… Half or more of the GOP—principally conservatives, tea-party adherents, and populists, are working through various stages of alienation and anger that is manifesting itself for now in support for Trump and Carson. But watching these disaffected Republicans and independents in focus groups, one gets a clear sense that, in […] Read more »
Donald Trump’s Appeal
… Trump himself is not much of a mystery (he’s the opposite of a mystery, in fact), but the depth and power of his support, of the emotional connection that his supporters feel with him, of his seeming indestructibility as a candidate — that’s the mystery. Equally mysterious is the […] Read more »
How Donald Trump courted the right-wing fringe to conquer the GOP
… Trump’s dominance in this year’s presidential primary race has often been described as a mysterious natural phenomenon: the Donald riding a wild, unpredictable tsunami of conservative populist anger that just now happens to be crashing down on the Republican establishment. But in fact, Trump spent years methodically building and […] Read more »
Euro-Trump
… The ascendance of European far-right parties over the past decade has laid out a tempting path for Trump. The parallels between Trump’s brand of American right populism and European working-class conservatism are striking. CONT. Thomas B. Edsall, New York Times Read more »
Pollsters on 2016: Voters Will Be Angrier, Less Religious, More Diverse
The 2016 election will play out amid an electorate that is less religious, more diverse and angrier at political leaders than in 2008, the last open race for the White House, two pollsters told The Wall Street Journal CEO Council annual meeting on Tuesday in Washington. CONT. Aaron Zitner, Wall […] Read more »
Donald Trump’s Lead Explained in Two Sentences
The blue-collar wing of the Republican primary electorate has consolidated around one candidate. The party’s white-collar wing remains fragmented. That may be the most concise explanation of the dynamic that has propelled Donald Trump to a consistent and sometimes commanding lead in the early stages of the GOP presidential nomination […] Read more »