I agree.
On the one hand, the combination of the established right wing media organization and coordination with the White House is proven effective yet again.
But adding on top of that the C.A. provided "messages" to hammer on that will resonate with their base, makes sure the right wing media organizations guns are targeted at the right places. An effective combination. I think that Bannon/C.A. found what resonated, and Trump was molded to embrace those things. As such, I do not think that Trump is the real issue here...he can be replaced by anyone as long as they work with the targeting/messaging that's been established. In other words, Trump being good/bad will be overshadowed by the clear good that the sophisticated targeting they use, is effective, and will likely continue to be used in the future.
As to Trump specifically being good/bad, I agree, a large part of that will depend on the Mueller investigation.
Perhaps the message was that Americans were just tired as business as usual. Clinton and the Democrats represented that, Hillary promising to be an Obama third term. The establishment Republicans represented that. Lot's of rhetoric, very little action. Trump just might have had the right message, but is turning out to be the wrong messenger. That will be answered in time also.
what I think is each party has their own agenda. Yet, each party's agenda isn't seen by most folks as America's agenda. This is why we, the people will give the Republicans control of congress in 1994 after 40 years of straight Democratic rule, then reverse course in 2006 going back to the Democrats, back to Republicans in 2010 and I'm sure in 2018, we'll bring back the democrats. Going from Republican Bush I to Bill Clinton back to Bush II, then to Obama and now Trump, perhaps we saying, hey wait, we don't want a strictly Republican or democratic agenda. We want an American one.
Most people are somewhere in the middle between the two major parties. I think having the two major parties continue their movement further left and right away from mainstream America and its people is why the two major parties have shrunk and people have left them to become independents. According to Pew Research and Gallup, in 2000 independents made up just 30% of the electorate, 35% in 2012 and a whopping 45% today. Give or take a point or two depending on which poll one uses.
I remember, I'm an old fart, when the Democratic Party was the big tent party. when from FDR until 1994 they controlled the House 56 out of 60 years and the senate 50 out of 60 with six of the ten GOP held senate occurring during Reagan. Now it seems one must take a litmus test to be a Democrat. No more big tent. I do miss the old days.
what do we have today, The Democrats representing the northeast and west coast with a couple of island states around the great lakes. The GOP has flyover country. There was a time when each party had its liberal and conservative wings. Oh well, enough living in the past. I don't think either party represents America's interest anymore. Just their own. Hence a Trump can get elected and he doesn't in my opinion represent America's interest either. He just appealed to some who wanted him or viewed him as doing so.
He certainly wasn't business as usual.
