It’s Mid-April and both the Republican and Democratic primaries are still contested. We have such a slate of disappointment on both sides it is rather remarkable to watch. What conservatives are left with is a choice between a solid conservative who is pretty easy to dislike, and someone even more unlikable: a businessman-turned-TV entertainer-turned-politician who the left (as well as many on the right) just can’t help but attack on a daily basis.
Donald Trump loves it. Trump THRIVES on it. And he has proven to be able to turn the tables and often have the last laugh. How did we get here?
The factors behind Trump’s rise and popularity are finally clear to me. Until recently I was in denial about how we got to this point in the Republican Party. I kept asking myself: why do people like this guy? At events I would laugh and joke with other GOP friends: we would amuse ourselves by calling him a buffoon, would make fun of his hair, and frequently interject little quips about his YUGE WALL. We thought we were just hilarious, because there was no way he is serious… right? How wrong I was.
The best part of Trump’s ascension has been to figure out that fighting it is simply very not effective. Quite literally, Resistance is Futile. Because no matter what Trump does, a majority of his supporters simply do not care. My peers in the party either refuse to see this, or will simply not allow themselves. They, as well as the media, continue to belittle Trump. Their efforts are simply useless at this point.
“Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here! This is the War Room.”
Well here we are folks. There is a better than not chance that Trump is the Republican nominee. As I am writing this I am waiting for the results from New York, but an easy prediction is that Trump takes most, if not all of the delegates in that state. So in a few months we will have Trump on one side and Hillary on another. Curiously enough both have their respective party’s establishment to thank for their ascension. Yes, I am claiming that Trump has the Republican Establishment to thank for his (moderately) successful campaign. While the Democrats intentionally stacked their Super Delegates to allow a Hillary win, the Republicans have inadvertently given Trump a path by abusing their own party supporters.
The Republican Establishment created the environment that allowed Trump to be a legitimate candidate. If we look back at the last 8 years of the Obama Presidency all the signs are present. The GOP took over the House in 2010 and the Senate in 2014. During those years what came out of Congress that was requested by grassroots conservatives? Not a thing. The last budget deal is a perfect example of the complete lack of concern that the Republican Establishment has for the grassroots. The only winner from the budget deal was the donor class of the party. What did your regular GOP voter get out of the deal? Lower taxes? NOPE. Defund Planned Parenthood? NOPE. Legitimate spending cuts? NOPE. More southern border security? NOPE.
So it should come as no surprise that Trump is building his campaign on a list of everything the grassroots has wanted, but has not been taken care of by the GOP higher-ups. Trump has consolidated his base with a sizable portion of the GOP voting base, as well as attracting independents and some blue-collar democrats into voting in the primary. I observed his attraction of blue collar Democrats in my home county in northeast Ohio just a month ago.
His supporters love him, and they love that he doesn’t play the politics that they themselves are so tired of.
There’s only one option left: let’s all sit back, have a nice cold pint, and wait for all of this to blow over.
