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As someone who detests Trump, I think I finally figured out why he’s so popular.
In short, it’s because the far-left in the US is pushing a horribly negative view of the US that 50% of the country outright rejects.
The far-left is basically saying the following anywhere they can—including in the media and in as many school curricula as they can possibly affect.
This is what they believe—and are teaching kids to believe—in liberal areas such the San Francisco Bay Area.
The left’s mistake is not realizing how extreme this narrative is, and how little of the country agrees with it.
The whole rest of the country (75-95% ???) has a much more nuanced view of things that looks more like this:
The difference between these two narratives is why Trump is so popular.
Basically, most of the country is being forced to side with Trump because he’s the only voice sticking up for the U.S.
They don’t actually like it. They don’t like Trump. They wish there were someone better. But if it comes down to Trump or an entire narrative and party that basically hates their country, they pick Trump.
If I had to make it even more stark, it’s this:
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The far left thinks the US is horrible, and that it needs to be replaced
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The rest of the country thinks it’s pretty good, and worth improving
I’ve been looking for a mysterious force that’s strong enough to make someone like Trump have this much support—despite everything we know about him.
That mysterious force is the forceful rejection of the narrative that:
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the US is unredeemable
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cops are oppressors
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the rich, racism, and sexism explains everything bad happening
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it’s impossible to get ahead as a regular American
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anyone successful should be considered an exploiter
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we should throw it all away and try communism again
Unless the Democrats realize this deep, strategic error, they might lose the White House in November. And it will absolutely be their fault.
The answer is to run someone who will push back against this horribly defeatist and anti-American take on things. Someone who will admit our flaws, defend our strengths, and demonstrate some positivity and optimism for the future.
Unfortunately, I don’t see any evidence of Democrats doing that. Biden’s administration seems captured by this sort of toxic thinking, and we are suffering because of it.
NOTES
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I could make a similar graphic for the far right vs. a logical center, and perhaps I will. It would look equally bad, with a lot of entries for attacking immigrants, rolling back women’s rights, etc., but I think this graphic matters most right now because it’s the one that’s going to get Trump elected.