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One of the most successful Republican operatives of his generation has a new book (buy it!) on how Trump grew out of the Repub party.
I wrote about the same thing.
But not from the top. Instead, from my life in a red area, listening to Stuart.
Thread/
https://www.deepnarrative.io/2019/12/29/how-and-why-right-wing-media-brought-us-trump/ https://twitter.com/stuartpstevens/status/1285277924371968001
I wrote about the same thing.
But not from the top. Instead, from my life in a red area, listening to Stuart.
Thread/
https://www.deepnarrative.io/2019/12/29/how-and-why-right-wing-media-brought-us-trump/ https://twitter.com/stuartpstevens/status/1285277924371968001
Key idea: the GOP embraced lying. Just listen to a Republican today: it's one lie after another.
Why are so many conservatives liars? Because GOP leaders chose a coalition that REQUIRES lies: agenda for billionaires, votes from non-college whites.
/2 https://www.deepnarrative.io/2019/12/29/how-and-why-right-wing-media-brought-us-trump/
Why are so many conservatives liars? Because GOP leaders chose a coalition that REQUIRES lies: agenda for billionaires, votes from non-college whites.
/2 https://www.deepnarrative.io/2019/12/29/how-and-why-right-wing-media-brought-us-trump/
That coalition – the GOP coalition since the 1964 post-Civil Right act party realignment – is at the top left of this plot. Note there are almost NO VOTERS at the top left.
(In contrast, the Dem agenda is roughly in the bottom left. So Dems can mostly be honest.)
/3
(In contrast, the Dem agenda is roughly in the bottom left. So Dems can mostly be honest.)
/3
Because the GOP agenda isn't what its voters want, what's the only way to get votes?
Lies.
The 1970s and 80s had softer dogwhistling to evangelicals and the white GOP base. But Reagan clearly made a decision to use identity politics and lying.
/3
Lies.
The 1970s and 80s had softer dogwhistling to evangelicals and the white GOP base. But Reagan clearly made a decision to use identity politics and lying.
/3
Now – and this is the key insight from living in a red area –
*The lies about race created demand for Trump.*
Why? Because GOP lies created a false idea that white people were discriminated against.
"Reverse racism" is a lie pushed intentionally by GOP media.
And...
*The lies about race created demand for Trump.*
Why? Because GOP lies created a false idea that white people were discriminated against.
"Reverse racism" is a lie pushed intentionally by GOP media.
And...
Because "reverse racism" is a lie, no Republican did anything about it in office.
So white voters like me came to the obvious next conclusion: we needed a politician that would ADDRESS REVERSE RACISM.
That is, a politician not like Jeb, but like Trump. /5
So white voters like me came to the obvious next conclusion: we needed a politician that would ADDRESS REVERSE RACISM.
That is, a politician not like Jeb, but like Trump. /5
Reagan, Nixon, Atwater, Stuart Stevens, @TheRickWilson other GOP operatives were at fault.
GOP media like Limbaugh, Fox (thus Murdoch), Daily Caller (thus Koch), Washington Examiner (thus Anschutz), ..., were at fault.
It ended up being the whole GOP.
GOP media like Limbaugh, Fox (thus Murdoch), Daily Caller (thus Koch), Washington Examiner (thus Anschutz), ..., were at fault.
It ended up being the whole GOP.
I look forward to reading @stuartpstevens's book. Maybe he talks about this. That would be great!
If not: please don't forget that the GOP pushing lies about white people being held down by minorities is what created demand in the base for a Trump.
/7
If not: please don't forget that the GOP pushing lies about white people being held down by minorities is what created demand in the base for a Trump.
/7
And this has lessons for us.
If it wasn't Trump, it would have been someone else.
And once Trump is gone, the demand for a candidate to defend white people isn't going to go away.
We have to stop the GOP elites and rightwing media if we want to fix the country. /end
If it wasn't Trump, it would have been someone else.
And once Trump is gone, the demand for a candidate to defend white people isn't going to go away.
We have to stop the GOP elites and rightwing media if we want to fix the country. /end
credit to @sethcotlar, @normornstein, @JamesFallows, @upine and a lot of historians that have helped me think about why all the people I grew up with liked Trump better than Romney or Rubio.
Lots of good writing from them is out there; ask if you want my favorites!
Lots of good writing from them is out there; ask if you want my favorites!
Ah!
Correction: there are almost no voters in the TOP RIGHT of this plot (not top left as I said above). I took the chance to sketch in some big GOP donors, given public info. Assume some noise in location.
Key tension: GOP donors aren't over where the GOP voters are.
Correction: there are almost no voters in the TOP RIGHT of this plot (not top left as I said above). I took the chance to sketch in some big GOP donors, given public info. Assume some noise in location.
Key tension: GOP donors aren't over where the GOP voters are.
