The American political landscape, as it now stands, is fertile ground for demagoguery. After nearly 40 years of stagnant wages, a widening wealth gap, the decimation of the middle class and the failure of "trickle-down economics, many who work for a living are desperate for change. Throw in the incessant ranting from the political right in their efforts to delegitimize the functions of government, and you have set the stage for the rise of Donald Trump. Had it not been him, if would have been some other charismatic, authoritarian, dictator wannabe.
One of the chief culprits has been "trickle down" economics. This is supply-side economics, but "trickle-down" is more appropriate as the GOP and their oligarch pimps are pissing on the collective backs of everyone who works for a living and telling them that warm feeling running down their backs is prosperity. The basic theory was that, through lower marginal tax rates, corporations and investors would take those tax-savings and plough them back into expanded production, thus producing new jobs and expanding opportunity for people who work for a living. How it's really worked, however, has been another story. Instead of investing in research and development, new equipment and manufacturing, US corporations have parked those savings and other corporate income in offshore accounts...to the tune of some $2.1 TRILLION, yes that's TRILLION.
While people feel they have been let down by both parties, and rightfully so, the burden of guilt remains with Republicans in their dogmatic adherence to the failed policy that is "trickle-down" economics, deriding and delegitimizing the offices they hold and seek to hold and pandering to the fears and insecurities of working Americans.
This is the background, against which, Donald Trump arose. A man with on background in public service. A man whose business experience consists of being bailed out...repeatedly...by his daddy, from his multiple bankruptcies. A misogynistic man who views women as little more than chattel, to do what he pleases to, whenever he pleases. A man whose world view is focused solely upon himself. A racist, bigot and xenophobe. In short, he is likely the unsuitable candidate for presidentcy ever to stand for election. Yet here he his. Having crushed his primary campaign opposition like grapes, and all because he has been perceived as a "straight talker", as "genuine", as a "breath of fresh air", when he is the antithesis of all of those qualities. Trump has waffled on every subject he has spoken on, changing his positions on a daily, even hourly, basis. and he is as much a breath of fresh air on the political scene as a broccoli fart on a crowded elevator.
With the political and economic disenfranchisement of many Americans, they are looking for a strong leader who can provide solutions to the problems and fears they face. Authoritarian demagogues, like Trump provide simple, stark answers to those problems in the form of scapegoats an vague promises based solely on HIS self-proclaimed position as being the "only one" who can solve these problems. But the problems we face do not render themselves to simple solutions or finger pointing. Yes, Trump may be soundly defeated this November. But unless the issues which led to his success as a candidate are not addressed, and right quick at that, we may not be so lucky with the next authoritarian, fascist demagogue to stride onto the political stage. Then it'll be "Sieg heil, y'all", and the death of the Republic and Democracy.
