Speaking as a Trump supporter, I supported him in the 2016 election because I became convinced by election night that he would follow through on the promises he made when he tapped into a populist conservative movement`that started in 2010. He has largely followed through. That's why I still support him. I am sick and tired of establishment republicans who tout the republican platform when running for re-election and then toss it aside afterwards.
Your mistake is that you are attempting to make this solely about Trump. Trump is merely the presidential candidate who tapped into the populist movement that started in 2010. The movement itself does not solely depend on Trump. And the movement is not restricted to the US. A populist movement is also going on in Europe. That was the motivation for Brexit The globalist movement that had been going on for decades is rapidly losing steam. The populist movement is picking up steam, both in the US and Europe for similar reasons Don't believe me? Ask Angela Merkel of Germany. She is becoming one of the first European casualties.
Yep.
Did the establish Republicans toss the what you call the republican platform aside? During Obama they didn't have the numbers to accomplish much. That is outside of stopping legislation Obama wanted for his last six years. Politics is a numbers game quite a lot of the time. There were over 300 bills the GOP house passed that Reid tabled between 2011-14. Whether establishment Republicans or what I assume you call populist Republicans, nothing either could do about that. Even after the GOP gained the senate in the election of 2014, it still required 60 votes for cloture. 2/3rds to over ride an Obama veto in both chambers. The numbers weren't there. There was in reality no reason to get mad or angry at the republicans in congress.
Creating feuds has been a Trump forte. He started one with McCain, the Bush's, plenty of others. My dislike for Trump goes back to when he trashed our POW's and then did the same to a gold star family for political reasons. I will support him on issues I'm for, oppose him on issues I'm against, but I'll never support the man or vote for him.
Yes, that is more or less what I thought when it comes to Trump supporters and the wall. Trump received 46% of the vote in 2016 against a nag of a candidate, the most inept candidate I can remember or seen. The laziest for sure. Trump was popular and a populist to a large segment of the Republican Party. Not so much with independents. Trump did win the independent vote 46-42 over Hillary with 12% voting third party against both candidates. One could look on those figures as stating 54% voted against Trump while 58% voted against Hillary. I classify 2016 as the anti election, an election where most voted for the candidate they least wanted to lose.
Trump won. He had the best election strategy. But since then his unsavory behavior, his antics, obnoxious personality has caused independents to desert his populist ship if you would like to call it that. You seen this in the vote total, 42% of independents voting for Democrat Hillary in 2016, 54% of independents voting for Democratic congressional candidates in 2018. You seen it in Trump favorable/unfavorable numbers among independents, 44% favorable, 41% unfavorable on inauguration day for Trump. Close to the same voter support he received on election day. To a drop to 35% favorable, 54% unfavorable today among independents.
That is strange when one considers as far as Trump's policies independents support some, are against some, pretty well split as they are on the wall. Usually if independents are split on policy and issue stances, they are close to being evenly divided in the favorable/unfavorable and job approval/disapproval numbers. they're not. I think it is Trump's personality, name calling, etc. that has driven them away. Much more than policy or what he has done or didn't do.
I really don't believe the so called Trump populist within the GOP see how his unpresidential antics, behavior, his in your face style has led him to be very unpopular. I'm talking independents here, not Democrats which we all know really, really dislike him. If Trump wants to be more than just a one term president, he needs to find a way to win back support of the independents he once had. Just playing to his populist base, perhaps 35-40% of the total electorate isn't going to take him far. 2020 might be much worst than 2018. we'll just have to wait and see.
