Summary: Trump’s victory surprised the experts. But the potential for radical change, the alienation that caused it, and the resulting rise of populism have all been discussed at the FM website. Here are resources to help you prepare for what lies ahead for America during the next four years. Understanding is the first step. See tomorrow’s post a closer look at what we can expect during the Trump years.
“In preliminary exit polls …voters are expressing more fear than excitement over both a Trump and a Clinton win.”
— “The Country Is Terrified” by Ella Koeze at 538. Fear is the real winner in 2016.
Predictions: I relied on the experts’ models and they were wrong, hence these go on the Fails & Smackdows page: Forecast: Clinton will crush Trump in November and The five reasons Trump will lose in November. Maximilian Forte (Prof Anthropology, Concordia U) was correct: An anthropologist explains why Trump will win in November. Here I listed some reasons that Trump might win.
The hidden factor that might have decided the election — Max Weber explains Trump 2016: we want a charismatic leader to restore America and Hillary’s weakness: traditional & charismatic leaders attack her bureaucratic authority.
Significance: This is a massive repudiation of the US ruling class, which was unified behind Hillary to an extent rarely seen in US history, as I described in here and here. Several posts described these dynamics of the election: Trump, not Sanders, is the revolutionary and Why Trump thrives despite the news media’s attacks.
About Trump’s views, ignored or hidden by the press: Trump wins because he says some sensible things which journalists can’t conceal (You must not see populism!), Trump says interesting things about foreign policy that scare our elites, Taxes: one of the bright lines distinguishing Trump from Clinton, What Trump means by putting “America First”, and Prof Danner looks at “The Magic of Donald Trump”.
“And as a single leaf turns not yellow but with the silent knowledge of the whole tree, so the wrong-doer cannot do wrong without the hidden will of you all.”
— Khalil Gibran in The Prophet(1923).
(1923).
The resurgence of populism
Populism is the power that brought Trump to victory. Long oppressed, the press and Democrats worked long and hard to conceal its resurgence. Next phase of the Trump revolution: rise of the new populism. What the press won’t tell you about Trump and populism — Walter Russell Mead’s famous essay about Jacksonian populism. Why the Left is missing the rising populist movement. Liberals look at Trump and populism, but see only their prejudices. Racism is the dark side of populism. Will it divide and defeat us? Populism arises amidst workers abandoned by the Left, seeking allies. Professor Mark Blyth explains the real roots of Brexit & Trump.
Clinton ran on the Anything But Issues platform, with the motto “She’s Not Trump!” It started with exaggerations and evolved into hysteria. The public wasn’t convinced; the backlash might have put Trump in the White House.
- Why they lose: the Left tells us that Trump is like Hitler.
- The Left calls Trump an ‘authoritarian’, a false & futile attempt to suppress populism.
- The Left calls Trump a fascist instead of focusing on the issues. It’s why they lose.
- Does Donald Trump have a perverted attraction to Ivanka? Details of a smear.
- Is Trump a tool of Putin? See the story & the debunking.
- Did Trump have a perverted attraction to 12-year old Paris Hilton? Details of a smear.
- The hidden details of the October surprise about Trump’s “sexual assaults”.
- The moral panic over Trump’s lewd remarks reveals much about us — about the Arianne Zucker incident.
A new era has begun, in many ways
“Although Nero’s death had at first been welcomed with outbursts of joy, it roused varying emotions, not only in the city among the senators and people and the city soldiery, but also among all the legions and generals; for the secret of empire was now revealed, that an emperor could be made elsewhere than at Rome.”
— From The Histories by Cornelius Tacitus (~56 – 117 A.D.).
by Cornelius Tacitus (~56 – 117 A.D.).We spent years laying the foundation for the campaign 2016 insurgencies. I have been writing about this for years. Such as this from March 2014: Stand by for political realignment in America! Also see Diagnosing the Eagle: Alienation and The bitter fruits of our alienation from America.
Now it begins. Trump will have a solid majority in both Houses of Congress — run by far-right core groups eager to reshape America. Their ideas about economics range from wrong to bogus. They will start with cutting taxes for the rich, cutting services for the middle class, and cutting medical care for the poor — plus expanding our already gargantuan military spending. Stocking the Supreme Court with right-wing extremists will give them a generation to revise America during the next generation, rolling back our laws to those of the Gilded Age.
We can only guess where it will end. People have no idea what’s coming down for America. Let’s give ourselves better choices, left and right, in 2020. If we start today we might have enough time. It won’t be easy.
Understanding the results of Campaign 2016
- Resources to help you prepare for the Trump years.
- Breaking the myths about Campaign 2016, so we can prepare for 2020.
- Clinton lost because fear failed, and her SJW’s terrified voters.
- Three big things to expect from the Trump era.
- Will Trump and conservatives inflict payback on their foes?
- Trump and the 1% lead America back to its past, to its roots.
For More Information
If you liked this post, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. See all posts about Campaign 2016, and especially these…
- Politics in modern America: A users’ guide for journalists and reformers.
- The psychopathic leaders of America.
- The unspoken issue of the election: America’s descent into darkness.
- American politics isn’t broken. It’s working just fine for the 1%.
- The best response to Campaign 2016: anger.
- An anthropologist looks at the narrow choices we’re offered in Campaign 2016.
How likely do you think it will be that Trump will actually implement any populist policies vs just becoming a figurehead for a regressive (but more orthodox GOP) Pence shadow presidency?
The reason I ask is because of the rumors that he first offered Kasich the VP slot and all but admitted that the VP would really be running the show: http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2016/07/20/trump_reportedly_wanted_kasich_as_vp_to_be_in_charge_of_domestic_and_foreign.html
ch1kpee,
Good question. In fact, we have more questions than answers about the Trump years. But we know some things.
(1) Congress will move aggressively. Congress has great power, despite the media presidential worship, and its current leaders will not hesitate to use it. Hence the specifics I said to expect:
(1) Massive tax cuts for the rich & skyrocketing deficits, just like those of Reagan and Bush Jr. Trump has already said he supports these.
(2) Massive increase in military spending.
(3) Far right wing Supreme Court justices, who will continue the roll back of US laws to those of the Gilded Age.
(4) Cutting medical care to the poor and blue collar classes. Health care again becomes the leading cause of bankruptcy, and the health and life expectancy gaps between the classes grows wider.
(5) Trashing the environmental law, stopping the multi-generational reduction of pollution.
(6) Selling off Federal land cheaply to the rich and corporations, or granting it to the States (who then do so).
You ask an important question about Trump’s populism. Some of his ideas will be difficult for Congress to refuse — such as limiting immigration and ending the increasingly series of pro-multi-national corp treaties misleadingly sold as “free trade”. Some might be passable if Trump is even marginally competent as President (which I doubt), such as more infrastructure spending.
Some of his ideas can be implemented directly by him — but will he? Such as throttling back our mad foreign wars.
Then there are the second wave right-wing ideas, after they have done the above. Such as attacking the Fed and attacking unions, which Trump probably will support. Some a Populist would oppose, such as cutting social security and Medicaid.
We are in for four very bad years. The Right has imitated the Left in electing someone based on their dreams, but the person they’ve choosen is a far worse choice. Obama disappointed his supporters in many ways. Trump will horrify many of this, I expect.
Robert Lewis Stevenson allegedly said that Everybody gets a banquet of consequences. We going to get ours.
But your last posts appeared to be anti Clinton. I was quite surprised..and now this?
Yes we will get ours. Khalil Gibran wrote in “The Prophet” “No leaf turns yellow on the tree of life without the silent consent of all”
Hewitt,
You win Best Comment of the Year! I’m adding that to this post.
Hewitt,
This post gives allegiance only to the truth and to America. The coverage of the campaign has provided information on both candidates that the mainstream media has ignored or misreported.
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