tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8304928500646903522.post7290635478487372462..comments2024-03-28T18:32:05.933-04:00Comments on bensozia: Who's Turning Against Trump? WomenJohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01037215533094998996noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8304928500646903522.post-65222757615719405682018-01-18T20:58:01.305-05:002018-01-18T20:58:01.305-05:00I think the die-hard Trump voters want someone lik...I think the die-hard Trump voters want someone like we're describing, but at the moment, I think a majority of Americans either don't want a person like that, or think that they're not Trump's kind of people, and don't feel defended by him. Among the latter are not only members of ethnic minorities and many women as women, but also suburbanites who think he brings insecurity and instability. For many voters, a bully in the WH makes them feel more nervous, not less.<br /><br />I'm not sure how it will play out either (in terms of electoral politics in 2018 and 2020), but I don't think the uncertainty comes from the group of strong man (or strongman) voters we're describing. I think they'll vote for Trump almost no matter what, and I don't think there's anything the Dems could do to win them over. While dignified strength is always a plus, I just don't foresee any candidate from any party out-bullying Trump.<br /><br />So no, intellectual and nuanced isn't going to win over Trump voters. But they're not going to be won over, and I think you can get a voting majority without them.<br /><br />Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08993570411881726772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8304928500646903522.post-14803907421618658892018-01-18T20:07:15.448-05:002018-01-18T20:07:15.448-05:00Yes, David, that's the sort of issue I am thin...Yes, David, that's the sort of issue I am thinking about, and this example shows why I am not sure how this will play out. Trump's masculine belligerence makes many people feel safe; they want such a man to be charge of protecting them and smiting their enemies. Other people want someone to "stand up for" them in economic terms, and again they think a belligerent macho man like Trump will stand up more strongly to the sinister international banking cabal or whoever. Perhaps part of the reason they forgive Trump his many sins is a sense that a real jerk will be a more effective fighter. So once we get a real Democratic candidate we are going to see a contrast between Trump, a macho sexist belligerent fighter for "his" people, and someone who may come across as too sensitive or too intellectual to fight effectively for his or her friends, and who will also have real trouble conveying complex positions in ways as clever and pithy as "I have a bigger button."Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01037215533094998996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8304928500646903522.post-25396190086846626372018-01-18T16:47:27.212-05:002018-01-18T16:47:27.212-05:00The NYT recently solicited letters from Trump supp...The NYT recently solicited letters from Trump supporters asking how they feel about their man after a year, and published some of them. Obviously this is not a scientific sample and subject to the vagaries of the Times' selection. Nevertheless I thought it noteworthy that the many of the letters stated that the thing they most appreciated about Trump was the fact that he had destroyed ISIS and cowed Iran and North Korea. Now, so far as I can tell, Iran has not changed its foreign policy significantly in the last year. And North Korea seems to be more aggressive than it was in Obama's time, not less. The destruction of ISIS was simply the continuation of Obama's policy. But there they are, loving Trump for taming North Korea. What this tells me is that many Trump voters simply like a president who adopts a macho, bullying stance toward foreigners. Regardless of how the foreigners actually react, these voters feel more secure. (Israel, of course, is an exception--honorary Americans, in these folks' eyes. Virtually all the letters praised moving the embassy to Jerusalem.)<br /><br />I think this relates to the sort of gender issues you're talking about. For both male and female Trump voters, Trump is their kind of male person, as demonstrated above all by his hostile, truculent stance toward the outside world. They're sure this is beneficial, and the actual results are beside the point.<br /><br />It also demonstrates my longheld suspicion that dislike of foreigners, while it may not be in itself the most important thing to many people, is the one thing that is most consistent across the Right. This is not the same as disliking multinational corporations or Caribbean tax shelters--those are just Americans making foreigners useful. One interesting aspect of this is that Rightists seem to feel the country is more secure with fewer allies rather than more. They're even happy with insulting Britain and Australia!Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08993570411881726772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8304928500646903522.post-65344931118712410162018-01-18T11:30:38.584-05:002018-01-18T11:30:38.584-05:00What about married women? I'd say women more o...What about married women? I'd say women more often change political views after the marriage than the opposite.szopenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04219188379320432806noreply@blogger.com