Trump

I just have to get this off my chest.  Trump is a narcissist.  The most sociopathic narcissist I have ever been made aware of.. and I know some real a-holes.  He desperately craves attention and validation, and when criticized throws it back with insults and degradation.  I'm actually entertained with he calls someone a "no-class dummy."  Is it really classy to call anyone that?

The Twitter-verse has already and exhaustively completed the diagnosis of Trump Narcissist Personality Disorder, so don't need to do into detail here.  But do any of his followers not want details when if comes to policy?  It apparently is enough for him to say things like, "the Blacks like me."  "The Jews like me."  "The evangelicals like me."

... or to say "ban all Muslims."  Or "shut down the internet."  Really?

I'm not ever sure he really believes any of the things he's advocated for during this campaign.  I wonder if his NPD simply makes him say these things that resonate so deeply with his audience.

The real concern for me about the Trump movement is the following that has developed around him.  Demographic analysis shows that the bulk of those followers -- I call them "followers," not voters -- are low-income, less-educated, white males, the same group, other that whites over 50, that rallies after Fox News and listen to their AM radio propagandists.  Reports indicate shouts of "white power" at Trump rallies.  That should explain it all.

I've never quite understood why low-income whites were always such a vehement, vocal faction of the Republican Party.  It's painfully obvious the GOP cares nothing about the situation of the blue-collar class, regardless of race.  But this group has unfortunately fallen for the underlying themes of GOP messages, the "if you aren't with us, you must not really love America," trope.

Numerous articles in the left-center web media discuss how the GOP has created this Frankenstein themselves, and this is just chickens coming home to roost.  I tend to agree, but am still puzzled as to what this Trump following really believes will make 'Mair'cuh great again.

My hasty, somewhat bigoted conclusion is that this group of white males, who didn't necessarily finish, much less start, college, see non-whites as a threat.  They view their economic situation as a direct impact of "those people" coming here to take their jobs.

My response to that viewpoint would be to explain that as the economy has grown and evolved over the last 30 years, education and vocational training has gained in importance, and there are still many good-paying jobs available for those who have training and education.  This, of course, could be backed up with data.

I tend to think simpler people seek a simpler explanation of the world, which Trump easily delivers.  So the next time he calls anyone a "no-class dummy," accuracy would dictate he target his own audience.