Yes and no.
Yes, in the sense that as a politician he has surmounted incredibly appalling behaviour any glimmer of which would have doomed a normal politician.
As one pundit observed: “Rather than be turned off by Mr. Trump’s flagrant, anger-based appeals along lines of race, gender, religion, national origin and especially transgender identity, many Americans found them bracing. Rather than be offended by his brazen lies and wild conspiracy theories, many found him authentic. Rather than dismiss him as a felon found by various courts to be a fraudster, cheater, sexual abuser and defamer, many embraced his assertion that he has been the victim of persecution.”
And another: “In the final analysis, Trump can slide past problems that would be insurmountable for other politicians because he’s Trump — a unique amalgam of con man and showman.”
“We must now fathom the unfathomable: All the misogynistic things, the racist things, the crude things, the undemocratic things he’s said and done don’t negate his appeal to millions of voters.
So no, not an anomaly, in that he is indeed one of 72,109,398 individuals, a 50.9% majority of voters bonded in their belief that America is profoundly off course economically and socially, and that Trump has found the causes of their personal angst and discontent … be those childless women, murderous dog-eating immigrants, or transgender children.
Conventional politicians would have attempted to appeal to discontent by proffering ‘better’ policies. Trump is smarter … he simply identified the villains to fear or loathe.
Only the tiniest faction of voters are moved by rational discourse around policies and the ‘issues’. Most are motivated instead by their emotional congruence with a candidate … ‘who best seems to mirror my worries, grievances, or aspirations?’
Says another pundit: “The Trump presidency speaks to the depth of the marginalization felt by those who believe they have been in the cultural wilderness for too long and their faith in the one person who has given voice to their frustration and his ability to center them in American life.” Another called the election “a CAT scan of the American people”.
So here we are, no longer with Trump as an oddity or anomaly, but rather as a true voice of 72 million Americans. Half of a fundamentally divided nation.
The final pundit words: “It is Mr. Trump’s America after all.”
Most BayBuzz readers I think know that I’m a transplant from the U.S. All I can say is that I’m profoundly disappointed and embarrassed by that reality.
If you happen to have access to the NY Times (you might get a free look), here is the best post-mortem I’ve seen thus far on the ethos of what has transpired.
And here is what Kamala Harris had to say in conceding.
Well, I’ll be the first to comment. Agree with every word here. Trump is a monster. I’m appalled by his moral conduct, and his policies are deeply worrying, especially for us as a trading nation, with the tariff barriers that he intends to build around his county’s borders. I hope I’m wrong, but America four years from now will be a diminished state, more divided than ever in every way.
Trump has a keen sense for feeling the public mood and angst that he, as an accomplished actor, has capitalized upon, to personify the image of Big Daddy who will pick them all up and sweep away their fears, carrying them forward into the New Age America where everything will be OK. Perhaps as the ‘second coming ‘ in disguise.
I am so sorry for USA and especially for my friends over there who have expressed their despair at the result – a deeply divided country! The autocrats around the world will be on their fifth or sixth champagne now as the world lurches towards their narrow, bigoted, and violent outlook. If half of the things that Trump espoused come to pass we can change the name to United states of Afghanistan (same rules for women and different thinkers as the Taliban)
The phrase ‘It is Mr. Trump’s America after all’ should remind us that NZ may also be ‘Mr ……’s’ NZ after all. There may be parallels with Jacinda and Luxon/Seymour.
As the semi-informed, supposedly better educated, we are out of touch with the 51%. We do not understand that we do not understand statistics and intuitive thinkers that lack access to coherent information.
Wise men do not know
How it feels
To be
Thick
as a Brick.
So much TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome) is hard to find…… or is it sour grapes!
Tom, I think you would have been more profoundly embarrassed if Kamala had become President.
Vast numbers voted for Trump who don’t like him. What has happened is an emphatic rejection of the Dems. They have been hijacked by the more progressive elements of the party & ‘inside the beltway’ thinking. Working class people in MI & PA feel ignored. Outside the debate Kamala was poor at articulating her policies. She never would have survived a Dem primary alongside Whitmer or Shapiro. There are salient lessons for the left in NZ. If I went down to our workshop & mentioned Jacinda, someone would throw something at me. 20 years ago they would have been hard-core Labour voters. I hear a lot of centre-left types who are terrified by a Green or Maori coalition. Winning elections is easy- just win the middle. Trump should have been easy to beat but the Dems muffed it badly.
Well, it is clear that the people of America have spoken. Trump, despite being a mediocre orator, was able to articulate simply what the people needed to hear which seems to be solid policy and direction.
I can’t say I ever “ liked” the man & in fact the concerted propaganda/ mis reporting certainly had an influence however, despite all this I have to say I would have voted the same way as the majority of Americans. I could see no viable alternative.
Let’s see what Trump can achieve before we denigrate the man.