As IF Times

Source: Trump answers critics who say he’s inciting violence at campaign events | Fox News

To some, it’s still a mystery as to how the bombastic and unfiltered GOP front runner can continue to amass greater and greater support numbers even as critics from both sides of the political divide push back against his rhetoric.  We’ve heard to death, the media’s explanation that this is a reflection of voters’ anger with Washington elites.  That’s only part of it and this explanation overlooks the real reason for their anger.

Intelligent people don’t like to be told what to think.   The subtle coercion of thought by media, by entertainment, by politicos and by educators has morphed into a cultural regime more resembling fascism on the part of the leftist/liberal orthodoxy over the past few generations.  It gets increasingly difficult to express an opinion which doesn’t offend the sensibilities of some victimized subset of society.  Or worse, to attack the sacred cows which are dear to the anointed intelligentsia.  I’ve written at length about the preposterousness of the ever morphing Global Warming charade, but this may get more difficult if some legislators get their way.  There have actually been proposals  about making any skeptical discussion of Global Warming illegal with consequent jail sentences!    So if you don’t hear again from me for a while, check the local hoosegow.

In Chicago yesterday, thousands of ‘socially conscious’ protestors thought it was their duty to disrupt a speech by Trump…well that and some money from moveon.org.  This seems to be the standard response from the tolerant and inclusive left who think that freedom of speech is fine… as long as you agree with them. Odd that no one notices the parallel with fundamental Islamists banning unacceptable speech in that regime.  It was like watching Kanye West jumping on stage to interrupt Taylor Swift at an awards show.  As The Donald would invoke, you just want to punch him in the neck.

You can imagine an average person watching these events unfold from their living rooms in Nebraska, or Kansas, or Montana and saying to themselves, “Wait, who  said those idiots speak for me?” These normally politically inactive people decide to support Trump just because he represents them; the silent majority who for years silently endured the ongoing creep of ‘rightthink’ in their lives because it was easier than standing up individually.  They see in Trump, someone who finally has the cojones to push back, something they wish they themselves could do. They support the guy even though he exhibits the worst public manners, the most narcisstic ego and the most cartoon-like policy proposals.  He may be obnoxious but he represents the unspoken sentiments of a large, long silent, disenfranchised majority.

Source: Eugene Robinson: Trump dispels GOP fantasy – San Jose Mercury News

It’s all fun until someone loses an eye is the old saying.  For the past 6 months or so, The Donald has been celebrated as, well, the celebrity candidate for the GOP.  Riding on a wave of populism and anger of unforeseen breadth, he has consistently appeared at the top of the candidates scrum vying for the nomination.  He’s kind of like the eccentric, brash relative who comes to visit and is a barrel of laughs…until he starts walking around in his underwear, drinks milk directly from the carton, inappropriately fondles the dog and calls your sister mean names.

Oddly his behavior hasn’t noticeably dented his support among his hard core fans; if anything, the support base becomes larger if you believe the polls.  He’s very popular, just ask him. The mainstream media have come to label his rhetoric as right wing and nationalistic but this is mostly inaccurate.  All candidates, left and right have nationalistic views.  His ‘right wing’ views just happen to cater to an audience that have long been marginalized by seven years or more of suppression in favor of left wing views.  Despite Trump’s vague policy details, adolescent tantrums and often contradictory and inflammatory rhetoric, his base still thinks he’s the best man to represent them.  He’s like Kanye West for white people.

This feels eerily familiar to the circumstances that brought the last President to office who likewise was ushered in by the support of a constituency that overlooked obvious shortcomings and bought into his rhetoric.  In effect, this is the pendulum swinging the other way.  Trump’s entire message is simply, “It’ll be better when I’m in charge”.  In fact, we found a website that has his fingerprints all over it, huhcorp. Those that think Trump’s coronation will be a balm to what ails them might want to take a closer  look at what he stands for, though that may be difficult given his admitted ‘evolution’ on many issues.  A pertinent quote from George Orwell’s classic Animal farm:

“No question now, what had happened to the faces of the pigs. The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.”

As the aphorism goes, be careful what you wish for.