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Building a Base
To be successful, politicians have to start with a base, a group of like-minded individuals that will be there for you through thick and thin. And then you have to grow that base – or at the very least – present a plausible alternative to your opponent. Donald Trump, the wealthy real estate developer had, and still has, a very unlikely base: poor to lower-middle-class whites and others who feel unrepresented in politics. And that includes over 9 million voters who had checked the box next to Barack Obama’s name just four years earlier.
It seems so improbable. A more astute observer than I totally understands. When he last hosted Saturday Night Live, Dave Chappelle described the situation thusly:
A lot of you don’t understand why Trump was so popular. But I get it, ’cause I hear it every day. He’s very loved.
And the reason he’s loved is because people in Ohio have never seen somebody like him. He’s what I call an honest liar. I’m not joking right now. He’s an honest liar.
That first debate — That first debate, I’d never seen anything like it. I’ve never seen a white male billionaire screaming at the top of his lungs. “This whole system is rigged!” he said. And across the stage was a white woman, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama sitting over there looking at him like, “No, it’s not.”
I said, “Now, wait a minute, bro. It’s what he said.”
And the moderator said, “Well, Mr. Trump, if, in fact, the system is rigged, as you suggest, what would be your evidence?” Remember what he said, bro? He said, “I know the system is rigged… because I use it.”
I said, “G-d damn!”
No one had ever heard someone say something that true. And then Hillary Clinton tried to punch him in the taxes. She said, “This man doesn’t pay his taxes.” He shot right back, “That makes me smart.”
And then he said, “If you want me to pay my taxes, then change the tax code, but I know you won’t because your friends and your donors enjoy the same tax breaks that I do.”
And with that, my friends, a star was born. No one had ever seen anything like that. No one had ever seen somebody come from inside of that house outside and tell all the commoners, “We’re doing everything that you think we are doing inside of that house.”
Then he just went right back in the house and started playing the game again.
That’s how Donald Trump created his base. Yeah, he’s a liar. But he’s our liar and not your liar. It seems to be a peculiar way to launch your way to the Oval Office, but it worked. Joe Biden, too, has lied his way to the Oval Office. But in a different way. He is what Chappelle would call the “dishonest liar.”
So we are back to where we were in numerous other election cycles as the party out of power. There will be a crowded field again. But Trump comes in with a base. Ron DeSantis, who is undeclared, is building a base by governing. Beyond those two, who else has a constituency? What’s their base?
Larry Hogan? His selling point is “bipartisan pragmatist.” You can probably sell out the local Olive Garden with that one. Mike Pompeo? Is there a big call for CIA Directors to run? And this morning, CBS News reported that John Bolton is “exploring” his 2024 options. Who is his natural constituency? Who else brings a base big enough to seriously contend?
Published in General
I’m not married to him but I also know every candidate will be demonized by the left and attacked by the deep state so I’m not sure why I should care about that. The Republican voters have twice disappointed me, showing their hissy fit silliness so I don’t know why I should care about them. I liked what Trump did and only Trump can convince me not to vote for him. I don’t chase every new shiny object. I didn’t even support Trump until he was the last man standing. DeSantis is quite good but I also have some fears about making him the candidate.
And yet, so many of the Republican candidates and presidents other than Trump, didn’t do much.
Yeah, the ideology hasn’t yet overcome the swamp. It must do so, however, or we will continue to be destroyed by the likes of Bush, McCain, or Romney.
You are telling me that Trump’s habit of hiring and trusting terrible staff members was made up?
The media tried to highlight chaos in the White House, but there are lots of cases where Trump hired dudes who stabbed him in the back. That’s what I mean by annoying parts – the parts that annoy us, not the mainstream media. The media is always at war with Eastasia – I don’t care what they think.
Re the chaos, much of it was hiring people who had different opinions and letting them argue with each other in staff meetings. Their arguments helped him decide who to listen two on the particular issue.