the GOP is forcibly paying for pandering to it's constituency of extremists these last forty years. The chickens have come home to roost - with a vengeance.
http://www.tomdegan.blogspot.com
Tom Degan
http://www.tomdegan.blogspot.com
Tom Degan
14
"Never before have we experienced a moment with so much public alienation and so much private, assertive and fragile self-esteem." Where does David live? Only a conservative could be so romantic about his remembered past not realizing that his memories are so wrong! Maybe the past has been good to the upper crust but for working people their lot has, for too long, been in a downward spiral started by Reagan. Of course David would not see that because he does not look.
2
OMG, you criticized RR--the guy who ran up a big deficit, funneled arms to Iran, made up stories about welfare recipients,... How dare you.
The Republican field is very poor to begin with. Trump looks good and sounds good by comparison. It's that simple. The days when both major parties fielded respectable, competent candidates are long gone.
Yes, Trump actually has a very good chance to win the Republican nomination. He's the best they've got!
Yes, Trump actually has a very good chance to win the Republican nomination. He's the best they've got!
1
Donald Trump Has many character flaws that have yet to surface. People will hopefully learn that talk is cheap and governing takes skill. However, I would not dismiss the possibility of his winning. Consider that a absentee Senator was elected who was a community organizer without accomplishments . He was a good teleprompter reader who promised hope and change yet delivered divisiveness and an Imperial inept administration. Yes , in America, anything can happen and sleaze can enable politicians to leave office and go from dead broke to earning over $220 million in a short period. Do not underestimate voter's incredible stupidity.
2
Because of Trump, the first debate will garner some of the highest ratings in cable TV history and since one of those candidates will be the GOP nominee, what's wrong with that? And without Trump who, besides activists and political reporters, would be paying any attention to this army of candidates? And because of Trump, we are actually discussing immigration and trade deficits and what's wrong with that? Trump has made the GOP race worth watching and by doing so, has done the political process a service. Nobody has to agree with him on anything to enjoy the show and perhaps even learn something.
2
Actually David, I think Trump represents the GOP 1% pretty darn well. An Ivy educated white male (often getting in due to family ties) who got his money from Dad or Gramps or by fleecing people, who looks down on the bottom 98-99% of Americans with great disdain, who is a bigot, selfish, often narcissistic, and who along with everyone else in his family since WWII, has avoided military service to his country.
10
David Brooks love to analyze issues seriously but when it come to the republicans and conservatives he just scratch the surface. The problem is not who lead the circus primary, the real problem is that since 2008 the whole process turned into competition to cater to extreme conservative without caring for the general election, and why is that because the GOP have no real solution to today's big problem, so keep pushing the old agenda which can not win national election, NO to global worming, NO to immigration reform, NO to gay marriage, NO abortion and contraceptives, NO to regulations of wall street and the list goes on and on, if DB claims he is a moderate conservative he should write about this issues and if the democrats grow a backbone republicans will never win any thing with these alienating platform.
8
The GOP has catered to the extreme conservative to continue serving their real masters, the 1%, the catering is all smokescreen to get the anti-vote (anti-gun control, abortion, gay rights, etc). Global warming? Reducing carbon will hurt the income of the Kochs and others invested in fossil fuels. Immigration? The current situation favors the bosses who employ illegal laborers - agribusiness, meat processors, etc. Wall Street regulation? Obvious answer. Follow the money!
If Trump can truly undermine the Koch brothers and pin the "puppets" tag on the GOP field, he will have outdone everyone who sees the real political cancer in this fast-fading country. The party Democrats are small time grifters, the party Republicans are big time grifters. That is Trump's message and he's right. I will stay home on every election day until the day I die. A New Yorker's vote in a national election is always wasted and out-powered by the morons in the south and midwest.
4
Trump simply reflects the general mood that our problems are the fault of somebody else and that the deserving do not have to sacrifice or pay to fix them. If we elect the Donald president, he is smart enough to make all our troubles disappear with little inconvenience to his supporters. If only the elites would make better deals and a big wall was able to keep the "takers" out, all will be well.
"Donald Trump is A man of our times" said the poor man to his brethran. Of course, "poor" these days means anyone who is trying to work to get ahead which is like swimming against the white water currents in the Amazon. Poor could also describe a person who just graduated from med school with $100k student loan debt. Or it could refer to someone who just lost their high paying manufacturing job & is now reduced to working at Arby's for 1/5 of the pay. Poor could also describe the communities where Donald Trump never visits as his ego wouldn't get him very far.
In contrast, the white golf course communities where individuals fly American flags proudly in front of their stucco homes, gated communities where fear of an onslaught of poor immigrants climbing the fences has them anxious or all white suburban communities where the malls are slowly dying even as the residents cling to their guns to protect what's left of their American dream. The bible teaches them to love their neighbor as themselves although politicians like Trump allow them to display their hatred of the other proudly in full view. Their schools are crumbling from loss of funding, yet Trump tells them that the leaders are stupid. Their tax dollars are used to support wars to defend oil interests in foreign lands, yet Trump supporters blames the "losers." Trump neglects to admit that he is successful precisely because he was born into wealth & that's all that matters to being a "winner." #RichLivesMatter
In contrast, the white golf course communities where individuals fly American flags proudly in front of their stucco homes, gated communities where fear of an onslaught of poor immigrants climbing the fences has them anxious or all white suburban communities where the malls are slowly dying even as the residents cling to their guns to protect what's left of their American dream. The bible teaches them to love their neighbor as themselves although politicians like Trump allow them to display their hatred of the other proudly in full view. Their schools are crumbling from loss of funding, yet Trump tells them that the leaders are stupid. Their tax dollars are used to support wars to defend oil interests in foreign lands, yet Trump supporters blames the "losers." Trump neglects to admit that he is successful precisely because he was born into wealth & that's all that matters to being a "winner." #RichLivesMatter
5
As usual, Mr. Brooks is wrong again. It's one thing to be disaffected, it's another thing to accept racism in a candidate. It's one thing to decry a lack of leadership but it's another to support a candidate whose every word is a lie. The Trump supporters are angry, but at the wrong things. We have a leader but many object to that very fact, because he is black. We have a sluggish economy but not because of immigrants. It's because, more than any time in our history, rich folk like Trump make rules that make it hard for anyone who is not one of them. And until income inequality is addressed (and it won't be by a Republican), there will be angry and disaffected Americans.
9
David Brooks writes, "On the other hand, bumper-car politicians thrive. Bernie Sanders is swimming with the tide. He’s a conviction politician comfortable with class conflict. "
Rather than say what Sanders is comfortable with, one should say what he is uncomfortable with, and that is: big money in politics, lack descent jobs, growing income and wealth inequality, environmental issues.
That list should be an imperative for every candidate, regardless of whether he comes from the Left or Right.
Rather than say what Sanders is comfortable with, one should say what he is uncomfortable with, and that is: big money in politics, lack descent jobs, growing income and wealth inequality, environmental issues.
That list should be an imperative for every candidate, regardless of whether he comes from the Left or Right.
4
As long as the punditariat continue to mock and ridicule Trump he will remain popular among what they consider the unwashed masses.
Trump is the Andrew Jackson of our time. He is pugnacious, rude, vulgar but he strikes a chord amongst the common people.
He will never be President but he will force candidates to address issues they rather not talk about and take a stand when they would prefer delivering to their audience mere empty platitudes and verbal gimmickry.
Trump is the Andrew Jackson of our time. He is pugnacious, rude, vulgar but he strikes a chord amongst the common people.
He will never be President but he will force candidates to address issues they rather not talk about and take a stand when they would prefer delivering to their audience mere empty platitudes and verbal gimmickry.
6
He is the alternative to Democrat Lite.
Could this essay be any more condescending? Bernie Sanders appeals to a " generalized, vague hunger for fundamental systemic change or at least the atmospherics of radical change." No. We want real change. It's not vague. We want a fairer tax system, affordable college education, fair trade not free trade, investment in infrastructure and jobs. What's vague about that? What's radical about it? As for Donald Trump, what he appeals to are the resentments and aggression of white males who believe they're not getting what they're entitled to, respect for their innate superiority. His is the politics of hate, and Sanders is the politics of rational hope. The fact you spoke about these two in the same essay speaks volumes about your obtuseness and condescension.
30
As something of a progressive, I'm actually relieved by the success of Trump so far. This bloated, over-long election process (it's still nearly a year and a half away, for God's sake) is a reality-show circus and the US people are saying - perhaps unconsciously - that since it's a circus let's let a vaudevillian ringleader like Trump amuse us until it really matters.
68
Exactly, the Democrats should invite him to their debates as well, if -for nothing else -to liven the conversation between Mrs. Clinton and the maple syrup guy.
Like other Republicans, Brooks has spent the last 6 years or so trying to thwart recovery, block progress, and predict doom, in the failed hope that he could convince us that things are really bad and we should elect more Republicans. While Americans continue to see what is actually bad with our country: income inequality, a Congress in the pockets of corporate America, injustice against minorities and immigrants, the ongoing attack on women's reproductive rights, and climate change. All Trump's success tells us is that the GOP is still about 30% racist and uneducated.
4
There is a a very simple reason why Trump is popular with the Republican base. Like other plutocrats such as the Kochs and the Waltons, he has spent his entire life perfecting the moral justification of unearned wealth. The corollary of that life quest is the moral justification of the poverty of those who do not inherit wealth whether they work or not. The white Republican base never tires of hearing implicit moral justification of white privilege and black poverty. That racial rhetoric, blunt or coded, is second nature to Trump.
280
I am surprised that NYT select it and thus confirmed to share the belief of Trump's allegedly unearned wealth. I see a lawsuit right here. Anyone who reads the Art of the Deal will see that Trump started with a capital from his father of $200,000. Many people inherited such amounts but never became billionaires. Trump is a self made man, thus his 'allure', he is not Hilton, who inherited his hotel chain.
Perhaps you don't understand the values behind what you call perfecting the "moral justification of unearned wealth."
That's not what it is. It is the value that just because someone else needs money, a liberal feels entitled to take it from me to settle some score or for "fairness."
I'm not rich, but when my parents die, there's a good chance I'll come into some money. I did not earn that money. But no one has any claim to that money except them. If they give it to me, they are allocating that property as they see fit. If they give it to charity, they are doing as they see fit. If they blow it all on expensive trips abroad, fine dining and nice cars, that is their choice and no one else's (and, importantly, government should not be involved once income taxes have been paid.)
No, Republicans stand for a level of fairness you can't comprehend.
That's not what it is. It is the value that just because someone else needs money, a liberal feels entitled to take it from me to settle some score or for "fairness."
I'm not rich, but when my parents die, there's a good chance I'll come into some money. I did not earn that money. But no one has any claim to that money except them. If they give it to me, they are allocating that property as they see fit. If they give it to charity, they are doing as they see fit. If they blow it all on expensive trips abroad, fine dining and nice cars, that is their choice and no one else's (and, importantly, government should not be involved once income taxes have been paid.)
No, Republicans stand for a level of fairness you can't comprehend.
There's an even simpler reason Trump is popular. Don't feel bad - David Brooks misses it, too: sealing the US-Mexico border with a physical barrier is so blindingly obviously necessary (although not sufficient) that it polls well with both Republican and Democrat voters, yet the only candidate of either party who's pledged to build a fence/wall is Donald J. Trump. All of the other GOP candidates use euphemisms like "secure the border" that demonstrably mean "leave the border wide open". We know this from 12 years of Bush presidencies. If Walker had promised a border fence he'd be in the lead and Trump would be in single digits, but Walker sold his soul to the Kochs & Chamber of Commerce - who want an open border. As Trump would say, Walker got himself a bad deal.
Donald Trump's candidacy stands as proof of the proposition that for every complex problem, there is an answer that is easy, obvious, and wrong.
Trump's minor and ultimately passing popularity is based on impatience for nuance and intolerance for complexity.
politicsbyeccehomo.wordpress.com
Trump's minor and ultimately passing popularity is based on impatience for nuance and intolerance for complexity.
politicsbyeccehomo.wordpress.com
1
Pundits and politicians just don't get. It doesn't matter if Trump has a plan or not or if his ideology is non-existent. People don't care and they will continue to not care. They are angry, very angry, because all the politicians that stand up and tell us their plans get themselves elected and then do what benefits them, and that usually means voting against the best interests of the majority of Americans. Recently my "representatives" voted for a trade deal that, like all those in the past, will hurt American workers because Americans don't work for pennies a day. They also voted to eliminate the place of origin of meat products and to not allow GMO's to be labeled. So who cares what Clinton or Bush or Walker or any of those other "bought and paid for" politicians say. They lie! Until the press and politicians stop denying the true root of Trump's popularity, they will continue to be surprised at how his popularity grows. Ohm by the way, I am a registered Democrat and tired of the mess both parties have made. They do nothing that helps this county.
1
David's comments on Sanders and what the left really wants are nonsense; the same old lefty is emotional while us on the right are cool-headed. The fact is, had it not been for the cheerleading on the right for any idiot who would disparage government, it would be clear that Americans want government to do things. Like you know, make things work. It should not be a surprise that conservatives have a voice, because by their game, they always win. By that I mean, they stir up trouble in governing, by, for example Trumpisms, and then they say: "Look at government and the chaos, do you want this to rule?" Having laid that done, there then is business ever ready with it's government mandated laws that insure private gain and public payment, to step in and calm us all done from that nasty government chaos. Brooks owns Trump as does all his conservative pals. There are only two options. Either the American experiment will fail, or the people of this country will realize they have to get involved to foster change and help move the government in the right direction. Sanders win or lose wants to begin on the latter option. This should be cheered by both left and right, because both grassroots of either is fed up with elite rule and it's higher wisdom and gatekeeping.
Don't underestimate Trump, mr. Brooks. If you study his life he exceeded at everything he set his mind to. Donald Trump will be the next President, unless Elisabeth Warren runs.
Here's why: American people have wised up thanks to Internet. Everyone knows that the congress and all the other candidates are in corporate pockets. The Congress rate of approval has been around 13% for over a decade now. Practically, this means, that 87% of people feel invisible and that they can't influence the political process not even a bit. Everyone complains about huge healthcare costs, huge education costs (both compared to Europe) displacement of US industries overseas and Glass Steagall (both, thabks to Bill Clinton) and nobody can do anything to change this. Dems hope that Obama will bring change but he staffed his cabinet with Wall Street guys and continued the wars.
If anybody has the stones to change anything because he is not in anybody's pocket and because he is such a can do guy, tough, and smart, than it is Donald Trump.
All the rest are a wash who will continue the status quo.
Here's why: American people have wised up thanks to Internet. Everyone knows that the congress and all the other candidates are in corporate pockets. The Congress rate of approval has been around 13% for over a decade now. Practically, this means, that 87% of people feel invisible and that they can't influence the political process not even a bit. Everyone complains about huge healthcare costs, huge education costs (both compared to Europe) displacement of US industries overseas and Glass Steagall (both, thabks to Bill Clinton) and nobody can do anything to change this. Dems hope that Obama will bring change but he staffed his cabinet with Wall Street guys and continued the wars.
If anybody has the stones to change anything because he is not in anybody's pocket and because he is such a can do guy, tough, and smart, than it is Donald Trump.
All the rest are a wash who will continue the status quo.
1
There is something of a "late Weimar" flavor here. A large party actively wishes for the Government to fail, which will justify their desire to take the Federal Government back to ante-bellum times as it was under Jackson and van Buren, unfortunately less slavery(although it has gutted the Voting Rights Act) but with a large military.. A president is trying to govern in effect by what in Continental constitutional parlance would be called decree laws. (I endorse this, btw.) We have a deflationary economic policy imposed by the Republicans. And we have a political figure with some characteristics of what Gunter Grass called "the Other Guy." The companion op ed on name calling is U. S. politics is a perfect comp0lement to Brooks's piece.
I do not have an obvious solution for the nihilist policies and tactics of today's Republican party, but there can be no doubt that Trump is one of its progeny. Any one who doubts this is "stupid."
I do not have an obvious solution for the nihilist policies and tactics of today's Republican party, but there can be no doubt that Trump is one of its progeny. Any one who doubts this is "stupid."
3
The folks who support and idolize Trump confuse me. This man runs his businesses in a dictatorial fashion which is just fine - after all, he owns them. However, in running for the Republican nomination his main strategies seem to include insulting his rivals and denigrating those who disagree with him. Oh, and proposing nonsensical solutions to complex problems (build a fence and make Mexico pay for it). His supporters love this but they seem to forget governing is a cooperative venture. You can't simply dictate to Congress what you want and insult world leaders who do not share your views. He may stand up to Putin or any Middle Eastern leader, but can he actually get them to change their behaviors? By calling them stupid or losers? I don't think so which is why I am confused he has such a large following.
The Donald doesn't have a Megalomaniac's chance of getting the nomination, but he is going to make his Republican opponents appear as viable candidates by comparison. It is not only the Democrats who will benefit, therefore, from Trump's and the Media's Sideshow. The losers are the voters who are deprived of a needed debate about the future of their society and their nation's stature and place in the world.
Donald Trump's "allure" has not sprung from an urgent political moment, born from the "scarcity and alienation" of a disaffected populace.
"Idiocy", as pointed out by another Times op-ed piece today, has been with us for a very long time. People love stupid, especially when it's done right.
The republican party has been diligently laying the groundwork for three decades for a Donald Trump archetype to come along and steal their thunder, and he has willingly obliged. He has emerged as a direct result of the total ideological void of the party. The "party of stupid" has finally found their man.
Trump has perfected what Sarah Palin began as a "beta" program of sorts for national politics. The big difference, though, is that Palin stumbled upon the secret formula quite by accident. Trump recognized that he could fuse the outlandishness aspects of the reality show template with politics, and take it a very long way.
It also doesn't hurt that he's kind of wealthy.
He already was an American icon of sorts, so he did not have to do a "slow build", he hit the ground running and caught the whole republican party off guard.
They are so terrified of him that even their vaunted wordmeister general Frank Luntz tried to wave them off for the first debate, invoking the already insipid "if you shoot at the King, you better not miss" pop culture cliche.
This isn't a moment for "us", this is a moment for Donald Trump, and he certainly seems to be enjoying it.
"Idiocy", as pointed out by another Times op-ed piece today, has been with us for a very long time. People love stupid, especially when it's done right.
The republican party has been diligently laying the groundwork for three decades for a Donald Trump archetype to come along and steal their thunder, and he has willingly obliged. He has emerged as a direct result of the total ideological void of the party. The "party of stupid" has finally found their man.
Trump has perfected what Sarah Palin began as a "beta" program of sorts for national politics. The big difference, though, is that Palin stumbled upon the secret formula quite by accident. Trump recognized that he could fuse the outlandishness aspects of the reality show template with politics, and take it a very long way.
It also doesn't hurt that he's kind of wealthy.
He already was an American icon of sorts, so he did not have to do a "slow build", he hit the ground running and caught the whole republican party off guard.
They are so terrified of him that even their vaunted wordmeister general Frank Luntz tried to wave them off for the first debate, invoking the already insipid "if you shoot at the King, you better not miss" pop culture cliche.
This isn't a moment for "us", this is a moment for Donald Trump, and he certainly seems to be enjoying it.
I think Mr Brooks has summed up quite well the appeal of Trump. (No doubt many will read this column as praise or an endorsement, in which case I would advise them to read again, more carefully.) What he hasn't quite nailed, though, is the sheer childish contrarian appeal of Trump. In that context it wouldn't matter what he said, just as long as he gets a rise out of someone. His bump in the polls is akin to the joy of small children poking a frog to make it jump, pulling on the cat's tail to make it scream, or blurting four-letter words to get a rise out of Grandma. Very much the same thing is at work in the support for the Confederate battle flag in some quarters, or teenagers spray-painting swastika graffiti: the sheer adolescent fun of transgression for its own sake.
I'm tempted to say the proper response is not to gratify the frog-pokers, but rather to murmur Lewis Carroll's 'he only does it to annoy, because he knows it teases' and turn away. However, that didn't work (Godwin's law violation ahead!) in Weimar Germany; nor for that matter in the Athens of Thucydides. In that context I'm not reassured by Mr Brooks' conclusion that 'he [Trump] won't be president'; stranger, uglier things have happened.
I'm tempted to say the proper response is not to gratify the frog-pokers, but rather to murmur Lewis Carroll's 'he only does it to annoy, because he knows it teases' and turn away. However, that didn't work (Godwin's law violation ahead!) in Weimar Germany; nor for that matter in the Athens of Thucydides. In that context I'm not reassured by Mr Brooks' conclusion that 'he [Trump] won't be president'; stranger, uglier things have happened.
2
These are dangerous times in America. For decades, we have said it can't happen here but today conditions are ripe for a totalitarian leader who harnesses frustration and anger to attack a failed system, using bombastic language, ridicule and incendiary charges to rile the disaffected. Wild claims and simple solutions seem to be the answer to complex problems few seem to understand or want to try to understand. As the theologian Paul Tillich once wrote, alienation and weak character in a world that is meaningless breeds high anxiety and hopelessness. The result is ignorant cynicism toward life and for thousands a search for something that does provide meaning through mass movements manipulated by demagogues. No one should understand this better than you, Mr. Brooks.
2
Scott Walker is the scariest one.
Trump's appeal is definitely hard to understand. I have a former colleague, a well educated person who is ex-Navy, whose father was also an officer in the Navy, who sent me an email last week defending Trump's attack on John McCain. I was stunned. As Brooks points out, Trump is not actually a conservative, by any standard definition of the term. Yet people who should know better are totally taken in by the man's enormous ego. One more indication, as if we needed one, of the sorry state of American political discourse.
1
"And, in a unique 21st-century wrinkle, he’s a narcissist who thinks he can solve every problem, which appeals to people who in challenging times don’t feel confident in their understanding of their surroundings and who crave leaders who seem to be."
Mr. Brooks, you've hit more than a few nails on the head here. The Donald's appeal is his over-brimming confidence, even when spewing nonsense The crowd doesn't care! They see a man of energy, assertiveness, and a track record in business that would serve the country well, in their eyes. So what, he has not political experience--that's actually a plus. So what, he is as brash and non-compassionate as they come--we don't want a crier in office, we want an executive.
The fact he's saying out loud all events and feelings they have secretly felt for years, but don't dare say, sure helps too. Trump's attacks on his peers, and condemnations of entire swaths of society (eg, immigrants) are an attack on political correctness, giving the aggrieved permission to feel and speak on their deepest prejudices.
What I find so amazingly ironic is that Trump's followers don't seem to mind that he's rich and part of the very plutocracy they so fear. Maybe because he's so blunt and forceful in his speech, unlike the powerful donor class hiding in the shadows. He also radiates a subtle message, "if I got so rich, you can too." But only if they vote for him.
Trump is one powerful politician even if he claims not to be one.
Mr. Brooks, you've hit more than a few nails on the head here. The Donald's appeal is his over-brimming confidence, even when spewing nonsense The crowd doesn't care! They see a man of energy, assertiveness, and a track record in business that would serve the country well, in their eyes. So what, he has not political experience--that's actually a plus. So what, he is as brash and non-compassionate as they come--we don't want a crier in office, we want an executive.
The fact he's saying out loud all events and feelings they have secretly felt for years, but don't dare say, sure helps too. Trump's attacks on his peers, and condemnations of entire swaths of society (eg, immigrants) are an attack on political correctness, giving the aggrieved permission to feel and speak on their deepest prejudices.
What I find so amazingly ironic is that Trump's followers don't seem to mind that he's rich and part of the very plutocracy they so fear. Maybe because he's so blunt and forceful in his speech, unlike the powerful donor class hiding in the shadows. He also radiates a subtle message, "if I got so rich, you can too." But only if they vote for him.
Trump is one powerful politician even if he claims not to be one.
3
Brooks is the first person I've read who seems to understand Trump's 'allure' and the sociological roots of it. I only wish that he'd cited Hannah Arendt's analysis of similar currents in 1930s Germany. Still, between Brooks and Arendt, a chilling understanding of what happens when large masses of people feel disconnected, frustrated, angry, and impotent is overdue. The East and West Coast elites seem oblivious to the political side effects of our 'winner-takes-all' society. We are living on top of a volcano.
4
Mr. Brooks is, once again, trying to come up with an intellectual justification for the phenomena that is today's Republican party. Donald Trump is popular among Republicans because he is harvesting the seeds that the Republicans have been sewing for years. He has replaced coded racism with blatant prejudice. His commentary is boorish, purposely misinformed, and unrealistic - the only difference is that it is delivered at a higher volume than Republicans before him. Donald Trump is not a phenomena born from unique times - he is simply a manifestation of the party base that Republicans have been cultivating for years.
3
When Mr. Brooks wites "The lower middle class starts feuding with the poor." he is being mendacious.
The clash between the middle class and the poor is being orchestrated by the Republicans in Congress who, rather than make corrections to the inequitable tax structure, demonize the poor and middle classes, and attack the programs that provide them with essential services.
Why is strife between the poor and middle class a good thing for the political elite? Because it keeps their focus away from the kleptocracy that is siphoning off their safety net.
Mr. Brooks: Once again, you are on the wrong side of morality.
The clash between the middle class and the poor is being orchestrated by the Republicans in Congress who, rather than make corrections to the inequitable tax structure, demonize the poor and middle classes, and attack the programs that provide them with essential services.
Why is strife between the poor and middle class a good thing for the political elite? Because it keeps their focus away from the kleptocracy that is siphoning off their safety net.
Mr. Brooks: Once again, you are on the wrong side of morality.
4
In the 2000 election I learned that I was part of the elite as defined by Republican voters whereas George W. Bush was not part of the elite.
It was a surprise seeing that I come from working class parents and the first one to go to college in my family.
But the elite seemed to be now defined as one who read, traveled outside of the US, was informed by our history in the Middle East, etc.
Perhaps this sums up the problems we are seeing in politics.
It was a surprise seeing that I come from working class parents and the first one to go to college in my family.
But the elite seemed to be now defined as one who read, traveled outside of the US, was informed by our history in the Middle East, etc.
Perhaps this sums up the problems we are seeing in politics.
4
Here's a thought for all you Trump fans.
How many bankruptcies has he used to spend other people's money to be successful?
How many bankruptcies has he used to spend other people's money to be successful?
1
Yes. I fit the electorate described in this article. I feel quite alienated, and I see present leadership as impotent, mainly because of Congressional obstruction, and unassertive. Wherefore, even though I am strongly against that golf course in Scotland and I think Governor Palin lacks even modest intelligence, I understand "the allure of Trump." And I will vote for him if he wins the GOP nomination, and I think he will. The rest of the pack defies differentiation, making itself just a clouded crowded fractious racket, and making Trump stand out even more.
20
God forbid! David's analysis is right on point. This era reminds me about the rise of the Know Northing party in the years before our Civil War. Whilst Obama is stronger than Pierce & Buchanan--both Northern pimps for the slave owning South-, Obama was tripped up by a Congress since 2011 that despises him.
Our public blames Obama because he has NO magic wand to improve their lives & opportunities for their children, Think of FDR with a Rep. Congress undermining his New Deal + Supreme Court intervening; the great Depresion would bave been worse. Fortunately, Bernake of the Fed knew what NOT to do & Treasury agreed and an irresponsible Congress could not stop them.
Our public blames Obama because he has NO magic wand to improve their lives & opportunities for their children, Think of FDR with a Rep. Congress undermining his New Deal + Supreme Court intervening; the great Depresion would bave been worse. Fortunately, Bernake of the Fed knew what NOT to do & Treasury agreed and an irresponsible Congress could not stop them.
Very good Nelson. Self identifying as a voter who votes against their best interests. If you think Trump actually cares about you or your families needs I have some swampland and a bridge to offer you. Trump is about himself and his uncontrollable ego. nothing else.
Mr. Trump is a breath of fresh air when compared to the leading Republican candidates all of whom are obsessed with courting the wealthy and corporations for donations to their Super Pacs. On the other hand the only major donor to Mr. Trump's campaign is Mr. Trump so he is not as yet beholden to anyone; and he has the "chutzpah" to say what many prejudiced individuals believe but will only say in private - i.e., that illegal immigration is a major problem and is hurting this country. Like a comet he will eventually disappear only to reappear at the next election, but at this moment he is injecting interest into what had become a dull campaign filled with cookie cutter candidates all of whom repeat the tired Republican mantra of cutting taxes for the wealthy and dismantling the safety net.
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"Injecting interest" captures it well. I appreciate Mr. Brooks's powers of analysis, usually, but this feels like a tortured effort to avoid saying the obvious: Trump is, simply, fun. For now. But in six months even those of us who find him the most appalling person on earth (or would if we actually took him at all seriously) will miss him, because the race will converge toward the mean, in every respect. When the prospect of a two-term vice president entering the race as a latecomer counts as the only other potentially "exciting" news no wonder we are as thrilled as Jon Stewart must be to see Trump maintaining a viable candidacy for longer than 48 hours.
Trump asks--“How stupid are our leaders?” The answer is not very stupid--and they are not leaders. These so-called leaders understand the game--court money, get elected, do money's bidding, court more money, get re-elected, repeat—and stay in the bubble of the beltway. I was honestly surprised that “three in 10 Americans believe that their views are represented in Washington.” My immediate thought was, really, 30% think those in Washington represent the electorate.
What is stupid is running a campaign with unlimited (and unattached) funds, in an era of disenfranchisement, and doing it with a mouth like a bellows to fan discontent. What if Trump used a measured voice and talked about the “why” (the root causes, not the National Enquirer version of root causes) and the “what might be done.” If he did, might he stand a better chance of gaining long-term traction rather than being a short-term blusterer?
Try a quick game of word association. I say politician, you say _____________. My answer is huckster. Now try this, I say Trump, you say _____________. My answer is huckster with a bigger mouth and wallet.
Let’s see what the huckster have to say this Thursday. My guess is precious little of substance but a heaping helping of Kabuki Theater. The next question Mr. Brooks should ask is how stupid are our voters?
What is stupid is running a campaign with unlimited (and unattached) funds, in an era of disenfranchisement, and doing it with a mouth like a bellows to fan discontent. What if Trump used a measured voice and talked about the “why” (the root causes, not the National Enquirer version of root causes) and the “what might be done.” If he did, might he stand a better chance of gaining long-term traction rather than being a short-term blusterer?
Try a quick game of word association. I say politician, you say _____________. My answer is huckster. Now try this, I say Trump, you say _____________. My answer is huckster with a bigger mouth and wallet.
Let’s see what the huckster have to say this Thursday. My guess is precious little of substance but a heaping helping of Kabuki Theater. The next question Mr. Brooks should ask is how stupid are our voters?
2
I think everyone just enjoys a "candidate" committed to saying crazy stuff and generally making a ruckus. No one thinks that Trump is even remotely Presidential material....but he is like Borat/Ali G or Robin Williams....the crazy stuff just keeps flowing and the applause keeps coming. I hope he stays in this thing for a very long time and then goes Independent....tens of thousands of advisors and pollsters and handlers are having their plans and polls and such turned upside down by The Donald....go get 'em!
2
"But Trump’s support base is weird." Maybe weird to elitists like you. His appeal, as you mentioned, is broad and touches the vast majority of working, educated, middle class Americans who are tired of being lied to by a "LEADERSHIP CLASS" not as "SMART, COMPETENT AND SUCCESSFUL" as Trump.
Will he be the next President? I doubt it also. Only because the media, lead by the NY TIMES, will attempt to destroy him so your candidate , Madam Hillery, can be anointed the next incompetent President.
Will he be the next President? I doubt it also. Only because the media, lead by the NY TIMES, will attempt to destroy him so your candidate , Madam Hillery, can be anointed the next incompetent President.
A competent liar who thinks he's god's gift to humanity and the sexiest man alive. Yay hooray!
I think Trump has a strong appeal among the caps key class. To what extent this constituency overlaps the educated population would be fascinating to explore.
1
Think of all the money we'll save as President Trump just handles everything himself, because of course, he's the only one who knows how to deal with anything. We can lay off the entire government bureaucracy and let him just handle it all--talks with Putin, negotiations with Iran, environmental regulations, food safety, etc. etc.
2
During the sunsetting of an empire it is inevitable that individuals and groups will resort to the type of blame and scapegoating we are seeing today.It is far too easy to ascribe past greatness to those traits and characteristics that one is biased towards and in lamenting their demise,find groups to blame,be it immigrants,elites,corporations,governments or so other group or entity one does not identify with.Trump is in a singularly strong position to tap into this phenomenon since he is the epitome of paradoxes;successful and wealthy but also a down to earth reality star,opinionated and blunt without the need to be factually correct or consistent,disparaging of politicians without a parallel relevant track record for comparison,full of bluster but relishing overt conflict.Given his profile he can tap into disparate groups and individuals who's common denominator is disaffection with their status quo.His appeal and success in this election cycle will depend on others in the race taking him on rather than hoping he will go away.There is little evidence that candidates from either Party have the fortitude or courage to do so.
1
I agree with the article. I think the electorate is tired of talking heads coming up with policies that are on the surface generally positive, but when enacted are large and unwieldily programs. In that last few years the "leaders" are clueless. Bush vs. Clinton, must we ? The imperial families are at work again to obfuscate the truth and carry out their own agenda's for enriching themselves. Trump has an appeal (Not to me), as a non-politician. Don't worry he'll be gone by the primaries, but he makes for good press in a slow summer. It gives the Democrats someone to point a finger at and say how stupid he is. MSNBC has a full slate to attack someone on a regular basis, this way they can catch up with Fox who has the ultimate ghoul in Hillary.
Every liberal dialogue ends in a Trump bashing contest telling America why it likes him. Yet, there isn't a liberal out there that seems willing to address the dilemma Democrats are in, much less fix it. So that tells me they're scared to death of Trump and they think a scandal ridden mess of a Democratic party is just A-OK.
Scared of Trump? I think not. What is the dilemma you speak of, that you say the Democrats are in? If the Democrats are scandal ridden, then the Republicans have taken it to an art form.Trust me, the only people who are scared to death of Trump are the people who will be sharing the stage with him on Thursday.
And who do we have to thank for the winners and losers that have been created for the a Trump bonanza? Republicans, McCAin and dear old Sarah. The nutty fringe of 2010 is now a norm for the GOP and disrespect the mission. Look at the slate of GOP hopefuls for 2016. Stupidity is the norm and The Donald is taking advantage of it.
4
U.S.A 2015?
I think at this point in time we all can be honest: President Obama is a great President. I don't see how anyone can do much more considering our circumstances. With all the rubbish that goes on daily in our nation really all he can do more is make a National Call for Service and Education, that really it's make or break people, sh*t or get off the pot. Do some actual thinking or sit down and shut up. Who knows, maybe even the bad things in life are something of an illusion, after all President Obama is a great President and black; If a black man can not only be President but a great one then maybe things aren't so bad...Certainly we should strive not to sink lower than President Obama--keep things up to his excellent level and push beyond.
I think at this point in time we all can be honest: President Obama is a great President. I don't see how anyone can do much more considering our circumstances. With all the rubbish that goes on daily in our nation really all he can do more is make a National Call for Service and Education, that really it's make or break people, sh*t or get off the pot. Do some actual thinking or sit down and shut up. Who knows, maybe even the bad things in life are something of an illusion, after all President Obama is a great President and black; If a black man can not only be President but a great one then maybe things aren't so bad...Certainly we should strive not to sink lower than President Obama--keep things up to his excellent level and push beyond.
5
Ah, those poor Republicans who can actually read and write like David Brooks. Put yourself in their shoes for a moment and consider their dilemma. A Donald Trump, a true idiot, turns out to be the shining star among them. The most Neanderthal among the apes.
After all the money they spent trying to make Walker, Cruz, Huckabee, Jindal et al look intelligent this is what they got. The Kochs aren't going to like this and a mad Koch is as dangerous as a Christie getting even with a democrat.
After all the money they spent trying to make Walker, Cruz, Huckabee, Jindal et al look intelligent this is what they got. The Kochs aren't going to like this and a mad Koch is as dangerous as a Christie getting even with a democrat.
7
It's gotta hurt.
Trump is sinking the Republican Party this year. And his supporters are too stupid to realize it.
I wonder about the future of the GOP, which seems increasingly out of sync with mainstream America - much as the democrats were in the 1980s.
I wonder about the future of the GOP, which seems increasingly out of sync with mainstream America - much as the democrats were in the 1980s.
4
In his own statements, you will see that he built his empire on deception.
The country will not run on fakery.
We get such delight stamping on the idiocy and ridiculousness of these clowns, but it's a waste of pixels unless we wake up and realize united we stand, divided we fall.
The truth matters. This guy delights with great pride in the success of his lies.
The country will not run on fakery.
We get such delight stamping on the idiocy and ridiculousness of these clowns, but it's a waste of pixels unless we wake up and realize united we stand, divided we fall.
The truth matters. This guy delights with great pride in the success of his lies.
7
"He won’t be president", Mr Brooks? Don't be too sure. To quote from the late Spike Milligan, "you can fool some of the people all the time and all the people some of the time, which is just long enough to be President of the United States".
1
Is it really worth getting excited about this guy, much less spinning complicated theories about him?
Trump is weird, and flashy, and entertaining to those who enjoy put-downs of women and minorities. But he doesn't reveal anything about America that we didn't already know, from the ratings of reality shows.
Does anyone remember who won the Ames Straw Poll, in 2011? Michelle Bachmann. This too shall pass.
Trump is weird, and flashy, and entertaining to those who enjoy put-downs of women and minorities. But he doesn't reveal anything about America that we didn't already know, from the ratings of reality shows.
Does anyone remember who won the Ames Straw Poll, in 2011? Michelle Bachmann. This too shall pass.
180
Seems to me it's utterly understandable to examine this . . . person, as so many Americans/Republicans/Independents have responded positively to his "candidacy." Such a depressing situation! I like David Brooks's analysis and find it useful.
Donald Trump appeals to us because he is rich. Our American King Midas. He is part of our heritage just as the name Rockefeller was a diamond as big as the Ritz for another generation. He belongs to us, and he fits us to a tee because we do not like what passes for polish or pretension.
He does not give himself airs. He does not care who he tramples on. It is one the greatest affairs that Americans are having in loving to hate him with passion. Donald Trump has made this the most outrageous and entertaining presidential campaign in American history.
The timing is unfortunate because although he has made politics an alluring and fashionable topic to discuss with all classes, we are becoming increasingly divided as a Nation when we can not afford this.
When I first saw him on TV in the 70s it was soon after I returned to America, and while adjusting the bunny ears on the box, I wondered who he was. 'He has a slack jaw', an expression that popped out of nowhere came to mind.
Enough already with The Narcissists. I believe the fine American Mind of Eric Hoffer suggested that leaders are born narcissists. I know one, and she feels that Jeb Bush is going to be next at the White House. She also once wrote that President Obama would be our last Hope, and she was right.
It's Impossible to listen to Donald Trump because my thoughts wander off and I don't want to hear him. Everybody can have a party, while some of us have fastened our seat belts.
He does not give himself airs. He does not care who he tramples on. It is one the greatest affairs that Americans are having in loving to hate him with passion. Donald Trump has made this the most outrageous and entertaining presidential campaign in American history.
The timing is unfortunate because although he has made politics an alluring and fashionable topic to discuss with all classes, we are becoming increasingly divided as a Nation when we can not afford this.
When I first saw him on TV in the 70s it was soon after I returned to America, and while adjusting the bunny ears on the box, I wondered who he was. 'He has a slack jaw', an expression that popped out of nowhere came to mind.
Enough already with The Narcissists. I believe the fine American Mind of Eric Hoffer suggested that leaders are born narcissists. I know one, and she feels that Jeb Bush is going to be next at the White House. She also once wrote that President Obama would be our last Hope, and she was right.
It's Impossible to listen to Donald Trump because my thoughts wander off and I don't want to hear him. Everybody can have a party, while some of us have fastened our seat belts.
3
I understand that most of Trump buildings are not his property but that he licenses his name, like a franchise, and that's how he makes his money. If this is true, I wonder if the people supporting him because of his business acumen expect that he will license the name of the US or the Presidency to make enough money to build a 2000 mile fence in Texas.
I am thinking of "Coca Cola purveyors to the Presidency of the US"
or
"Trump Enterprises, builders of the US government.
or
"St. Quasimodo Golf Course, by license of the President of the US"
I am thinking of "Coca Cola purveyors to the Presidency of the US"
or
"Trump Enterprises, builders of the US government.
or
"St. Quasimodo Golf Course, by license of the President of the US"
7
You should always go to the source before making an opinion, not to the grapevine. Read Trump's book, The Art of the Deal, to see how he made his money, and how he grew a 200k start up capital from his father into what he has today.
I got the information from the WEB. Is Trump's own book a reliable source?
A poem about Republicans:
They think healthcare is a crime.
The sick deserve to die.
They say the poor deserve their fate.
But Trump's the crazy guy.
They think that blacks enslaved themselves,
Liked toiling in the sun.
The Confed flag fills them with hope.
But Trump's the crazy one.
They don't believe in dinosaurs.
They don't believe in science.
But Donald is the crazy one.
Throw him to the lions.
Cruz, Paul, Bush, and Rubio,
Walker, Chris Christie.
Except for their hairdo's,
They look just like Trump to me.
They think healthcare is a crime.
The sick deserve to die.
They say the poor deserve their fate.
But Trump's the crazy guy.
They think that blacks enslaved themselves,
Liked toiling in the sun.
The Confed flag fills them with hope.
But Trump's the crazy one.
They don't believe in dinosaurs.
They don't believe in science.
But Donald is the crazy one.
Throw him to the lions.
Cruz, Paul, Bush, and Rubio,
Walker, Chris Christie.
Except for their hairdo's,
They look just like Trump to me.
33
David I really agree with this article. I feel so left out living here in New York City. Bearing so much of the burden of taxation, inadequate housing, I make 80,000.00 and cant find a decent apartment. Im excluded from every housing lottery when subsidise housing comes up because by some government bureaucrat say I make too much and dont qualify. Im totally ingnored by my local government yet bear the brunt of its operating cost. The guys in Washington is another story, they only interest is corporations and lobbyist. So yes Im voting for Donald Trump so what if he does not win, my vote never counts anyway.
45
Commute from New Jersey.
What on earth do you think the Donald will do for you? Give you a room in a Trump building? Hardly. Trump has no idea what middle class is, he has never spent a moment in those shoes. Anyone can talk. But I guess it does take a bully to get Congress to act.
1
And the reason you would vote for Trump is?
I'll be curious to see how Trump handles all this and what his beliefs actually are. You left out a big factor in your analysis. The republicans have purposely undermined people's confidence in all government institutions and it also fits well with their hatred of President Obama. He is unacceptable because he's black. There's a lo of racism involved in this strategy.
Undermining the government opens it to privatization which is one of the driving goals. The other is complete corporate dominance which they and Obama are pushing through so called trade bills which have little to do with trade and much to do with protection of corporate profits.
David, you always leave out the important ones and, in the end, I believe Trump will be a corporate man.
Undermining the government opens it to privatization which is one of the driving goals. The other is complete corporate dominance which they and Obama are pushing through so called trade bills which have little to do with trade and much to do with protection of corporate profits.
David, you always leave out the important ones and, in the end, I believe Trump will be a corporate man.
45
I do agree with most of this writer's sentiments. "Undermining the government opens it to privatization ..." can easily be understood by examining our prison system. Building more and more prisons for profit and then turning them over to private management opens the door to incarcerate more and more individuals. It's interesting to note that the rallying cry to move in this direction was the government run institutions were inefficient and losing proposition; however, the costs continue to rise, they're still paid for by the government and the 'inefficiencies' now acceptable because they are 'profits' paid to the private, profit-making corporations that now run the system under 'privatization.' I can guarantee that the overall costs (including the human toll) has risen due to the undermining of our government institutions and the privatization of them.
Yes, I can readily see a Trump selling or, more appropriately, privatizing our infrastructure to balance budgets.
Mr. Brooks:
No lipstick for this pig? Has the Reagan mantra of, say nothing bad of your fellow Republicans finally lost its clout? It's embarassing, I know, but, he's all yours. Ego as ideology, indeed; your ego his ideology. Or is The Donald the ego that shows the bankruptcy of conservative ideology?
No lipstick for this pig? Has the Reagan mantra of, say nothing bad of your fellow Republicans finally lost its clout? It's embarassing, I know, but, he's all yours. Ego as ideology, indeed; your ego his ideology. Or is The Donald the ego that shows the bankruptcy of conservative ideology?
12
The current of our time that he is wading in is more like a cesspool. Linguistically, his slang and pronunciation appeal to the dumbed down portions of our country. You know the guys I'm talking about. The ones in the backroom of Shoprite who are on a lunch break from stocking shelves. They, too, always wanted to call the manager stupid and petty so there is a kind of kindred spirit shared among them. I have listened over many decades to Trump and his vernacular and tonal shift in language plays right into the heart of everyman. He's sort of the Andrew Dice Clay of politics. In the heart of everyman, who always feels helpless, lies a fear which exhibits as superiority to the ongoing drama. You know: "I would be so much better off if it weren't for (you fill in the blank of bigotry). It's almost always someone else's fault. Decades ago Trump was more articulate and had no trace of the Brooklynese accent he now sports. I'm not sure I can even concur with "Ego as Ideology. I think it's just plain old ego, or as . C. Fields said, "If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bull." The support he's getting tells us more about the electorate than him. It's vastly more complicated and simple than populist nonsense that the pundits claim. Next, we'll be lead to believe that the Confederate flag is a symbol of brotherhood and peace between the races. It's all history, don't you know? The ancestors who sported that flag were anti the USA and equal rights for all. Trump?
1
Why don't we simply call Trump's movement what it is - proto-fascism.
It's based on longings for a strong man, aggressive nationalism and associated ethnic scapegoating; it glorifies business and seeks to merge the purposes of the state with the purposes of big business, and it tells us that if we just follow the strong man we'll all return to some fictional nostalgia dripping yesteryear of greatness.
Back to the glory days of Rome - as Mussolini might say; or to the great and romantic times of German heroism, as Hitler might say.
Indeed, Mussolini and Hitler would easily recognize the fertile ground of resentment, alienation and ignorance that Trump is cultivating.
It's based on longings for a strong man, aggressive nationalism and associated ethnic scapegoating; it glorifies business and seeks to merge the purposes of the state with the purposes of big business, and it tells us that if we just follow the strong man we'll all return to some fictional nostalgia dripping yesteryear of greatness.
Back to the glory days of Rome - as Mussolini might say; or to the great and romantic times of German heroism, as Hitler might say.
Indeed, Mussolini and Hitler would easily recognize the fertile ground of resentment, alienation and ignorance that Trump is cultivating.
6
Anger and alienation are the key ingredients in Republican strategy to secure enough votes to win. Without hatred, fear and war, where would the Republicans get votes from the mostly uneducated white males that they rely on. The Republican base is not the wealthy. No, they just manage the base by latching on to racism, anti-women "moral" issues, anti-science/anti-intellectual (used to be called "egg head"), and hatred of those nominally poorer. The base, meaning the majority of Republican voters make less than $50K/year and always vote against their own best interests. Why? Their emotions obliterate their cognitive functions. They believe that global warming, and global trade are beyond comprehension and leave them up to "leaders" like Trump. In fact, Jeb Bush, may not be dumb enough for them, whereas, Trump speaks their language. This is the formula for electing a fascist: breed distrust, emphasize racial hatred, corrupt the judicial process with "corporate personhood", suppress minority and female participation, subordinate females to superstitious beliefs, unleash economic tyranny.
Trump is the answer feared by petty thinkers. Trump is the product of the lies, and resentments sown by Republicans. Trump can take those uneducated and alienated voters from the Republicans simply by feeding the irrational fears and dreams of a deliberately confused population. If not left to his own devices, Trump can take them all away in a third party. Trump is a Golem.
Trump is the answer feared by petty thinkers. Trump is the product of the lies, and resentments sown by Republicans. Trump can take those uneducated and alienated voters from the Republicans simply by feeding the irrational fears and dreams of a deliberately confused population. If not left to his own devices, Trump can take them all away in a third party. Trump is a Golem.
3
Bernie Sanders is comfortable with class conflict? It seems that you and the Republican establishment denounce anyone who exposes the corruption of the monied elite and its usurpation of the political system, the essence of Sander's' message, as "class warfare." If such denunciations also extend to the minimum wage debate, the profiteering of the private sector in the health care system, the privatization of just about everything demanded by the elites, the attrition of the middle class and the role of theses elites in its demise and a host of other issues, then call it class warfare if you choose. I call it a return to a decent equitable society
7
Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders analysis?
I try to be hopeful about the appearance of these men. The United States appears to me now to be a nation extremely populated and complex, faced with a world extremely populated and complex and with many other nations in similar circumstances and more than ever in human history the watchwords are honesty, analysis, courage, capacity for integration, value of education and all we mean by culture.
This is an age which calls for great minds to stand up and bring together the various strands of our existence--but as we would expect, in the delay, lack of anticipation of our circumstance by especially unwieldy institutions and political parties, first appearances by people having enough of the same old same old are logically raw and inchoate attempts at integration, like what occurs often in fields as diverse as music and science when there is a welling up of new perspectives and views at odds with each other call out for resolution and higher synthesis.
In short Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders are both welcome and certainly beyond the usual of both their parties no matter how stable and sound both their parties seem to be with the likes of Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton. The fact is neither major party is keeping up with circumstances. The Republican party is particularly appalling--I find it difficult not to conclude the Republican party is composed of blockheads and/or deceitful people and/or paranoics and/or intellectual cowards...
I try to be hopeful about the appearance of these men. The United States appears to me now to be a nation extremely populated and complex, faced with a world extremely populated and complex and with many other nations in similar circumstances and more than ever in human history the watchwords are honesty, analysis, courage, capacity for integration, value of education and all we mean by culture.
This is an age which calls for great minds to stand up and bring together the various strands of our existence--but as we would expect, in the delay, lack of anticipation of our circumstance by especially unwieldy institutions and political parties, first appearances by people having enough of the same old same old are logically raw and inchoate attempts at integration, like what occurs often in fields as diverse as music and science when there is a welling up of new perspectives and views at odds with each other call out for resolution and higher synthesis.
In short Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders are both welcome and certainly beyond the usual of both their parties no matter how stable and sound both their parties seem to be with the likes of Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton. The fact is neither major party is keeping up with circumstances. The Republican party is particularly appalling--I find it difficult not to conclude the Republican party is composed of blockheads and/or deceitful people and/or paranoics and/or intellectual cowards...
3
An interesting explanation, but perhaps too contrived, too intellectual. Trump doesn't fit into David's view of politics (e.g., a competition between half-truths) and so defaults to seeking a complex explanation when perhaps he should be reassessing his initial assumptions.
Brook's implicit assumption is that US voters (e.g., those polled) are as plugged-in and as thoughtful about politics and political issues as he - which may not be the case at all. Whether we chose to admit it or not, a large component of today's culture is celebrity-centric. And Trump is a celebrity.
Assuming the prevailing view is that politicians are 'devils', then Trump is the devil we know ... not the devil we don't.
Brook's implicit assumption is that US voters (e.g., those polled) are as plugged-in and as thoughtful about politics and political issues as he - which may not be the case at all. Whether we chose to admit it or not, a large component of today's culture is celebrity-centric. And Trump is a celebrity.
Assuming the prevailing view is that politicians are 'devils', then Trump is the devil we know ... not the devil we don't.
1
What is missing from this critique of the Donald, is the human desire for stability, for quiet, for certainty. We live in an economic time that thrives on instability, noise, and uncertainty. While these drivers of our new global economy appear to make us more money, they leave us a social/emotional wreck. The Donald masks over his role in fueling the drivers of economic disruption with the simple message of a return to an America where men were men, jobs were jobs, and families were families. That America or world no longer exists.
3
Watching Republicans in Congress since January 20, 2009, has convinced me that Trump is right--they are morons. More interested in defeating our President, hell-bent on putting out country back to something like 1958, dangerous for women, immigrants, African-Americans, gays, teachers, the poor, the middle class, and especially the uninsured.
Actually, the goal of a 1950's America is an improvement over bush-cheney. They nearly succeeded in taking us back to 1929.
Actually, the goal of a 1950's America is an improvement over bush-cheney. They nearly succeeded in taking us back to 1929.
8
Trump's appeal is to working and lower middle-class white voters who are not particularly well educated, live in white ethnic enclaves, and believe that they have been deserted by a Republican party that has moved too far into the white evangelical camp. In other words, he is appealing to Richard Nixon's disaffected white "moral majority."
This group is not likely to vote for Bush, who is perceived as an elite, nor for any of the Tea Party-courting candidates, who are perceived to be overly religious and, in many cases, regionally unacceptable because too "southern" or Midwestern. Trump supporters seem to me to be mostly suburban, ethnic whites.
They are also for the most part not terribly well informed or bright. They are hard workers, but have not made it to the top, and see Trump – ironically, given his rhetoric - as a potential loser like themselves, who transformed himself into a winner.
Trump seems to capture the interest of over age 65 whites who are, at this point, disgusted with the political process, and willing to send in a disruptive loudmouth, no matter how silly he sounds.
Trump is the legacy of three decades of Republican policies. This constituency are those who were left behind by poor education and a declining job market. They are looking for someone to voice their frustration and tell them that they are not as marginal as they know they are. They are in denial, and Trump is the voice of their frustration and fear.
This group is not likely to vote for Bush, who is perceived as an elite, nor for any of the Tea Party-courting candidates, who are perceived to be overly religious and, in many cases, regionally unacceptable because too "southern" or Midwestern. Trump supporters seem to me to be mostly suburban, ethnic whites.
They are also for the most part not terribly well informed or bright. They are hard workers, but have not made it to the top, and see Trump – ironically, given his rhetoric - as a potential loser like themselves, who transformed himself into a winner.
Trump seems to capture the interest of over age 65 whites who are, at this point, disgusted with the political process, and willing to send in a disruptive loudmouth, no matter how silly he sounds.
Trump is the legacy of three decades of Republican policies. This constituency are those who were left behind by poor education and a declining job market. They are looking for someone to voice their frustration and tell them that they are not as marginal as they know they are. They are in denial, and Trump is the voice of their frustration and fear.
8
Dear RCT: Hold your horses: I am a European immigrant, I have a PhD, and I love Trump. I am decades younger than 65. Go figure, Trump's appeal is wider than you thought.
Last night's get-together in New Hampshire of Republican candidates, except the one who counted, The Donald, assembled and proceeded to show America why this sad sack amalgam of presidential hopefuls are all Losers.
What a pathetic display. One sorry excuse for a candidate after another was sat down in a high-chair, pitched some softballs, then, after a few minutes, greeted by a woman with a folder, and dutifully marched off the stage. Along with the boredom this format oozed forth, it was humiliating to watch these mendicants put up with such nonsense to get some attention before they find out if they've made the FOX "News" First Draft, or are relegated to sit down before the Main Event, at the Children's Table for the Juniors Debate.
The elephant not in the room, or is he a Trojan Horse, The Donald, was the One person who could have livened up these funereal proceedings. He is the Only One anyone has any interest in hearing. But, true to The Donald's gut instincts, and the reason he is the Leader of the Pack, not such a great honor to begin with, The Donald skipped the event, basically indicating it was a waste of His Time. He had more important things to do. The Union-Leader didn't like him, was not going to endorse Him, so why bother. Leave it to The Donald to Trump all the Losers who showed up. By his absence, the hearts of supporters of The Donald only grew fonder.
This lifelong Democrat can't wait till Thursday.
Send in the clowns.
DD
Manhattan
What a pathetic display. One sorry excuse for a candidate after another was sat down in a high-chair, pitched some softballs, then, after a few minutes, greeted by a woman with a folder, and dutifully marched off the stage. Along with the boredom this format oozed forth, it was humiliating to watch these mendicants put up with such nonsense to get some attention before they find out if they've made the FOX "News" First Draft, or are relegated to sit down before the Main Event, at the Children's Table for the Juniors Debate.
The elephant not in the room, or is he a Trojan Horse, The Donald, was the One person who could have livened up these funereal proceedings. He is the Only One anyone has any interest in hearing. But, true to The Donald's gut instincts, and the reason he is the Leader of the Pack, not such a great honor to begin with, The Donald skipped the event, basically indicating it was a waste of His Time. He had more important things to do. The Union-Leader didn't like him, was not going to endorse Him, so why bother. Leave it to The Donald to Trump all the Losers who showed up. By his absence, the hearts of supporters of The Donald only grew fonder.
This lifelong Democrat can't wait till Thursday.
Send in the clowns.
DD
Manhattan
7
It seems that Mr. Brooks is struggling with a question. How can the Republican party be OK if Donald Trump is front runner?
The answer is that Trump is like a wart--a growth among the disaffected. Oh, and you Democrats have one too. His name is Bernie Sanders.
The problem I have with the argument is this statement. "In the Trump mind the world is not divided into right and left. Instead there are winners and losers. Society is led by losers who scorn and disrespect the people who are actually the winners."
This is portrayed as idiosyncratic to the Republican ideology, but that is incorrect. Rather, it is mainstream. That many Republicans are unhappy with Trump is not really a matter of ideology, but of his refusal to allow this ideology to be airbrushed into something more acceptable.
There is a complementarity between Sanders and Trump, but not in that they are similar. Sanders is one of many who are focused on revealing that the Republican ideal is Trump-like.
The answer is that Trump is like a wart--a growth among the disaffected. Oh, and you Democrats have one too. His name is Bernie Sanders.
The problem I have with the argument is this statement. "In the Trump mind the world is not divided into right and left. Instead there are winners and losers. Society is led by losers who scorn and disrespect the people who are actually the winners."
This is portrayed as idiosyncratic to the Republican ideology, but that is incorrect. Rather, it is mainstream. That many Republicans are unhappy with Trump is not really a matter of ideology, but of his refusal to allow this ideology to be airbrushed into something more acceptable.
There is a complementarity between Sanders and Trump, but not in that they are similar. Sanders is one of many who are focused on revealing that the Republican ideal is Trump-like.
2
i'm no fan of macro analyses, especially when they put the political system at the apex of human concerns.
less than one third of US employees are "engaged" (fulfilled) at work, and these are predominantly in the managerial and owner ranks. the people who slog in the trenches are not engaged and not rewarded. focus attention there instead.
humanity is not "alienated" in the traditional sense -- they're just tired of it all. tired of the piling up of problems, work arounds, conflicts, restrictions, and decreasing quality of life, capacity for control and assurance of security in an economic environment that depends on depleting nonrenewable resources and savaging the planet for profit.
where are we headed?
these problems are complex. sanders, trump gain their popularity from the fact that they offer simple solutions with the conviction that the solutions they propose (or promise they will implement) can solve the problems. they are panacea candidates.
they contrast with the candidates -- bush, clinton, et al. -- that come out of the broken management system and therefore are a priori simply going to perpetuate the solutions that do not work.
"trump's support base is weird." only if you believe politics matters. if you believe life matters, then humanity is coming to recognize we are in a hole, and only digging deeper.
trump is a simplistic answer to a problem we all can feel but won't admit exists: "we can't go on like this."
less than one third of US employees are "engaged" (fulfilled) at work, and these are predominantly in the managerial and owner ranks. the people who slog in the trenches are not engaged and not rewarded. focus attention there instead.
humanity is not "alienated" in the traditional sense -- they're just tired of it all. tired of the piling up of problems, work arounds, conflicts, restrictions, and decreasing quality of life, capacity for control and assurance of security in an economic environment that depends on depleting nonrenewable resources and savaging the planet for profit.
where are we headed?
these problems are complex. sanders, trump gain their popularity from the fact that they offer simple solutions with the conviction that the solutions they propose (or promise they will implement) can solve the problems. they are panacea candidates.
they contrast with the candidates -- bush, clinton, et al. -- that come out of the broken management system and therefore are a priori simply going to perpetuate the solutions that do not work.
"trump's support base is weird." only if you believe politics matters. if you believe life matters, then humanity is coming to recognize we are in a hole, and only digging deeper.
trump is a simplistic answer to a problem we all can feel but won't admit exists: "we can't go on like this."
4
The phenomena of Donald Trump is the reflection of of our society - it has very little to do with Trump. Any X, Y or Z with similar narsistic view will get the similar response.
Let us stop dissecting Trump and look deep in to our society - how we reach to this state. Few answers can be found if we look to the analysis of experts - first is the book Bell Curves, the second is the book Capital in twenty first century.
Two major things happened in the last 30 years that transformed American society - formation of a meritocracy class and capture of the wealth and power by that class.
Today we are slowly guiding ourself towards the pre- French Revolution state. The response to Trump and Bernie Sanders are sign of that trend. Hilary or Jeb may try to control this trend - but meritocracy class is a formidable force. We are only buying time from that fateful day.
Let us stop dissecting Trump and look deep in to our society - how we reach to this state. Few answers can be found if we look to the analysis of experts - first is the book Bell Curves, the second is the book Capital in twenty first century.
Two major things happened in the last 30 years that transformed American society - formation of a meritocracy class and capture of the wealth and power by that class.
Today we are slowly guiding ourself towards the pre- French Revolution state. The response to Trump and Bernie Sanders are sign of that trend. Hilary or Jeb may try to control this trend - but meritocracy class is a formidable force. We are only buying time from that fateful day.
2
No...Its Trump himself we like.
Trump will never be President? Seriously? There was a time in the distant and what now seems an idyllic past where one could confidently say that Reagan will never be President. In the more jaded, less idyllic past one could confidently say that Bush will never be elected President. And they in the simply jaded and exhausted past that Bush would never be elected the second time. The Republican Party has opened the door, declared an open house, and no one, absolutely no one should be surprised when the house invasion begins.
I think it is very possible that Trump will be elected President. And even though his business failures (which have received far less attention than his hair) are impressive, I found myself saying (only to myself) that, "Well, maybe he will go back to his old, liberal self."
The saddest thing for me is the line-up of uninspiring political hacks who have been around for years with the same old solutions to the same old problems, which seems always to begin with focus groups and market testing.
Bernie Sanders, like Donald Trump, is outside that tepid main stream and certainly doesn't have a chance. He is smart, passionate, and has bad hair. Note to media: Bernie Sanders has bad hair too. He says yet. Trump says no. Everybody else says, "I'll get back to you."
Donald Trump? Never President? I wish I could be so sure.
I think it is very possible that Trump will be elected President. And even though his business failures (which have received far less attention than his hair) are impressive, I found myself saying (only to myself) that, "Well, maybe he will go back to his old, liberal self."
The saddest thing for me is the line-up of uninspiring political hacks who have been around for years with the same old solutions to the same old problems, which seems always to begin with focus groups and market testing.
Bernie Sanders, like Donald Trump, is outside that tepid main stream and certainly doesn't have a chance. He is smart, passionate, and has bad hair. Note to media: Bernie Sanders has bad hair too. He says yet. Trump says no. Everybody else says, "I'll get back to you."
Donald Trump? Never President? I wish I could be so sure.
10
Trumps "old liberal self" is todays conservative
Here in Canada we are in the midst of an election and our own GOP has been in power for 10 years. Fortunately for Canadians our Provincial government are in charge of the things that most matter health, education and welfare so life in Canada is somewhat less stressful than in the USA.
It was 12 years ago when Harper's right wing reactionaries took over our centrist moderate Conservative party and started us on the road of political personal destruction and total disregard for the truth.
It is most remarkable that our present campaign about attacks on our opposition leaders and the conservative sound stewardship of the economy.
Sound stewardship of the economy includes the lowest average GDP growth in the developed word and an economy teetering on the brink of recession and possible depression. Our GDP growth over the conservative tenure is at its worse since the 1930s. Canada's 1% are doing rather well but for most Canadians the facts are these
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/some-hard-numbers-from-harpe...
The politics of fear work well when the corporate media is willing to spread the propaganda produced by those with the money but Canada has the salvation of strong local government otherwise we too would be clinging to our guns and bibles. Sometimes the truth is hard to get out because the voice of a corrupt media is so strong but right now the people of the USA need Bernie Sanders.
It was 12 years ago when Harper's right wing reactionaries took over our centrist moderate Conservative party and started us on the road of political personal destruction and total disregard for the truth.
It is most remarkable that our present campaign about attacks on our opposition leaders and the conservative sound stewardship of the economy.
Sound stewardship of the economy includes the lowest average GDP growth in the developed word and an economy teetering on the brink of recession and possible depression. Our GDP growth over the conservative tenure is at its worse since the 1930s. Canada's 1% are doing rather well but for most Canadians the facts are these
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/some-hard-numbers-from-harpe...
The politics of fear work well when the corporate media is willing to spread the propaganda produced by those with the money but Canada has the salvation of strong local government otherwise we too would be clinging to our guns and bibles. Sometimes the truth is hard to get out because the voice of a corrupt media is so strong but right now the people of the USA need Bernie Sanders.
13
Mr. Brooks: Usually, I do not read your columns but read your one today about Donald Trump in the hope that it might enlighten me about the popularity he is now enjoying. I was delighted to see that you do not think he will be elected president but am still unable to understand Trump's appeal to the masses of potential voters who do support him. Those masses frighten me because their credulity seems to me to be symptomatic of the decline of the American electoral system and, with it, the decline of the American system of democracy and the governance of the country as a whole.
To put it bluntly and rather vulgarly: How can so many people trust a man who wears an ill-fitting, faux-golden-blond hairpiece without enough self-awareness to know it makes him appear both foolish and consummately vain? Does anyone think so narcissistic a man would inconvenience himself to the extent of even attempting to plan any solution - never mind executing a plan he might devise - for even one of the tangled problems currently afflicting the U.S.? Why would anyone put his faith in this man's ability to "fix" our country? From my point of view, the apparently broad acceptance of Donald Trump's presidential candidacy is thoroughly distressing.
To put it bluntly and rather vulgarly: How can so many people trust a man who wears an ill-fitting, faux-golden-blond hairpiece without enough self-awareness to know it makes him appear both foolish and consummately vain? Does anyone think so narcissistic a man would inconvenience himself to the extent of even attempting to plan any solution - never mind executing a plan he might devise - for even one of the tangled problems currently afflicting the U.S.? Why would anyone put his faith in this man's ability to "fix" our country? From my point of view, the apparently broad acceptance of Donald Trump's presidential candidacy is thoroughly distressing.
9
That's not a hair-piece. It's a daring and innovative back-to-front comb-over. Few could pull it off. Even fewer would put up with the ridicule.
I don't like Trump as a person, but he will be President, and I expect a pretty good one. Obama, who I deeply respect, has proven that the job is not for intelligent thoughtful people. Trump fills the bill - strong, outspoken, impatient, and mindlessly patriotic. And these days, what's good for America truly is good for the rest of the world. It's our last and only hope.
I don't like Trump as a person, but he will be President, and I expect a pretty good one. Obama, who I deeply respect, has proven that the job is not for intelligent thoughtful people. Trump fills the bill - strong, outspoken, impatient, and mindlessly patriotic. And these days, what's good for America truly is good for the rest of the world. It's our last and only hope.
Take a trip through Walmart or any other such big box. And then read David Brooks's column again.
Great quote from Walter Lippman about the alienation from politics experienced by many. I suspect the feeling of the 'common man' that "he reigns in theory, but in fact he does not govern" extends and is extending far beyond the populist segment fascinated with Trump. And it is not abstract, but every figure could support it: the money the lobbyists spend for causes, that don't have anything to do with him, the promises that are made to him, almost with a snigger and a wink, to be discarded as soon as the election is won; the conviction among the elite that they know far better to arrange the lives of those below, than those benighted souls could possibly do for themselves. If this feeling is spreading, it likely is because it is not an illusion, but an experience.
4
Trump is a product of our shallow, "reality" based media driven society. He doesn't speak to real issue in realistic ways. He is in mold of the president who rules in Idiocracy, elected by an populace of idiots. The consensus of a recent focus group was that Trump "is one of us". He certainly is.
3
Similar circumstances are present in today's America as to when the Third Reich came into power. Alienation, frustration, unfulfilled promises & dreams shattered by an economy unable to support the educated class. Only thing missing is hyper inflation...beware: we are off the gold standard.
How about getting to the root issues of public alienation rather than another article on "feelings?" Trump brought up the issues of illegal immigration and bad trade deals. Most every other candidate including Democrats don't comment on those issues either.
If the "anointed" candidates can't speak about issues that affect everyday Americans they have what's coming to them: irrelevance.
If the "anointed" candidates can't speak about issues that affect everyday Americans they have what's coming to them: irrelevance.
1
I was alive during the McCarthy era. It was a time of unprecedented economic growth. It was a time where fear of the other was used to spur the growth of the consumer society. It was a time where the threat of Jews and People of Colour was used to steer white families out of cities and into suburbs so they could sell cars and loads of consumer goods and the dreams of the happiness of lots of stuff.
Fear has always been the most important political tool in the the arsenal of the world's right wing and though more effective during times of shortage it is extremely effective in times of plenty.
When William F Buckley drew up America's Conservative Manifesto in Sharon Connecticut it was done with the full understanding that America was about the welfare of himself and his neighbours none of whom could be classified as coloured, Jewish or working class.
Trump's success is his ability to have white working class America buy into believing that they too are part of the elite of American society is Trump's greatest asset and our corporate media has no desire to dispel the myth at the core of "conservatism."
Fear has always been the most important political tool in the the arsenal of the world's right wing and though more effective during times of shortage it is extremely effective in times of plenty.
When William F Buckley drew up America's Conservative Manifesto in Sharon Connecticut it was done with the full understanding that America was about the welfare of himself and his neighbours none of whom could be classified as coloured, Jewish or working class.
Trump's success is his ability to have white working class America buy into believing that they too are part of the elite of American society is Trump's greatest asset and our corporate media has no desire to dispel the myth at the core of "conservatism."
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"Trump's success is his ability to have white working class America buy into believing that they too are part of the elite of American society..."
Substitute "The Republican's" for "Trump's" and you have the American political picture for the past 50 or so years.
Substitute "The Republican's" for "Trump's" and you have the American political picture for the past 50 or so years.
1
P.S. There was no election in 2014. It was the climax to the 40+ war against democracy in the United States waged by the ALEC/Koch brothers/Wall Street/u.s. chamber of commerce/nra/radical religious right/major media corporate conglomerate that gave them control of OUR U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, OUR U.S. supreme court and OUR governorships/legislatures/local politicians across America and that Mr. Brooks so lovingly promotes. WE can overturn their democracy-destroying agenda in the next elections. OUR VOTES are all that matter and what they are spending $$$Billions trying to buy or keep us from using. Vote Anyway and do not vote for one of the corporate conglomerate's candidates no matter what "party" they say they are from.
11
DT is a thief. He uses OUR "economic development" taxpayer to build huge monuments to himself, sucks off most of the money for personal use and when his brilliant ideas don't pay off he goes bankrupt, sticking it to taxpayers and other creditors again. WE are stupid for allowing him to continue his mafia-type scams and must all work to make sure OUR economic development taxpayer dollars do not go to thieves like he and his developer buddies but go to strengthen OUR communities. Mr. Brooks, you say, "Hillary Clinton may win through sheer determination, but she’s not a natural fit for this moment." Au contraire - Ms. Hillary Rodham Clinton will be the next President of the United States because she is the most qualified candidate by a landslide and WE will vote for her.
13
Qualified? Clinton is like that annoying girl we all knew in high school who joined every organization and did every activity just so she could have the most things under her year book photo. Hillary is a title collector. She's done little to be qualified except marry a man who was President.
one of Trump's monuments to himself is going up right here in DC on Pennsylvania Avenue, known as "America's main street." How did this happen?
Like any brilliant sleight of hand magician, Trump has perfected his craft. Keep interest on the hand that isn't tricking you (he tells it like it is?) and the one that does will surely never be detected.
If he keeps the focus on his empty words and his loud, obnoxious rants that are great diversions designed to divide us, he hopes we will never think to ask about his own failures.
If he keeps the focus on his empty words and his loud, obnoxious rants that are great diversions designed to divide us, he hopes we will never think to ask about his own failures.
To say that Trump will never be president is to overestimate the intelligence of the American people.
Americans have already proven that they can elect a majority of, dare I say, "morons": witness the Republican majority in the House of Representatives.
And history reminds us that democracy can be hijacked from time to time. Witness Germany in the thirties, and Italy with Berlesconi.
So if Trump becomes the Republican nominee, I fully expect DB to support and vote for Hillary. But if he gets that far, there are not enough potty trained republicans to keep him from going all the way. It will be up to the Democrats to (again) do the heavy lifting to keep him away from the White House.
Americans have already proven that they can elect a majority of, dare I say, "morons": witness the Republican majority in the House of Representatives.
And history reminds us that democracy can be hijacked from time to time. Witness Germany in the thirties, and Italy with Berlesconi.
So if Trump becomes the Republican nominee, I fully expect DB to support and vote for Hillary. But if he gets that far, there are not enough potty trained republicans to keep him from going all the way. It will be up to the Democrats to (again) do the heavy lifting to keep him away from the White House.
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That's right, because welfare recipients are scholars according to the Democrats. lol
The notion that Donald Trump has this great appeal is highly overblown. Trump is very popular with the brand of Republican that the Republican Party has been concocting for years They have created a toxic brew of religious ideologues, racists, misogynists and uninformed malcontents. This is being used to great advantage by the corporate plutocrats l who can use this to gain control of the government to further their own agendas. Back in the Eisenhower years people saw the Republican Party as the fiscal conservatives, not the party who declared the Federal government to,be the enemy of the people. Nixon used racism to flip the south Republican after the passage of the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act of the 60s, and Reagan used an economic downturn to begin the transfer of wealth from the middle class to the wealthiest. Today the Republicans blame any economic problems on teachers, police, firefighters and every person who works for the government. Chris Christie just cited the teacher unions as the great enemy of education.." The bullies that deserve a punch in the nose". Donald Trump is a shameless self promoter who has no clue how to govern. Too many CEOS fell flat on their faces as Governors in the past. Trump's appeal is a sad commentary on the state of America today. In a country where appealing to the disgruntled, and those who resist change is the M.O.i of the GOP, Trump is having the time of his life. Politics is not his career, he has nothing to lose
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The GOP target "police and firefighters"? Since when?
Not true Lorraine. I am a fan of Trump, and I am a New York liberal, independent, highly educated, non religious, very well informed, not a Republican nutcase. Never voted in the last 3 elections, but might now, if Trump, Sanders or Elisabeth Warren get the nomination.
1
There are an awful lot of corporate CEOs who fell flat on their faces trying to run corporations. Fiorini comes to mind.
Just what you'd expect; it's the liberal tactic of suggesting stupidity and "anger" to discredit, as in the simple people are so angry that they are irrational...therefore nothing they say is likely grounded in reasonable thought; Brook's piece is just another attempt to protect the liberal Washington establishment and simply argues that Trump's numbers are the result of stupid people feeling like the gov't isn't giving them enough "stuff"...the most simple explanation for Trump's support is that it's America (some) giving Washington a collective middle finger...
6
So Brooks is a liberal now? LOL. Truth be told he very nearly nails it. For years the Repubs have used inflamatory rhetoric and cultivated the disgruntled extremes. Now they are reaping what they have sowed.
But Brooks is not liberal at all. He's considered a moderate to conservative pundit.
And frankly I"m not sure I see the difference between saying that Trump is the medium through which "America ... giving Washington a collective middle finger" and saying that "people are so angry that they are irrational." In both cases Trump embodies people so angry that they are beyond discussion.
And frankly I"m not sure I see the difference between saying that Trump is the medium through which "America ... giving Washington a collective middle finger" and saying that "people are so angry that they are irrational." In both cases Trump embodies people so angry that they are beyond discussion.
Summit, you forgot the conservative Washington establishment also. the lines
get blurred in Washington when it comes to money. You should read Mark Leibovich's book "This Town".
get blurred in Washington when it comes to money. You should read Mark Leibovich's book "This Town".
“Bernie Sanders is swimming with the tide. He’s a conviction politician comfortable with class conflict. Many people on the left have a generalized, vague hunger for fundamental systemic change or at least the atmospherics of radical change.”
This assault on the candidacy of Bernie Sanders confirms David Brooks as a blindly partisan advocate of the ultra conservative right wing of the Republican party.
This is the wing that has depleted the treasury of the United States in costly and senseless wars, which Mr. Brooks promoted and defended, the wars that made the rich richer and the poor poorer.
This is the wing that has neglected the urgency of refurbishing an obsolete, damaged and badly needed infrastructure.
This is the wing that has allowed the financial crisis of 2008, the crisis that nearly brought this country to its knees, were it not for the diligence and acumen of President Obama, whose much needed progressive program this wing has blocked every inch of the way.
Bernie Sanders is a decent, forthright and progressive reformer. The appeal he has generated is a glimmer of hope and a clear response to the wrongs perpetrated against the American people by the obstructionist wing of the Republican party.
By lavishing his column on Donald Trump and yet ignoring the massive and growing appeal of the candidacy of Bernie Sanders and reducing it to “class conflict,” David Brooks ignores the lessons of history and does Bernie Sanders' movement a grave injustice.
This assault on the candidacy of Bernie Sanders confirms David Brooks as a blindly partisan advocate of the ultra conservative right wing of the Republican party.
This is the wing that has depleted the treasury of the United States in costly and senseless wars, which Mr. Brooks promoted and defended, the wars that made the rich richer and the poor poorer.
This is the wing that has neglected the urgency of refurbishing an obsolete, damaged and badly needed infrastructure.
This is the wing that has allowed the financial crisis of 2008, the crisis that nearly brought this country to its knees, were it not for the diligence and acumen of President Obama, whose much needed progressive program this wing has blocked every inch of the way.
Bernie Sanders is a decent, forthright and progressive reformer. The appeal he has generated is a glimmer of hope and a clear response to the wrongs perpetrated against the American people by the obstructionist wing of the Republican party.
By lavishing his column on Donald Trump and yet ignoring the massive and growing appeal of the candidacy of Bernie Sanders and reducing it to “class conflict,” David Brooks ignores the lessons of history and does Bernie Sanders' movement a grave injustice.
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Bernie Sanders is a self-proclaimed Socialist. To this day he's an independent because he couldn't get a Congressional seat running as who he is. How fitting that since Obama, he - and The-Party-Formerly-Known-As-Democratic - now feel comfortable wearing the mantle of the Democratic Party. Speaks volumes as to who they are and what they stand for today.
There is no "obstructionist wing of the Republican party", the obstructionist wing is the republican party. It is all they have. It is all they can be. It is time for it to be swallowed up by history. Hopefully, before they take the rest of us with them.
1
Ego as Ideology - a fascinating headline considering the article is not about Hillary.
7
Boilerplate Brooks dishonesty. Bernie Sanders is comfortable with class conflict? Um, no. He's the ONLY candidate addressing the issues of the middle class. Meanwhile, a handful of Republicants are bowing and scraping before the billionaire Koch Brothers while saying that the Kochs have the middle class interests at heart.
As for the Donald, with columns like this, nobody will ever know just how brass plated a hypocrite he is. Four business bankruptcies, three wives, and a claim that he can bring manufacturing jobs back to America while at the same time having a line of clothes with his name on it manufactured in China.
As for the Donald, with columns like this, nobody will ever know just how brass plated a hypocrite he is. Four business bankruptcies, three wives, and a claim that he can bring manufacturing jobs back to America while at the same time having a line of clothes with his name on it manufactured in China.
65
It's not a generalized vague hunger, Mr. Brooks. Nor will we settle for "the atmospherics of radical change." Those of us left of center are struggling financially too, and fight for very specific things: higher minimum wage, affordable housing, a criminal justice system that works for all, a nonmilitarized police force that actually serves and protects. Your comments had that faint allusion to "armchair radicals" that was once popular to discredit people on the left. Open your eyes. We're not sitting down. And we're actually winning some of what we want.
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I couldn't agree more. I found his comment to be insulting. My hunger for economic and social justice is far from vague nor do I desire only atmospherics. As usual Mr. Brooks simply demonstrates his lack of connection with anyone other than the country club set.
No you have the illusion of "winning" what you want. What you want is available to all who get themselves educated, acquire skills and experience, work hard, apply themselves, and accept that life is not a guarantee of anything and the role of government is not to make us all equally miserable and equally poor and equally oppressed.
Trump is refreshing to so many because he calls it like it is. He isn't afraid of offending anyone and he is not beholden to so many like HC is and most of the GOP candidates. Americans, other than millenials, are sick and tired of the politically correctness that our society has become. Bring on Bernie and the Donald. What election that would be!
5
If Mr. Trump were to offend you, would you find him so "refreshing"?
Has any GOP carnival barker spoken with any clarity and intellect about issues that actually affect the daily lives of 320 million Americans ?
Has any one of them - including Trumpty Dumpty - said how they'll fix the roads, the airports and fund critical government services like the FAA, the Highway Transportation Fund, Medicare, Social Security, the SEC, the IRS, the Department of Justice and the Ex-Im Bank ?
They have all offered to drown government in a tax-cutting bathtub, but government by strangulation is actually a discredited theory...except at the University of Nihilism.
The reason Americans don't have faith in government is that Republicans have destroyed the concept of government in the Senate, the House, the Supreme Court and with the President by pursuing the political path of anger, division, racism, cultured ignorance and stupidity over 35 consecutive years.
The Republican Party created modern feudalism and the modern right-wing propaganda-industrial complex by working hard at brainwashing Americans of their intellectually bankrupt ideology for 35 years.
So it's certainly no wonder that a professional bloviator and federal bankruptcy expert - Trumpty Dumpty - the spoiled gambling brat of millionaire Fred who made his millions building homes with FHA (government funding) - is winning the Know Nothing-No Idea carnival barking contest.
Not only has Republican 'ideology' destroyed America; it's destroyed the Republican Party.
Nihilism As Ideology: GOP 2015.
Has any one of them - including Trumpty Dumpty - said how they'll fix the roads, the airports and fund critical government services like the FAA, the Highway Transportation Fund, Medicare, Social Security, the SEC, the IRS, the Department of Justice and the Ex-Im Bank ?
They have all offered to drown government in a tax-cutting bathtub, but government by strangulation is actually a discredited theory...except at the University of Nihilism.
The reason Americans don't have faith in government is that Republicans have destroyed the concept of government in the Senate, the House, the Supreme Court and with the President by pursuing the political path of anger, division, racism, cultured ignorance and stupidity over 35 consecutive years.
The Republican Party created modern feudalism and the modern right-wing propaganda-industrial complex by working hard at brainwashing Americans of their intellectually bankrupt ideology for 35 years.
So it's certainly no wonder that a professional bloviator and federal bankruptcy expert - Trumpty Dumpty - the spoiled gambling brat of millionaire Fred who made his millions building homes with FHA (government funding) - is winning the Know Nothing-No Idea carnival barking contest.
Not only has Republican 'ideology' destroyed America; it's destroyed the Republican Party.
Nihilism As Ideology: GOP 2015.
974
Talk about bloviation. These snarky and obnoxious caricatures of republicans are wearing thin. The only creativity involved is how the same old tired message can be phrased differently.
16
<3
Thanks, Socrates. There must be something about the name "Fred". That was the Koch brothers' daddy's name and they also inherited the wealth they are using to destroy democracy in America.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_C._Koch
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_C._Koch
1
Would be great to see Maine's Gov. Paul LePage on the ticket with Trump: two guys the pols and press hate, the people like.
5
@Phil: Yes, LePage ('idiot thug governor' of Maine according to US News and World Report) and Trump. Two idiots ruining the country completely. Bullies To The World. No, thanks. Maine is being ruined by LePage. We don't need the entire country ruined by him. And, no, Phil, most people in Maine abhor our governor - if you can call him that.
1
Yes, right after LePage is impeached.
As you well know, only a minority of the Maine electorate liked LePage well enough to vote for him. If a 3rd candidate hadn't been running both times, he wouldn't have been elected. Libby Mitchell & Eliot Cutler both contributed to to LePage's victory.
Would love to see LePage on a Republican ticket with Trump: Two know-it-all, insulting, bloviating gasbags - That would guarantee another Democratic presidency.
Would love to see LePage on a Republican ticket with Trump: Two know-it-all, insulting, bloviating gasbags - That would guarantee another Democratic presidency.
The business of government, of fact based decision making is boring. The hard work buttressing climate change, economic growth, income distribution, gun control, providing medical services to the poor and foreign policy are arcane and complicated and just too difficult to sit down and understand unless you're one of those suspicious types who have the time and interest to read books and papers and maybe the NY Times. Much of the nation seems afflicted by A.D.D. and 'know-nothingness'. No need really to look to Walter Lippmann (a suspicious type) for answers. The inimitable H.L. Mencken observed many many years ago that "... for every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong". And with the support of hundreds of millions of dollars of rich folks' money, irresponsible civic, religious and political leaders and a complicit press that prefers titillating sound bites to hardnosed analysis "clear" and "simple" trump "wrong"....
53
@Chris Parel: Mencken also said: 'Democracy is the idea that the common people know what they want and deserve to get it......good and hard!" I am afraid they will get their wish!
"He draws people as individuals, not groups." Brooks is right. This is the key to understanding Trump, just as "bowling alone" is the key to our social life. This approach to politics may actually succeed because we step into the polling booth as an individual and in fact we express our social selves today as alienated individuals -- see all the anonymous vituperative comments on the internet. In contrast, the movements whereby we come together, such as Occupy Wall Street and Tea Party, dissipate as quickly as they form. Trump expresses the fact that America worships the individual at the price of community, which is why his success is our failure.
23
Brooks is pretty much spot on in noting that much of Trump's appeal stems from his tagging his entrenched political opponents as "stupid." Where he's slightly off is by failing to note that Trump also seems to label them as spineless and too scared to tell the truth, thus rendering them incapable of solving the problems we face as a nation.
Trump presents himself as being brave enough to call things as they really are, and capably tough enough to actually get things done. When compared to most candidates, who cower behind panel-tested sound-bites and bromides, and who routinely just kick the can down the road, people find Trump appealing.
What he's counting on is that Americans will respect him for his no-nonsense candor, and his can do and proven approach to problem solving..
Thus far at least, Trump's fans seem to be overlooking his other, very real inadequacies in favor of his clarity of message and purposeful approach to the job, much as Ronald Reagan did.
Pay attention, America. Voters elected Reagan, twice. Trump is effectively saying that he'll scream "You're fired!" to business-as-usual politicians, and a whole lot of people seem to like him for it. The real question is whether the voters, in sufficient quantity, are brave enough and tough enough to actually vote for him, damn the consequences. Stay tuned.
Trump presents himself as being brave enough to call things as they really are, and capably tough enough to actually get things done. When compared to most candidates, who cower behind panel-tested sound-bites and bromides, and who routinely just kick the can down the road, people find Trump appealing.
What he's counting on is that Americans will respect him for his no-nonsense candor, and his can do and proven approach to problem solving..
Thus far at least, Trump's fans seem to be overlooking his other, very real inadequacies in favor of his clarity of message and purposeful approach to the job, much as Ronald Reagan did.
Pay attention, America. Voters elected Reagan, twice. Trump is effectively saying that he'll scream "You're fired!" to business-as-usual politicians, and a whole lot of people seem to like him for it. The real question is whether the voters, in sufficient quantity, are brave enough and tough enough to actually vote for him, damn the consequences. Stay tuned.
56
When you put it that way, I almost want to vote for him myself.
4
What, pray tell, is Trump going to "get done"? Bluster and insults don't translate into policy. I went to his campaign website https://www.donaldjtrump.com to see where he stood on issues. He says nothing about issues or proposed policy. Most campaign websites give at least some hints about where the candidate stands on foreign policy, taxes, budgets, health care, Social Security, etc. Trump's site says absolutely nothing about any of that. It's all about his success as a businessman and how he's ahead in the polls. He seems to think he can step into the Oval Office and turn the U.S.A into a profitable business again just by sheer force of will. He seems to think he can be a dictator, the way CEOs are within their own companies. But with no policy ideas and no clue how to work with Congress, he'd be utterly ineffectual. We might as well elect a sandwich.
Imagine an alternative universe with Trump as President but none of the characters in the House or Senate have changed. Would anything reasonable get accomplished, any pressing problem addressed or solved?
Little has been done with Republicans controlling both and little will continue to be done unless individuals (the "people") pay attention to whom they are electing to Congress and in their states.
Little has been done with Republicans controlling both and little will continue to be done unless individuals (the "people") pay attention to whom they are electing to Congress and in their states.
With almost 1/4 of your party supporting Trump it shows how politically bankrupt the republicans are in 2015 but perhaps worse than the clownish antics profiled by a bored press during summer is the fact that your party's nominee will be selected by the Koch brothers, Sheldon Addelson and a few other plutocrats trying to dominate our country.
You seem to yearn for a Republican Party of many decades ago but can't quite come to grips with the reality that today's GOP is dominated by the far right.
You seem to yearn for a Republican Party of many decades ago but can't quite come to grips with the reality that today's GOP is dominated by the far right.
29
Brooks observes: "Just three in 10 Americans believe that their views are represented in Washington." But who is responsible for this hatred of Washington? For the past twenty years, Republicans have paralyzed Congress. In the Obama years they consistently placed their partisan agenda above positive action. As I write, Ted Cruz is threatening to initiate another government shutdown. So the uneducated Trump supporter looks at Washington, sees the paralysis created by right wing Republicans, and concludes what? "We need more right wing Republicans like Donald Trump."
45
Do the other seven in ten Republicans vote? If so, are they voting for candidates who represent their views?
If the answer to both those questions is yes: welcome to democracy!
If the answer to both those questions is yes: welcome to democracy!
It's amazing that name recognition, a bank account and ego are enough to lead the polls in a presidential primary. Gotta hand it to this guy tho - never serving in elected office, never having working out complex social issues coordinating carefully and respectfully with folks of all walks of life, it requires some pretty savvy maneuvers to be listened to by so many with such a thin resume.
It’s not as if he’s been an unknown entity. Twelve years ago, in Rick Reilly's hilarious 2003 book “Who's Your Caddy?,” Rick describes his 3 hour job caddying for Trump, noting: “Trump very much likes attention. For himself, yes, but also for his hotels, his apartments, his casinos, his office buildings… his golf courses. He understands the value of free publicity. He craves it, lives for it, screams for it.”
Trump reminds me of Robert Ritchie who ran against President Bartlet in the show ‘West Wing’. Ritchie had 10 word responses to issues of the day, with no meat nor real plan to address those issues. At one point, Bartlet tells Ritchie about the murder of a Secret Service agent, to which Ritchie responds "Crime. Boy, I don't know." After further discussion where Ritchie verbally trashes Bartlet, Bartlet left noting"in the future, if you're wondering, 'Crime. Boy, I don't know' is when I decided to kick your ass."
Hopefully the other serious, dedicated and honorable Republican candidates will finally say ‘game on’ and kick this guy from here to kingdom come.
It’s not as if he’s been an unknown entity. Twelve years ago, in Rick Reilly's hilarious 2003 book “Who's Your Caddy?,” Rick describes his 3 hour job caddying for Trump, noting: “Trump very much likes attention. For himself, yes, but also for his hotels, his apartments, his casinos, his office buildings… his golf courses. He understands the value of free publicity. He craves it, lives for it, screams for it.”
Trump reminds me of Robert Ritchie who ran against President Bartlet in the show ‘West Wing’. Ritchie had 10 word responses to issues of the day, with no meat nor real plan to address those issues. At one point, Bartlet tells Ritchie about the murder of a Secret Service agent, to which Ritchie responds "Crime. Boy, I don't know." After further discussion where Ritchie verbally trashes Bartlet, Bartlet left noting"in the future, if you're wondering, 'Crime. Boy, I don't know' is when I decided to kick your ass."
Hopefully the other serious, dedicated and honorable Republican candidates will finally say ‘game on’ and kick this guy from here to kingdom come.
7
You mention "... the other serious, dedicated and honorable Republican candidates." Who might they be?
"the other serious, dedicated and honorable Republican candidates"
Why, is there someone about to enter the race that we don't know about?
Why, is there someone about to enter the race that we don't know about?
Serious, honorable and dedicated republicans? Surely you jest.
To me Trump sounds no more ill informed and crazy than the other Republican candidates. If we have to pick crazy I would rather it be Penn than a career politician drop-out, success despite giant bankruptcies instead of failure in pay school loans, etc. I remember his proposed 14% tax on billionaires to pay off the deficit.. With the rest we are guaranteed bad policies that will hurt the middle class. With Trump it's at least a crap shoot.
2
I'm hopeful that the next 16 months will see a revival of a seldom-used English word that was adopted long ago from French. The word is trumpery.
http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/trumpery
"Pretty or fancy objects that are completely useless..."
http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/trumpery
"Pretty or fancy objects that are completely useless..."
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I shall make it a personal mission to bring it back, at least among my own circle of friends.
Donald Trump's appeal is not of this moment. He simply represents what so many Americans have wanted for so long. Over time crass materialism and the culture of the successful independent self in America have ossified into a ugly carapace. The eye holes in this shell are small--the citizen sees only the things he wants to buy or have, and they needn't come with refinement or even good taste. Coupled with the dying throes of ignorant far-right ideology in which reason, science, nuance, adaptation and tolerance are abandoned, the condition lacks only an icon. He is what so many of us aspire to be or have become--in our minds. Another way to see it--he embodies how far we have come from values America should have begun taking to heart in the sixties and seventies. That's why this essay seems overblown and apologetic.
23
" Coupled with the dying throes of ignorant far-right ideology . . . " Couldn't be farther off the mark. Liberal wishful thinking. The Republican far right is stronger than ever. They control the primary process which means that they determine the profile of Republican candidates. And that profile reflects their mindset and values. It is the far right that provides the ideological engine for the current Republican party.
It's the far right that gave us a House dominated by narrow minded ideologues without a clue how to govern or a scintilla of loyalty to country above party. Mitt Romney was not at all their cup of tea and he never got their whole hearted support. Trump, however, couldn't be more different from Romney. Polar opposites, really. Much more the hard right's cup of tea.
The right deeply resents the social changes that America has undergone since WW2, what most of us see as a welcome and overdue evolution. Indeed, those changes are absolutely repugnant to the hard right. When Obama painted them as bitter and clinging in their bitterness to their guns and Bibles, he was spot on. We ignore them at our own peril. Bitter, deeply offended, and ignorant people are ripe fruit for demigods. See Hitler, Adolf; Germany 1930s. We should never forget that Hitler was democratically elected. Trump is leading in the polls. Don't suppose that reason will out with the Republican electorate. Bitterness, anger will trump it. (sorry, couldn't resist)
It's the far right that gave us a House dominated by narrow minded ideologues without a clue how to govern or a scintilla of loyalty to country above party. Mitt Romney was not at all their cup of tea and he never got their whole hearted support. Trump, however, couldn't be more different from Romney. Polar opposites, really. Much more the hard right's cup of tea.
The right deeply resents the social changes that America has undergone since WW2, what most of us see as a welcome and overdue evolution. Indeed, those changes are absolutely repugnant to the hard right. When Obama painted them as bitter and clinging in their bitterness to their guns and Bibles, he was spot on. We ignore them at our own peril. Bitter, deeply offended, and ignorant people are ripe fruit for demigods. See Hitler, Adolf; Germany 1930s. We should never forget that Hitler was democratically elected. Trump is leading in the polls. Don't suppose that reason will out with the Republican electorate. Bitterness, anger will trump it. (sorry, couldn't resist)
The last thing this country needs is someone like Trump, who, like Obama, would enter the White House with no clue how to get legislation passed through Congress. They both think that calling the opposition morons or not up on the facts, or just playing politics will somehow accomplish something. Trump, the serial declarer of bankruptcy and plaintiff in scores of lawsuits, has neither the temperment nor the experience necessary to be President.
5
I have NEVER heard the President call anyone a moron. What is true is that many Americans feel like morons when confronted with eloquence and reason, rather than an appeal based on mutual ignorance. Voters who are uncomfortable with their own stupidity compound the error by imagining that they have been insulted, rather than merely exposed. We just love to wallow in the preposterous notion that any good ol' bellowing lout is perfectly qualified for public office. And if that's what a strong majority want, then that is indeed what we will get.
1
Mr. Brooks touches on a few of the reasons for Mr. Trump's popularity, but, I wish he had gone into greater depths. Trump is a "Dorian Gray"-type image of America as a whole. He is insulting, rude, angry, self absorbed and selfish. At my advancing age, I've noticed more and more of those very same traits in our society. This phenomenon cuts across nearly all lines. In the grocery store, the malls, the movie theaters, the highways, it seems that so many people are rude, insensitive, angry and, especially, afraid.
Mr. Trump appeals to those folks and he stokes the fires of these feelings. From my vantage point of nearly 70 years, there have always been reasons for these feelings. The main difference is that we now have more "Trumps" telling us every day that we "should" be angry, etc.
Mr. Trump likely won't win, but, I expect to see more of his ilk going forward. he is the template for the office-seeker of the future. That seems very sad and frightening to me.
Mr. Trump appeals to those folks and he stokes the fires of these feelings. From my vantage point of nearly 70 years, there have always been reasons for these feelings. The main difference is that we now have more "Trumps" telling us every day that we "should" be angry, etc.
Mr. Trump likely won't win, but, I expect to see more of his ilk going forward. he is the template for the office-seeker of the future. That seems very sad and frightening to me.
38
Well put. Couldn't agree more. You get the democracy you deserve. Trump represents, almost to the point of caricature, much of what is ugly about America. Why are we surprised then that this person who reflects many of our societal traits is well liked in the polls? He is us. Sadly.
1
Mr. Brooks is deeply rooted in the currents of our time. So much to read but not much of it very meaningful. There was a wonderful article in the magazine on Sunday about the history of voting rights and the people on either side of the issue that makes this column look vague and simplistic and not worthy of being printed in the same publication. The thing that is so consistently disappointing about Brooks is that he is so much like Donald Trump. He fills a vacuum with another vacuum.
20
"He fills a vacuum with another vacuum." Bravo! One of the sharpest comments I've ever read about Brooks!
"He fills a vacuum with another vacuum". Perfectly stated. As others have stated, Trump is an indication of the condition of America in 2015. And so many of us - and I include myself in this - fill one vacuum with another. Instead of reading something meaningful that might be difficult, no, I decide to just read another David Brooks column. We are all filling vacuums with other vacuums and nothing real or meaningful ever gets accomplished.
Thank you for this phrase. For my own life, I will keep it close and remind myself that filling one vacuum with another, is not much of a life lived.
Thank you for this phrase. For my own life, I will keep it close and remind myself that filling one vacuum with another, is not much of a life lived.
When given the choice of the flunky a billionaire controls, or the billionaire himself, people are saying, "lets take the billionaire". Who knows, Trump could turn out to be another Roosevelt, a traitor to his class. Or perhaps he'll just make the trains run on time. I doubt seriously that even Trump doesn't know what kind of president he wants to be. Getting this far is as much a surprise to him as it is to everybody else.
7
Quoting Mr. Brooks:
"Many people on the left have a generalized, vague hunger for fundamental systemic change or at least the atmospherics of radical change."
Why does this feel like backwards day? The atmospherics of radical change are not coming from the left. The left isn't out wearing Confederate flag gear and strutting around in public wearing their guns like the latest fashion statement; the left isn't trying -- again -- to shut down the government; this time over funding for an organization that primarily provides contraceptions, cancer screenings, and STD treatment. The left isn't frothing at the mouth to take on ISIS and invade Syria. The left isn't trying to destabilize the economy by revoking Obamacare. The left isn't trying to make turn our nation into a theocracy.
The rhetoric of radical doesn't spring fourth from the left; it's the mainstream of the right.
"Many people on the left have a generalized, vague hunger for fundamental systemic change or at least the atmospherics of radical change."
Why does this feel like backwards day? The atmospherics of radical change are not coming from the left. The left isn't out wearing Confederate flag gear and strutting around in public wearing their guns like the latest fashion statement; the left isn't trying -- again -- to shut down the government; this time over funding for an organization that primarily provides contraceptions, cancer screenings, and STD treatment. The left isn't frothing at the mouth to take on ISIS and invade Syria. The left isn't trying to destabilize the economy by revoking Obamacare. The left isn't trying to make turn our nation into a theocracy.
The rhetoric of radical doesn't spring fourth from the left; it's the mainstream of the right.
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It's called the false equivalency and it is needed to sell newspapers and other media by creating the false meme that "they all do it" thereby absolving these angry, white Americans of any responsibility for their own actions in whom they elect.
2
It is not a good sign for this country that The Donald is so popular. He is nothing but a school yard bully running around calling everyone stupid. I mean really!
Is this the best we can do? Do we now admire a mindless egomaniac who is so in love with himself he is blinded to others less fortunate than he is?
He grew up with money. he had a head start and now he derides those who have had to fight their way up in our society.
There are so many smart, good people out there who deserve our admiration and trust. Trump is not one of them.
Is this the best we can do? Do we now admire a mindless egomaniac who is so in love with himself he is blinded to others less fortunate than he is?
He grew up with money. he had a head start and now he derides those who have had to fight their way up in our society.
There are so many smart, good people out there who deserve our admiration and trust. Trump is not one of them.
17
"He is nothing but a school yard bully running around calling everyone stupid."
But they are stupid.
Actually they are probably not as stupid as they try to seem. That is even worse.
True, Trump is a nasty piece of work. But he is also right about that.
But they are stupid.
Actually they are probably not as stupid as they try to seem. That is even worse.
True, Trump is a nasty piece of work. But he is also right about that.
3
We've seen this play before, and it didn't end well. In 1937 Mussolini said "Here is the epitaph I want on my tombstone: here lies one of the most intelligent animals who ever lived". Il Duce said this, but I can well imagine The Donald holding a similar view.
When any one man believes that he, and he alone, is the most intelligent man in the room, it automatically follows that anyone who presents a different opinion is either lying or too stupid to recognize their own mistakes. Is this the sort of person we want in the White House?
Mussolini ended on a meat hook, and his rule ended in foreign occupation. I don't wish this on anyone, but I can't see any benefits to our nation should Il Donald take the stage.
When any one man believes that he, and he alone, is the most intelligent man in the room, it automatically follows that anyone who presents a different opinion is either lying or too stupid to recognize their own mistakes. Is this the sort of person we want in the White House?
Mussolini ended on a meat hook, and his rule ended in foreign occupation. I don't wish this on anyone, but I can't see any benefits to our nation should Il Donald take the stage.
15
Just a moment.
Let's just consider that while Trump polls near the top--currently--of the Republican primary field, that support represents a fraction of a fraction of fraction.
Depending on which poll one consults, Trump is "supported" by anywhere between 15-25 percent of "potential Republican primary voters". Such voters represent only a small fraction of total voters, who themselves represent only a fraction of US residents . . .
I'm not saying that Trump may not have some support in those larger sections of the Venn diagram. But I suspect in those areas, assuming he can get to 50% plus one, or even to a plurality, is an awfully big leap.
I also suspect that right now, Trump is drawing a good deal of the "I used to be disgusted, not I am just amused" vote. But that vote tends to lessen in importance as the election gets closer and those who are paying little attention now start to pay at least a little attention because, you know, there's a president to be elected, and we actually have to give that a bit of thought. Not much, but a bit. And I don't think Trump stands up well under even a bit of thought.
Let's just consider that while Trump polls near the top--currently--of the Republican primary field, that support represents a fraction of a fraction of fraction.
Depending on which poll one consults, Trump is "supported" by anywhere between 15-25 percent of "potential Republican primary voters". Such voters represent only a small fraction of total voters, who themselves represent only a fraction of US residents . . .
I'm not saying that Trump may not have some support in those larger sections of the Venn diagram. But I suspect in those areas, assuming he can get to 50% plus one, or even to a plurality, is an awfully big leap.
I also suspect that right now, Trump is drawing a good deal of the "I used to be disgusted, not I am just amused" vote. But that vote tends to lessen in importance as the election gets closer and those who are paying little attention now start to pay at least a little attention because, you know, there's a president to be elected, and we actually have to give that a bit of thought. Not much, but a bit. And I don't think Trump stands up well under even a bit of thought.
4
"Such voters represent only a small fraction of total voters, who themselves represent only a fraction of US residents . . . The point I think you're missing here is that that fraction of a fraction controls the toll booth that leads to the general election. You have to get through them to get to the reciprocal of that fraction. Which means that you have to hew to a hard right ideology to appeal the primary voters. Fortunately for those of us not Republicans, it is very tough to then convincingly tack to the center in the general election after spewing hard right nonsense to get through the primaries.
Which is why as long as the hard right controls the Republican primary process we will not see a Republican in the Oval Office as other than a guest. Unless, of course, the Republicans ever find a candidate whose appeal is based not on ideology, but on sheer force of personality. Sound like anybody we know?
Which is why as long as the hard right controls the Republican primary process we will not see a Republican in the Oval Office as other than a guest. Unless, of course, the Republicans ever find a candidate whose appeal is based not on ideology, but on sheer force of personality. Sound like anybody we know?
I find it difficult to believe that anyone actually thinks a Republican is going to win the 2016 Presidential election. How can anyone with half a brain vote for a party that does not believe in climate change, wants to dismantle social security and medicare, and only cares about lowering taxes on the rich. The leader of the Republican party, Reince Priebus, oozes entitlement and oligarchy. He even sounds like a prince, like royalty, like Jeb or Romney, both born on 3rd base. The Republican party represents such a small slice of America, and people, as they prepare to pull the lever, will realize that.
16
"economic anxiety and political alienation"-the perfect climate for the rise of an authoritarian figure like Trump. He is the Berzelius Windrip of this political cycle, and "It Can Happen Here."
4
"A career establishment figure like Joe Biden doesn’t stand a chance. He’s a wonderful man and a great public servant, but he should not run for president this year, for the sake of his long-term reputation."
"Career establishment figure", "wonderful man", and "great public servant" - that's a hard act to follow. This sounds like a solid endorsement of Mr. Biden. I don't understand why running for president this year would harm his reputation, long or short term.
"On the other hand, bumper-car politicians thrive. Bernie Sanders is swimming with the tide. He’s a conviction politician comfortable with class conflict. Many people on the left have a generalized, vague hunger for fundamental systemic change or at least the atmospherics of radical change."
"Bumper-car" and "class conflict" is not "swimming with the tide"; "swimming with the tide" is being bribed, and controlled, by your corporate sponsors and continually voting against We the People's interests in their favor. Mr. Sanders is smart, out spoken, and truthful.
Both of these men are true patriots.
The GOP field seems heavily populated with a variety of careening loose canons...
"Career establishment figure", "wonderful man", and "great public servant" - that's a hard act to follow. This sounds like a solid endorsement of Mr. Biden. I don't understand why running for president this year would harm his reputation, long or short term.
"On the other hand, bumper-car politicians thrive. Bernie Sanders is swimming with the tide. He’s a conviction politician comfortable with class conflict. Many people on the left have a generalized, vague hunger for fundamental systemic change or at least the atmospherics of radical change."
"Bumper-car" and "class conflict" is not "swimming with the tide"; "swimming with the tide" is being bribed, and controlled, by your corporate sponsors and continually voting against We the People's interests in their favor. Mr. Sanders is smart, out spoken, and truthful.
Both of these men are true patriots.
The GOP field seems heavily populated with a variety of careening loose canons...
376
....like David Brooks...........
Diane, your analysis is accurate!
Diane, your analysis is accurate!
Bernie Sanders can't win the 2016 election. The Middle West & VA & perhaps a a couple of intermountain states(CO & NV) need to vote Democratic as well as the Coasts-Northeast & West. Bernie-a jewish socialist from Vermont- could win the Coasts, but not most of the other states. Likewise for Joe Biden.
Hillary can win those states with a liberal agenda & a strong turnout of female votes for her from Independents & some Rep. women.
Hillary can win those states with a liberal agenda & a strong turnout of female votes for her from Independents & some Rep. women.
Al Gore and John Kerry are wonderful men and great public servants, but look what Karl Rove and the media did to them. They would do the same to Joe.
Don't get me wrong but didm't a Mr. A. Hitler denigrate those squabbling politicians and promise magic?
14
And unfortunately, he gave them magic. He took a demoralized, divided, impoverished, defeated nation and restored it in a few years to a prosperous world power with a unified vision, a purpose, and a cohesive identity. Many in the West - not all of them right-wing Fascists or anti-Semites, either - admired him for this. Just as the left of the 1930s went gaga for Uncle Joe Stalin: 'I have seen the future, and it works!'
It's always dangerous to draw conclusions from history. In the cases of both Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia, it was a case of one failed system replacing another. What both had in common, which scares me as I see it reflected in some of today's politics (both left and right), is the yearning to submerge individual identity in group affiliation - what Eric Hoffer, in his masterwork, described as the mindset of the True Believer. (And Hoffer, like George Orwell, took aim at intellectual dishonesty across the political spectrum.)
It's always dangerous to draw conclusions from history. In the cases of both Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia, it was a case of one failed system replacing another. What both had in common, which scares me as I see it reflected in some of today's politics (both left and right), is the yearning to submerge individual identity in group affiliation - what Eric Hoffer, in his masterwork, described as the mindset of the True Believer. (And Hoffer, like George Orwell, took aim at intellectual dishonesty across the political spectrum.)
Donald Trump is a world-famous billionaire, television personality, socialite, and playboy. Donald Trump ain't no Hitler, he's Jay Gatsby.