… In countless collisions of color and creed, Donald J. Trump’s name evokes an easily understood message of racial hostility. Defying modern conventions of political civility and language, Mr. Trump has breached the boundaries that have long constrained Americans’ public discussion of race. … In a country where the wealthiest […] Read more »
Are the voters really mad as hell?
… If there’s a new “silent majority” in the nation, they are not tea party activists or Millennials feeling the “Bern.” They are the tens of millions of Americans who are not angry, but remaining silent. In Iowa this year — despite all the buildup, the TV commercials and the […] Read more »
Going Dirty
… Once again, the nation seems to be marching toward another brutally nasty presidential campaign, with Mr. Trump leading the parade. But in a year when so many staples of American politics have faltered — television advertisements, polling, big-ticket endorsements, to name a few — will the negative campaign, whether […] Read more »
Who Speaks for the Party?
… Hillary Clinton may have many limitations as a candidate, but there’s no doubt she’s an able messenger for the Democrats. The GOP, by contrast, has selected Donald Trump, who lacks the capacity to make an argument on behalf of the conservative movement. Trump has effectively shifted this rhetorical burden […] Read more »
Don’t Assume Donald Trump’s Supporters Believe All His Words
Donald Trump keeps making promises that experts don’t think he can possibly fulfill. It might seem that he has people fooled by his implausible claims, which include pledges to make Mexico pay for a border wall and to bring manufacturing jobs back to the United States. … When it comes […] Read more »
The Anti-P.C. Vote
We know that resentment is driving much of Donald Trump’s success — resentment of elites, of the political class, of illegal immigrants, of protesters, of the media — and perhaps most particularly of changes in the demographic makeup of the country that Trump and his followers find unwelcome. Part of […] Read more »