Market Mad House

In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. Friedrich Nietzsche

Politics

It’s the Moderates who hate Trump

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President Donald J. Trump (R-New York) is the victim of hate-filled moderates not a vast left-wing conspiracy. It is the moderates and centrists who loathe the president and want to destroy him, not the Left.

The greatest purveyors of anti-Trump vitriol are moderate news outlets like CNN. For example, here are some real CNN headlines from September and October 2019:

It’s not the Left who hates Trump

CNN is a center-left organization not the far left. Yet its programming often degenerates into a Trump hate fest. Bizarrely, genuine far-left publications: such as The Jacobin, often contain few direct attacks on Trump.

For instance, The Jacobin’s lone anti-Trump headline from 9 October 2019; Trump’s Assault on Labor, was fairly tame. Moreover, the headline criticizes Trump for policies The Jacobin’s staff disagrees with, not his personal behavior.

Instead of portraying Trump as a crude barbarian, The Jacobin takes issue with many of his policies. Hence, the socialist Jacobin treats Trump as it would any Republican president. Therefore, Trump gets more respect from the radical socialists at The Jacobin than the centrists at CNN.

 Why Does the Center Hate Trump?

What motivates the center’s pathological hatred of Donald J. Trump?  My suspicion is moderates hate Trump for blowing up America’s complacent political culture.

I think Trump commits several unforgivable sins in the eyes of upper-class centrists. Trump’s sins against the “center” include:

Trump Talks about the Economy

First, Trump broke the media’s unspoken rule of discussing economic issues on the campaign trail.

In particular, Trump admits the U.S. economy is not working for many Americans. Trump even voices the obvious truth that economic position of many Americans is getting worse.

Moderates hate Trump because they thought they had politicians trained not to discuss the economy. Instead, politicians were only to discuss culturalist issues. In addition, the only economic policy to offer was more tax cuts; which benefit affluent “journalists,” and the corporations they work for.

Trump dared to offer a few tame economic policy suggestions that go beyond taxes. For instance, suggesting that tariffs could help workers and mentioning antitrust laws.

Centrists fear any honest discussion of America’s economy because such a debate exposes the failure of their economic policies. Furthermore, any honest economic discussion opens the door to socialism and talk of radical solutions like basic income, higher taxes, Medicare for All, and a Jobs Guarantee.

The center hates Trump because he opened that door. Now they are desperately trying to close the door and failing.

Trump refuses to Bow to the Media

Second, Trump refuses to put the traditional media on a pedestal or pander to it. For instance, Trump constantly attacks some media outlets like The Washington Post.

Moreover, Trump takes his case directly to the American people with Tweets and constant public appearances far outside Washington. Consequently, Trump bypasses the big media and controls the narrative.

Centrists thought they could control the flow of information and news in America. Trump proves the big media’s influence is dead, which is an unpardonable sin in journalists’ eyes.

Oddly, many other politicians; including U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), share Trump’s low opinion of the media. However, Trump is the first major US political figure to openly voice such thoughts since Franklin D. Roosevelt (D-New York) in the 1930s.

Consequently, Trump threatens centrist journalists’ power by refusing to acknowledge their authority. Hence, the Donald opens the door for other candidates who ignore the media like Andrew Yang (D-New York).

Trump Pays Attention to Ordinary Americans

Third, Trump listens to ordinary Americans and pays shallow attention to them.

For instance, Trump makes numerous speeches to crowds of working-class people in regions of the country centrists disparage. In particular, Trump makes many trips to places like Ohio and South Carolina.

Trump sort of listens to marginalized groups like working-class whites, Evangelicals, some senior citizens, and occasionally even black men. Trump’s outreach is often shallow and clumsy but he tries. That’s more than you can say for the journalists at CNN and Centrist politicians like Hillary R. Clinton (D-New York) and Joe Biden (D-Delaware).

For instance, Trump demanded Swedish police free African-American rapper ASAP; whom they jailed on assault charges, the BBC reports. Trump was responding to social media chatter about ASAP’s plight in a “white country.”

As limited as they are, Trump’s efforts exceed those of most of America’s ruling class. Centrists fear such outreach because it reminds ordinary Americans they have free speech and a say in America’s governance.

Trump has blown up America’s Political Culture

Finally, in 2016 Trump blew up America’s moderate political culture. The centrists will never forgive Trump for destroying a status quo they love.

To explain, before 2016 there was a shallow; but rigid, consensus governing political discussion in America. In crude terms, that consensus was a small government, low taxes, multiculturalism, technology, immigration, big business, globalism, capitalism, America, gays, free trade, and tolerance; good. Intolerance, Christians, Moslems, nationalism, racism, sexism, taxes, government, tariffs, regulations, and socialism; bad.

Trump smashed that consensus by successfully criticizing the status quo and refusing to bow to media pressure to confirm. For instance, Trump questioned both free trade and immigration. Hence, the Donald was publicly criticizing both multiculturalism and neoliberalism.

Trump Empowers the Left

By winning the election, Trump demolished that consensus. Thus, the Donald paved the way for the successful far left campaigns of Bernie Sanders, U.S. Senator Liz Warren (D-Massachusetts), and Andrew Yang (D-New York).

Currently, Emerson Polling ranks Sanders, Warren, and Yang as three of the four top candidates in the Democratic presidential primary. All three candidates publicly promote leftist policies like higher taxes, Medicare for All, Free College, and the Freedom Dividend.

I think Trump is responsible for Yang’s, Warren’s, and Sanders’ success. I believe those candidates would have no audience if the Donald had not smashed the political consensus.

Why the Left needs to study Anti-Trump Hysteria

Leftists need to examine the centrists’ anti-Trump bigotry carefully because they will be the moderates’ next target. Notably, some “moderate” news outlets are already redirecting their propaganda at the left.

For instance, The Washington Post ran 16 negative stories on Bernie Sanders in 16 hours in March 2019, Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting alleges. Predictably, when Warren emerged as the probable Democratic front runner The WashPost began attacking her, Salon claims.

For example, I recently spotted a bumper sticker for a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate; other than Bernie, on a vehicle on US Highway 285 in Colorado for the first time. It was for Andrew Yang.  

Therefore, understanding the moderates’ hatred of Trump could help leftists win in 2020. Leftists need to be ready because centrists will try to destroy them.