Frank's Musings

Confirmed Trumpists are, like him, anti-establishmentarians. They resent “elite” direction of their lives and “elite” determination of the success of their endeavors.  In the end they prefer to rely on a single authority instead of on the indeterminacy of compromise between competing factions in a democracy.

Similarly, they find themselves to be compatible with dogmatic or fundamentalist religions.  Ironically, their affinity with extremely conservative religious codes seems to liberate them from standards set by “woke,” i.e., critically thinking, leaders. Because it is those elites who ultimately make society’s rules the law doesn’t matter to Trumpists.

The recent country music anthem, “Rich Men North of Richmond” by Oliver Anthony, encapsulates this attitude. “Lord knows they all just wanna have total control.  And they don’t think you know. But I know that you do; ‘cause your dollar is taxed to no end ‘cause of rich men north of Richmond.”

Anthony is politically ambivalent. He recognizes that Republican tax cuts really favor the wealthy and only give a comparative pacifier to the middle class. That demonstrates that all politicians, left or right, can easily gaslight a near-majority of voters into voting for them while not jeopardizing their careers or fundraising prospects.

Those who support a demagogue, like Trump, are so angered by their feeling of being left behind that they coalesce behind his banner because in their minds any change in the status quo can be no worse.