Update: I recently received an official response to my article regarding Donald Trump from a fellow blogger, take a moment to read over the response and review the counter points, does this change how you feel about Donald Trump?
What does Donald Trump and Sandra Bullock have in common?
They both subscribe to the brand of crisis and utilize it in a political environment. The main difference between the two is that Sandra Bullock is acting in a movie named "Our Brand is Crisis" (Which you can purchase here). while the other is pretending to run for the position of president of the United States.
The reality is...why shouldn't he? Trump's overall support is growing largely because he caters to what the electorate want, or more specifically, what they think they want. He is utilizing a political tactic that many have used before him, but only few have utilized with great success. That tactic is something called diversion, a tool that enables an individual to divert the attention of people from certain topics in reality, by distracting them with minor issues, often completely fictional.
Donald Trump, much like his Democratic counter-part Bernie Sanders, are standing strong against establishment politics and as such have given themselves the ability to not only differentiate themselves, but become a unique alternative to the status quo.
In the case of Donald Trump, this diversion tactic that he is anti-establishment is complete and utter baloney, in fact, if anything Trump is as much a part of the establishment as anyone else, he just works hard to brand himself as something different and not play nice with others while doing it. If you take a close look at the policies Trump has brought forward, you can easily determine that he has in fact brought forward none. That's right, Donald Trump really hasn't established any kind of plan on how he intends on running the country as President or making American great again.
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| Trump may not have a clue as to how he can "Make America Great Again" |
Another interesting phenomenon that has arisen in this race revolves around how so many people have "fallen in love" with Trump. It might make you scratch your head for a bit, because we have someone who appears to be openly racist, sexist, aggressive and with a reputation of being big business with a history of running ventures into bankruptcy, yet people seem to think this is the guy to vote for? This phenomenon really isn't anything special in the political sense, because once again it relates to how a candidate markets themselves and the conditions with which they run for elected office. Had Trump decided to put his hat into the race while America was in good financial times, then his success may have been something completely opposite, as more people would be able to see through his smoke and mirrors and call him out for it.
However, with the current conditions in both the American economy and government, Trump is practically riding a wave of success off of the fears and concerns of the average American. Republicans as a whole are probably shuttering at the fact that their party is being attacked from 2 angles.
1. They have a billionaire running under their banner, who if elected, will run as an independent, thus establishing himself as technically the first independent contender for the White House that represents the 1%. This would inevitably split the right vote and may even cause Republican supporters to consider voting Democrat, if they are more centrist.
2. It is now official that the Republican party of the United States has been hijacked by ultra right wingers under the tea party banner. This is not only dangerous to the Republican brand, but also poses a direct threat to Democracy if said individuals do find themselves in a position of power, that enables them to enact legislation. History has provided us with many examples outlining just how dangerous the pen can be over the sword, when men of ill temperament and bias gain power over others. Attributes that Trump easily shares and promotes in his oratory.
The main hope that many Americans should be at ease with is the fact that Trump is supported by the "Silent Majority", something both ironic and crucial as a plan B in case he does win the Republican nomination. The silent majority in history has never been one to enact change, if anything they are the people who resist change or follow through as things do in fact change. It is the vocal and determined individuals in society with the will and focus to act on their beliefs that do in fact garner this change. Ideas are hard to have in the world and as such it is easier to just do nothing and ignore them, you have to work hard to get them off the ground and defend them with truth, something Trump has difficulty doing.
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| Interesting to see a Canadian strongly support Trump, but will silent majority live up to expectations in the end? |
Trump supporters will only prevail if they actually get up and vote on his behalf, which means if we end up seeing a Trump vs Clinton or Trump vs Sanders finale, it will be more important than ever to ensure that the electorate not only votes, but acts strongly to bring out the vote.
If you take a close look at the psyche of the individuals strongly supporting Trump, you may find it surprising that the majority of them are citizens who feel threatened. They see a government who in their eyes has been leaning toward more socialist values and as such believe that the country is becoming weaker than in previous years. It is because of this notion that many people are willing to do what they can to support a stronger America, even if on the surface this means denying others access to enter the country or bearing arms against others.
It is like having support for the military and being a strong supporter, even though said military might be bombing children in another country in order to achieve its goal. While many people would denounce their support, others follow blindly and as such believe that the actions being committed are both necessary and ethical, which is dangerous.
This is why you might be scratching your head again, while people cheer on a political candidate who threatens to continuously bash peoples heads in and denies people the right to challenge him and speak their opinion. Both of which are red flags when it comes to electing someone to lead your country and equally support your people. Canadians unfortunately know this kind of behavior first hand as it is parallel to Stephen Harper and how he organized his public appearances. People would be escorted out or silenced in order to preserve the image being maintained by him and Trump is no different.
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| Does this look like a man of the people? Or more like a man marketing his brand? |
I really hope my American colleagues make the right choice in the coming months and break down the walls that Trump is building with his rhetoric. In a time where the 1% is being targeted for their excess and support for inequality, it makes no rational sense why someone would believe Donald Trump would have their interests in mind both politically and economically. The man is literally funding his own campaign through a loan in the millions and a small portion of his own wealth coupled with minor donations from individuals. That's right, Trump has only forked over $700,000 dollars, while he has received over $6 million dollars in minor donations and has been given a loan worth millions.
Either way, in the end whether Trump is successful or not, both the United States and Republicans are going to be left with the opportunity to really review what just happened and hopefully look back and determine never again, without having to regret any negative actions that may have come from it. It is easy during hard times to prey upon the insecurities of people in order to advance your own bid for power. If Trump was acting like Sanders, we would all most likely love to support him, but instead his actions are showing the true power of politics as he is using all the regular tactics in order to brand himself and garner more support. Even if he does end up losing, Donald Trump is guaranteed to not only make a lot of money off of this stunt, but also continue to build up his image that his intervention leads to success and generation of wealth, even when in reality the opposite is true.
I highly recommend you check out "Our Brand is Crisis", as I believe you will definitely see parallels to much of what Donald Trump is accomplishing during this election. Just click here!
Until Next Time!
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