Many argue that Trump’s rise in the polls is nothing but a fluke (link, link, and link); that once the Republican voters come to their senses, a more credible candidate will emerge (link, link, and link). These people may be right; horse race polls are ephemeral at best this early in the election season (Ipsos analysis of election poll accuracy).
This, however, misses the critical point about Trump – and the current anti-establishment furor gripping the Republicans. Independent of the polls, there is a method to Trump’s madness.
Simply put, Trump’s candidacy taps into a deep, visceral fear among many that America’s best days are behind it. That the land of freedom, baseball and apple pie is no longer recognizable ; and that ‘the other’—sometimes the immigrant, sometimes the Non-American , and almost always the nonwhite—is to blame for these circumstances. This pure unabashed nativism (link, link, and link) is Trump’s brand of populism and is fit for purpose in 2015. It both gives him electoral strength and popular appeal.
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We can’t take care of the people who are already here. Why should we bring in more? A long time ago we had “The Limits to Growth.” Birth control is the best choice. War, famine, and disease are the defaults.
As a nation we choice not to focus on taking care of individual citizens, we focus on the needs of business growth and survival as being more important at the cost of the general needs. It is possible to have both but Congress is currently financed by banking and large corporations.