John Ellis: in a piece behind a paywall presents that Donald J. Trump has NOT been at all orginial in his ‘hostel takeover ‘ of the Grand Ole Party….
Ellis maitains that Trump’s smarts in listening to the Republican Right and co-oping the echo from the base to make it his by being LOUDER and unrelenting..
One can actually see this in Trump’s missteps in the past…
I had mentioned here something forgotten these days…
Trump WAS a Democrat for while back in the day….
When he first left them?
He would often revert back to Democratic talking points…
But that is mostly gone….
Except for occasional slips like telling people to get vaccinated?
John Ellis: “Trump doesn’t program what the base thinks and believes. The base programs what he says he thinks and believes. Trump doesn’t lead the base. The base leads him. In 2016, Trump wasn’t the base’s ‘messenger.’ The base was the messenger. Trump, to borrow Charles Murray’s memorable phrase, was ‘the murder weapon.’”
“At every rally, when he makes his entrance, he applauds the audience, at some length, signaling his respect. He’s the only American presidential candidate and president (that I know of) who ever did or does that. He understands how much it is appreciated. And he understands, better than anyone, that he must not, ever, disrespect MAGA nation and all of its component parts. They’re loyal. They’ll forgive him any number of sins. But he must be loyal to them in return.”
“He occasionally slips up. At a rally last year he urged those in attendance to get vaccinated, telling them it was the right thing to do. The audience wasn’t having it. Many among them booed. Trump never raised the subject (at rallies) again.”
Trumpism No Longer Needs Trump
Ron Brownstein: “For all the talk about how Donald Trump’s endorsed candidates would fare in the Republican primaries this year, the results in this week’s races made clear: Whatever happens to Trump’s personal influence, Trumpism is consolidating its dominance of the GOP.”
“More revealing than what happened to the candidates Trump endorsed was how many candidates endorsed him.”
Earlier for members: Trump Wins Even By Losing